Check-in to any major North American hotel, and chances are they will offer free or affordable WiFi access. But venture out to Europe or Asia, and you may find that your hotel only offers a traditional wired connection.

With the popularity of smart phones and tablets, wired connectivity simply isn't an option so most experienced business travelers, usually carry a small WiFi router with them for these types of situations. That means there's one more item that you have to carry with you.

This is where Connectify really shines. This is a neat little program that installs on Windows 7, and turns your laptop into a wireless router. The developers of an excellent job by simplifying the user interface and making the entire process super simple.

I tested this with a standard Windows 7 laptop, using my home fiber-based 16 Mb down Internet connection, and an iPhone 4S. The connection from my iPhone to the Internet (through the laptop) was a little slower than the laptop connecting directly to the Internet, but performance is very acceptable. I had minimal performance degradation, and never lost my connection.

This is a fantastic way to set up a quick mobile WiFi hotspot in a hotel room, without having to carry extra equipment.

The company does offer a Pro version which has the following benefits:

• ability to share 3G/4G connectivity
• wirelessly send files between the host and client device
• ability to customize the name of the WiFi hotspot
• ability to function as a repeater (or you extend the connectivity of an existing network)
• and premium support

Having tested the free version, I believe most users will be satisfied with this version. But if you feel like encouraging developers or like some of the additional features, feel free to buy the Pro version for about $30.