Convert Your Windows Device Into A Wi-Fi Hotspot

Short description

This article discusses about how to convert your windows device into a portable hotspot so that it can be accessed by other devices enabling the sharing of Internet.

In earlier versions of Windows XP & 7 there was a visual interface to create ad-hoc networks so that computers could connect with each other and share one computer's internet with each other. However with Windows 8 & 10 this option is not available from GUI. However it is present within the OS. There are lots of applications available for download that would convert your system into a hotspot. But let’s see how we can convert the computer into an access point using just the Command Prompt.

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt as an Administrator.

Step 2: Create a Virtual Wi-Fi network.

In order to do that run the following command in the command line.

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Hotspot key=C#Corner

Here ssid & key can be anything of your choice. ssid will be the name of the connection that will appear on your screen when you search for available networks.



If the command ran successfully it will show the above 3 status messages . Thus we have successfully created a Virtual Wifi network adapter.

Step 3: Turn on the adapter.

Inorder to do this run the following command.

netsh wlan start hostednetwork



Thus we have successfully turned ON the recently created adapter.

Now let’s go to the network and sharing center and see if the new network is available.



In active networks our recently created hotspot is listed out.



Step 4: Share the Internet Connection.

As a final step let us share the internet connection of the current computer with any devices that will be connected to the hotspot we have created now. In order to do that click on ‘Ethernet’.



Click on ‘Properties’.



Go to the Sharing tab and check the box ‘Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet Connection’. Also, expand the ‘Home networking connection’ drop down and select the recently created adapter’s name



Click OK and finally we have completed the set up process.

Now let’s try to connect to the network from a mobile device.



Thus we are successful in connecting to the Hotspot from the mobile device and we are using the Computer’s internet connection. Let’s do some quick Marshmallow update!