8/15/2016 How to Create a WiFi Hotspot Using the Command Prompt

How to Create a WiFi Hotspot Using the Command

Prompt
Now­a­days internet connectivity has become one of the things that we need the most. It would be nice if we can use our
computer's fast internet Connection. So guys the solution is Wireless Hosted Network. This concept of Wireless Hosted
network was introduced in Windows 7. By using this feature we can easily create a virtual wireless adapter.To do this we only
require a CMD(Command Prompt!) with Administrator privileges. And best of all you can connect to another WiFi when Hosted
Network is running. This process describes some of the commands that are available only in Windows 7 or Windows 8 Ready
PC.

Steps

1 Run. Press the "Windows key" and "R" buttons at the same time. The Run window will pop up.

2 Command Prompt. Type "cmd" in the box then hit "Enter" or OK. The Command Prompt will pop up, with
Administrative Privileges.

3 Device Check. Type netsh wlan show drivers in command prompt and press enter.
It will show the output like the image.
In the output Hosted network supported :Yes means that your computer supports hosted networks. Verify this.

4 Create. Type netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Hotspotname key=password in Command
prompt. This will create a Hotspot but it is currently offline.

5 Start. Type netsh wlan start hostednetwork in command prompt to start the hotspot you just created.

6 Stop. Type netsh wlan stop hostednetwork in command prompt to stop the hotspot.

7 Details. Type netsh wlan show hostednetwork to check the hotspot status.

8 Internet. To share your internet connection on this hotspot go to the Network and sharing center and click on
Change adapter setting. Here right click on the Connection that you use to connect to internet and select
properties. In properties go to Sharing tab and check the box "Allow other network users to connect through this
computer's internet connection and select the network connection name that is used by your hotspot.(For this check
the Network Connection Window and look for Connection which says Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter). And
save it. Now your inter net connection is shared.

Community Q&A

Where is the password for the set hotspot network?

It's at key=YourPasswordHere. Of course, you should replace YourPasswordHere with your own password.
wikiHow
Contributor Not Helpful 5 Helpful 29

How do I find the password to join the hotspot I've created?

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8/15/2016 How to Create a WiFi Hotspot Using the Command Prompt

Run the command prompt as the administrator and type ' netsh wlan show hostednetwork security' and then press
wikiHow enter key. You will get your saved password.
Contributor

Not Helpful 13 Helpful 20

Do you have any troubleshooting tips? Whenever I do this, I get an error message that says the hotspot couldn't be
activated and my resource is not in a correct state to perform the requisite action. My driver does support creating a
hotspot.

Go to Network Adapter and open LAN Properties. In the Sharing tab, enable Sharing and save. Then try this ­­ it will
wikiHow work. In case if your LAN goes limited, then just troubleshoot it.
Contributor

Not Helpful 2 Helpful 5

I was following the steps and got an error message: "hosted network could not be started." What can I do to fix this?

First verify that your wireless adapter supports hosted network, as shown in step 3. Try reinstalling the driver. Right
wikiHow
Contributor
click This PC go to Device Manager. Under Network Adapters, identify your adapter, right click on it and click on
Uninstall then click OK on confirmation. Restart your computer and Windows will automatically detect your adapter and
install required drivers. Verify again and if it is yes, then create and start hosted network.
Not Helpful 7 Helpful 9

Can I download anything using this WiFi network?

You can download files from the hosted computer if file sharing is turned on (with the right credentials), or from the
wikiHow
Contributor
internet if internet sharing is turned on.
Not Helpful 2 Helpful 3

When I input the command, "netsh wlan start hostednetwork" and input these values, I get the message, "The hosted
network couldn't be started. The group or resource is not in the correct state to perform the requested operation."
What can I do to troubleshoot this problem?

Go to your network adapter and open LAN properties. In the sharing tab, enable "sharing" and save it. This should
wikiHow work.
Contributor

Not Helpful 13 Helpful 6

Can a Hotspot work for more than one mobile device?

Yes, as long as there is enough broadband­capacity to serve more than one mobile device with fast internet speed.
wikiHow
Contributor
Keep in mind that the more devices there are connected to the Hotspot, the slower the internet will become.
Not Helpful 3 Helpful 1

These tips aren't working because my phone says I am giving the wrong password. What can I do?

You can try checking for any grammatical mistakes. If that doesn't work, format your PC and try again, using a different
wikiHow hotspot name this time.
Contributor

Not Helpful 3 Helpful 1

Where do I open the network connection window?

Type in to where your program files are and put in the network. It should show the network and sharing centre if it is
wikiHow Windows 10.
Contributor

Not Helpful 3 Helpful 1

How do I join the network from another computer?

Turn on the WiFi on the computer you wish to add and find the hotspot, which would be under the name you typed after
wikiHow SSID= , then click on it and it will ask you for the password. The password is what you typed after KEY=.
Contributor

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0

Tips

Now as you guys are thinking this is so much typing. But you can do it another way. Open Notepad and type all the
commands and save the file as ".bat" extension. Example. hots.bat
And Run it as administrator and your hotspot is running.
You can write this commands in a .bat file and keep it on desktop for Quick access.
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Warnings

Using Administrator privileges for CMD is must to run this commands. It will show error without it.

Sources and Citations

Here is the link of Microsoft MSDN page that contains all other useful command on Wireless Hosted Network
"http://msdn.microsoft.com/en­us/library/windows/desktop/dd815243(v=vs.85).aspx"

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