An old Android phone can be repurposed as a no-cost, temporary Wi-Fi extender for rooms with poor coverage, avoiding the immediate expense of a dedicated extender, mesh node or replacement router. By connecting the phone to the home network and enabling its hotspot, users can create a separate signal for nearby devices; however, it does not increase broadband speed and is less capable than purpose-built equipment.

The article advises updating and charging the phone, connecting it to the home Wi-Fi, then enabling Wi-Fi Hotspot through Settings and setting a strong password. Placing it midway between the router and the dead zone, with access to power, should improve coverage; 5GHz may offer better nearby performance but has shorter range than 2.4GHz. Continuous hotspot use drains the battery, requires manual network switching, and may be unreliable for some smart-home devices because it lacks seamless roaming and integration.