If you've noticed a Wi-Fi signal blind spot in a corner of your home, you've probably thought about buying a Wi-Fi repeater to fix it. But did you know that the old Android phone sitting in your drawer could actually help bridge the gap? It's a super-easy way to extend connectivity without spending a cent.
Many old Android phones can share their Wi-Fi signal natively
In the early days of Android smartphones, your device could only turn into a Wi-Fi hotspot if you first enabled mobile data and used your cellular network's plan. In fact, enabling a hotspot often meant that Wi-Fi would turn off automatically. You couldn't share your phone's Wi-Fi signal via a hotspot.
So, if you wanted to share your Wi-Fi signal with someone else because their phone couldn't catch it or the network was already congested, you were out of luck.
However, this changed with Android 9, which added the framework for STA/AP (Station/Access Point) concurrency , allowing a phone to stay connected to Wi-Fi while also running a hotspot.
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It's also worth noting that some smartphone manufacturers started adding this capability with even earlier versions of Android.
For instance, one of the Samsung Galaxy S7's most underappreciated features was Wi-Fi Sharing, which was available all the way back in 2016 .
Keep in mind that your old phone still needs a Wi-Fi chip capable of both connecting to and sharing the network for this to work properly.
Most Android phones, especially flagships released since 2018, should be able to act as Wi-Fi repeaters, but occasionally even older devices can do it, as we've seen with the Galaxy S7. The best way to know for sure is to try it yourself.
Samsung
How to turn your old Android phone into a Wi-Fi repeater
Turning an old Android phone into a Wi-Fi repeater is fairly straightforward. First, connect your phone to your Wi-Fi network. Then, go into settings and find the "Mobile Hotspot" option, and turn it on. The exact wording and location vary by device; on my old Realme phone, it was under "Connection & Sharing." If in doubt, use the search bar to find the hotspot option.
You can then set a name and password for your repeated Wi-Fi signal in the same menu.
In my tests, everything worked much better when I used a different network name and password rather than matching the router.
Using the same SSID and password might seem like it turns your old phone into a "proper" Wi-Fi repeater, but it's important to remember that this is still not a true repeater. Devices connecting to it can flip-flop between the router and the phone depending on signal strength, and IP address conflicts or routing issues can occur. The only way to make an Android phone act as a real Wi-Fi repeater is by rooting the phone .
A neat option that many phones offer is the ability to choose between 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi . 5GHz is faster, but 2.4GHz has better range and penetrates walls more effectively, which is usually what you want for a repeater.
That's pretty much everything you have to do to set up your old phone as a Wi-Fi repeater. On some phones, like on older Samsungs, you may also have to enable a setting called "Wi-Fi Sharing" (or equivalent) to share your Wi-Fi connection over the hotspot.
To test it, connect your primary phone to the hotspot and check if the internet works.
If you're having trouble getting it to work, or if your old Android doesn't allow Wi-Fi sharing, you can try your luck with third-party apps like NetShare and NetBridge .
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If you plan to use the old phone as a repeater for an extended period, make sure to plug it into a nearby outlet, as running a hotspot can drain the battery quickly. Also, place the phone in a cool, ventilated area to prevent overheating—many phones will automatically shut down the hotspot if they get too hot.
Lastly, if your old Android has an option that automatically turns off the hotspot if nothing is connected to it after a while, be sure to disable it.
The signal won't be ideal, but it works great in a pinch
An important thing to keep in mind when using your old Android as a repeater is that the signal won't be anywhere near as strong as what you can get with a real Wi-Fi repeater—phones simply aren't designed to act as Wi-Fi repeaters.
They have much weaker antennas, so the range is weak and doesn't penetrate walls well. Plus, having to receive and retransmit the signal simultaneously can easily cut the available bandwidth in half.
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That said, this can work great in a pinch. If your signal is fine in the living room but drops the moment you step into your backyard or garage, a thoughtfully placed old phone can help bridge the gap. You can use it to watch YouTube and listen to Spotify while mowing the lawn or fixing your car without dipping into your mobile plan .
It's also great for public Wi‑Fi, especially if you have several devices to connect. In a crowded café or on a plane, you can often get around device limits by connecting your phone to the network and then sharing that connection with your other devices. It also means you usually only have to sign in and accept the terms once, instead of doing it on every device.
An old Android phone can make a pretty decent Wi-Fi repeater in a pinch. You can use it to cover small gaps where your Wi-Fi signal is weak. However, don't try to use it as a replacement for a real Wi-Fi repeater.
If you need strong, reliable coverage across an entire floor or a large room, consider buying a proper Wi-Fi repeater or, even better, switching to a mesh network .
