Turn your Android device into a Wi-Fi extender

It’s frustrating when a Wi-Fi signal is nearby, but it’s just out of reach. Maybe your router doesn’t cover the whole of your home, or you want to surf in your garden. Whatever the reason, if your Wi-Fi isn’t stretching as far as you’d like, you can extend its reach by using your Android device as a Wi-Fi repeater, also known as a Wi-Fi extender. This is where your Android device picks up your Wi-Fi signal, and repeats this signal, so your Wi-Fi is extended over a greater distance. You can then tap into this repeated signal, via another device such as

your PC.

This trick does require a rooted device, but if your smartphone or tablet isn’t rooted, you still have some options for getting online when you’re struggling to find a reliable Wi-Fi signal. One option is using your Android device as a portable hotspot, a process known as tethering. Tethering lets you share your Android’s data connection wirelessly with other devices. Alternatively, you can use a USB cable to tether your device. Be aware that your carrier may charge a fee for using your device’s hotspot feature, so always check your contract.

This tutorial shows you how to use your Android device as a Wi-Fi extender, before sharing a few tricks for getting online, even if you don’t have a rooted device.

For more expert tutorials, make sure you pick up the new issue of Android Magazine.

1. 

   Download fqrouter2

   fqrouter2 is an application that makes it easy to turn your Android device into a Wi-Fi extender. Download fqrouter2 from the Google Play store, and then launch the app on your device. If fqrouter2 prompts you to update to a newer version, follow the instructions to ensure you’re running the right version.
2. 

   Enable Wifi Repeater

   Check your device’s Wi-Fi is on and connected. Then, launch the fqrouter2 app, and scroll down to the Wifi Repeater section. Tap the Off slider, and wait a few seconds until the slider turns green and displays the On label. Your device is now repeating your Wi-Fi signal.
3. 

   Customise your signal

   You can customise your repeated signal, by tapping the Config button. Next, enter a new name for your signal and change the password you use to access it. Once you’re happy with your changes, tap Save. You’re now ready to start using this repeated signal!
4. 

   Test your signal

   Put your Wi-Fi extender to the test by using a second device to perform a search for nearby Wi-Fi. You should spot the signal that’s being repeated by your Android smartphone or tablet. Connect to this repeated signal, and check that the internet is now available on your second device.
5. 

   Wi-Fi hotspots

   If your device isn’t rooted, you can still turn it into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, and then share its connection with other devices. Make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi, then open its Settings, tap More followed by Tethering & portable hotspot. Finally, give Portable Wi-Fi hotspot a tap.
6. 

   Customise your portable hotspot

   After creating your hotspot, customise it by scrolling down and selecting Set up Wi-Fi hotspot. Now you can change your signal’s name and create a password. If you haven’t already, check your carrier’s policy, to see whether tethering incurs any additional charges.
7. 

   USB tethering

   You can also tether your Android device via USB. ClockworkMod Tether is a free app that can be downloaded from the Play store, and doesn’t require root. Download the app, and then install and unzip the accompanying tether software on your computer, using the links in the app’s Play listing.
8. 

   Connect up your device

   Connect your Android device to your computer using its USB cable. Make sure your device is either connected to Wi-Fi, or its mobile internet is switched on. On your computer, launch the Tether software and grant it any permissions it requires to run.
9. 

   Start tethering

   Once the Tether program has loaded, click Start. When you see a ‘Tether has connected’ message, you’re ready to access the internet on your computer, using the signal from your Android device. You can use Tether for 14 days without limits, after which you’re restricted to 20MB a day.
10. 

    Troubleshooting

    If you’re a Windows user, you’ll need to install the drivers for your smartphone, before it can connect to your PC, so head over to www.clockworkmod.com/tether/drivers. If you’re encountering slow speeds with Tether, make sure your Android device is the only thing plugged into your PC’s USB ports.

Lenovo Set to Close $2.1B IBM Server Deal

Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's x86 server business is expected to close on Wednesday, for a price below the $2.3 billion announced early this year.

The purchase will be complete on Oct. 1 for $2.1 billion, based on a change to the valuation of inventory and deferred revenue liability, a Lenovo spokesman confirmed to PCMag.

As announced in January, the computer maker will take control of IBM's System X business, BladeCenter and Flex System blade servers and switches, x96-based Flex integrated systems, NeXtScale and iDataPlex servers and associated software, blade networking, and maintenance operations.

IBM, however, will retain its System z mainframes, Power Systems, Storage Systems, Power-based Flex servers, and PureApplication and PureData appliances.

"With the close of the x86 acquisition, Lenovo will add a world-class business that extends our capabilities in enterprise hardware and services, immediately making us a strong number three in the global server market," CEO Yang Yuanqing said in a statement.

The tech giants have a long-standing relationship, bolstered by Lenovo's 2005 acquisition of IBM's PC client business, which included the ThinkPad computer lineup. They will continue to work together, as IBM keeps a hand in the development of its Windows and Linux software portfolio for the x86 platform.

IBM, meanwhile, is making a renewed push to promote its own Power processor architecture by opening it to licensing and forming the OpenPower Consortium. IBM also recently announced the licensing of its ARM architecture for the development of customized networking equipment.

About 7,500 IBM employees around the globe are expected to join Lenovo.

"Lenovo has big plans for the enterprise market," said Gerry Smith, executive vice president of Lenovo Group. "Over time, we will compete vigorously across every sector, using our manufacturing scale and operational excellence to repeat the success we have had with PCs."

Lenovo is also awaiting the close of its deal to acquire Google's Motorola Mobility.

For more, check out PCMag's slideshow above featuring eight acquisitions that changed the face of computing—including Lenovo's purchase of IBM's PC business.

China's Xiaomi Moves In on Samsung, Apple

The "star performer" of the smartphone market this summer wasn't Apple or Samsung, it was a company you may not have even heard of—China's Xiaomi.

According to new data from Strategy Analytics and IDC, Xiaomi became the world's third largest smartphone vendor for the first time ever in the third quarter of 2014, behind only Samsung and Apple. Strategy Analytics said Xiaomi accounted for a record 6 percent of the 320.4 million smartphones shipped from July until September.

"Xiaomi's Android smartphone models are wildly popular in the Chinese market," Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement. "Xiaomi's next step is to target the international market in Asia and Europe, where it may face stronger headwinds of low brand awareness and technology-patent challenges next year."

Strategy Anaytcis smartphone Q3 2014As part of that push into other markets, Xiaomi said recently that it is moving its Beijing-based data centers to Amazon AWS data centers in California and Singapore. The move, according to Xiaomi (and former Google) exec Hugo Barra "better equips us to maintain high privacy standards and comply with local data protection regulations" - something that's not always possible in China.

"Parts of this migration will be completed by the end of October, and all of it will be completed by the end of 2014," Barra said in a separate post that addressed security concerns in India. "In 2015, we plan to launch a local data center in India to serve the needs of (and store data for) our Indian users."

Samsung maintained its No. 1 spot, but saw its marketshare drop to 25 percent from 35 percent a year ago. Apple's share also dropped slightly to 12 percent.

"Samsung continues to face tough competition from Apple at the higher-end of the smartphone market, from Xiaomi and Huawei in the middle-tiers, and from Lenovo and others at the entry-level," Mawston said. Meanwhile, he added, "Apple's iPhone growth is slowing worldwide because of its limited presence in the fast-growing entry-level segment."

IDC smartphone Q3 2014IDC corroborated Strategy Anaytics's assessment, noting that new releases and an increased emphasis on emerging markets resulted in 25 percent growth compared to the same quarter last year.

"Despite rumors of a slowing market, smartphone shipments continue to see record-setting volumes," Ryan Reith, program director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said in a statement. "We've finally reached a point where most developed markets are experiencing single-digit growth while emerging markets are still growing at more than 30 percent collectively."

For more, check out the charts from Strategy Analytics and IDC below. Also see Hands On With the Xiaomi Mi3 Smartphone.