How to access site running on localhost over lan and wifi

Hey guys this is Ajit and I proudly thank you to visit again to GearedPress. Here we are going to learn to get access to site running on localhost from another computer or devices connected to it via LAN over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. We received many queries like connecting xampp server to mobile phones or tablets connected over Wi-Fi. So what i thought instead of just connecting it we will access the wordpress site running on localhost. We will go step-by-step, so let’s start. I’m gonna use XAMPP. But do not worry WAMPP has similar structure as XAMPP has.

STEP 1:

Deploy XAMPP control panel and start Apache and MySQL. By default these modules starts automatically. If you guys face any problems during starting Apache or MySQL here is guide which will tell you how to troubleshoot XAMPP issues. When you see them i.e. Apache and MySQL green that means you are ready to use XAMPP. Open browser and go to your wordpress site by entering URL: http://localhost/wordpress/ . If you see your site running perfect then you should be start working on next step. And if not see our how to start wordpress site using XAMPP.

STEP 2:

Open XAMPP control panel
Turn off the running modules i.e. Apache and MySQL
Click on config tab right beside of start tab of Apache and select httpd.conf file.
Find <Directory /> tag in this file just below Servername localhost:80 definition. You can use find & replace function to get it done easily.
Replace the rules defined inside the tag by below one:

Options FollowSymLinks

AllowOverride None

Order deny,allow

Allow from all

#Deny from all

After replacing, your tag will look like this.

<Directory/>

             Options FollowSymLinks

                AllowOverride None

                Order deny,allow

                Allow from all

                #Deny from all

</Directory>

This is final step for XAMPP. You can now restart Apache and MySQL, but I would like suggest you to restart whole XAMPP application.

WordPress site running on localhost opened on mobile over WiFi

Now check IP Address of your machine on which your XAMPP is running and note down it. Go to anothercomputer connected to same LAN or Wi-Fi. Open browser and enter that IP Address followed by “/wordpress”. Here I currently have Windows mobile and here is screenshot:

If you guys done with this then start patting your back with proud, not too much.

If you are still facing problem while getting access to website running on localhost, here is guide which will tell you how to manage windows firewall for LAN.