Connectify () is an American

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. ...

company that develops networking software for consumers, professionals and companies. Connectify Hotspot is a virtual router software for Microsoft Windows, and Speedify is a mobile VPN service with channel bonding capabilities available for individuals, families and teams.

History

Connectify launched their first product, Connectify Hotspot, in October 2009. It can enable a Windows PC to serve as a router over

Ethernet Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in ...

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio w ...

. Along with a Windows 7, 8 or 10 certified Wi-Fi device it can act as a

wireless access point In computer networking, a wireless access point (WAP), or more generally just access point (AP), is a networking hardware device that allows other Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. As a standalone device, the AP may have a wired co ...

. This enables users to share files, printers, and Internet connections between multiple computing devices without the need for a separate physical access point or router. Connectify spent the next two years improving the product, first making it free and ad-supported. In 2011, Connectify switched to a freemium commercial model which included premium features for paying customers. These features included extended support of 3G/ 4G mobile devices, fully customizable SSIDs and premium customer support. In 2011, Connectify received funding from In-Q-Tel to begin developing a more powerful and secure remote networking platform and a connection-aggregation application. Connectify used this funding to develop the foundation of the application, and then in 2012 turned to the

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance. In 2015, over was rais ...

site

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...

to raise additional funding to develop Connectify Dispatch. Dispatch was a load balancer which could combine any number of

or mobile Internet connections. In 2014, Connectify launched Speedify, a channel bonding

application Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

for PCs running Microsoft Windows and

macOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...

. In January 2016, Speedify for Mobile was launched at CES, adding support for iOS and

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

. In December 2016, Speedify added encryption on all supported platforms, turning it into a

mobile virtual private network A mobile virtual private network (mobile VPN or mVPN) is a Virtual private network, VPN which is capable of persisting during sessions across changes in physical connectivity, point of network attachment, and IP address.Phifer, Lisa"Mobile VPN: Clo ...

. Connectify released other apps: Pingify (in 2017) - a mobile network diagnostics tool, and EdgeWise Connect (in 2019).

Products

Connectify Hotspot

Connectify Hotspot is a virtual router

software application Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

available for PCs running

Windows 7 Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearl ...

or a later version. It was launched in 2009 by Connectify and it has 3 main functions: * Wi-Fi hotspot - users can share the Internet connection from their PC through a Wi-Fi adapter. The free version of Connectify Hotspot only allows sharing of wired or Wi-Fi Internet via Wi-Fi. The paid versions allow users to share any type of Internet connection, including 4G /

LTE LTE may refer to: Science and technology * LTE (telecommunication) (Long-Term Evolution), a telephone and mobile broadband standard ** LTE Advanced, an enhancement *** LTE Advanced Pro * Compaq LTE, a line of laptop computers produced by Compaq * ...

. through Wi-Fi or

. * Wired router - users can share a computer's Wi-Fi connection via Ethernet. This functionality is only available in the paid versions of Connectify Hotspot. * Wi-Fi

repeater In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it. Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be received on the other side of an obstruction. Som ...

- users can extend the range of a Wi-Fi network and

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

other devices on that network directly. This functionality is only available in the paid versions of Connectify Hotspot. Starting with version 2017, Connectify Hotspot also incorporates a universal ad blocker for clients connecting to the Wi-Fi or Ethernet network it creates. This feature is available for free.

Speedify

Speedify is a mobile VPN bonding service available for devices running Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. Speedify 1.0 was launched in June 2014 as a channel bonding service. Speedify can combine multiple Internet connections given its link aggregation capabilities. In theory, this should offer faster Internet connection speeds and

failover Failover is switching to a redundant or standby computer server, system, hardware component or network upon the failure or abnormal termination of the previously active application, server, system, hardware component, or network in a computer n ...

protection. Starting 2016, as a VPN service, Speedify's privacy policy states they do not log what users do or what sites they visit through the Speedify service. Starting with version 10, in 2020, Speedify provides QoS for live streams with its new streaming mode, which dynamically prioritizes streaming traffic. Speedify can be used for free for the first 2 GB each month; there are monthly and yearly

subscription The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, and ...

plans available. Tom's Guide picked Speedify as the fastest VPN in late 2018. Speedify became Citrix Ready in late 2019.

Speedify for Teams

Speedify for Teams is Connectify's business product. It is basically a multi-seat Speedify mobile VPN

with added centralized account management capabilities.

Pingify

Pingify is a free utility for testing network coverage, Internet reliability and VPN dependability. It's currently available for iOS devices - it helps you run ping on your iPhone. Pingify was developed as an internal testing tool for Speedify on iOS - a mobile network diagnostics tool. Then, in 2017, it was made publicly available.

EdgeWise Connect

EdgeWise Connect is a simple VPN available for iPhone and Android which can seamlessly move web traffic between the

and cellular data connections. The service uses channel bonding technology and is fully encrypted. EdgeWise Connect was launched in early 2019 and can be used for free for a few hours each day; there are monthly and yearly

plans available.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.connectify.me
Speedify websiteEdgeWise Connect websitePingify website
2009 software Windows-only shareware Windows-only freeware Communication software Routing software File sharing software Servers (computing)