Connecting Wi-Fi Windows 10. Turning on Wi-Fi
A laptop, computer, or tablet running Windows 10 can be used as Wi-Fi router, which distributes the Internet to other wireless devices. Such a program point Wi-Fi access can be used to organize local wireless network or general use of the Internet connection (wired or mobile 3G/4G connection) available on Windows computer, multiple devices (phones, tablets and other devices). In the first releases of Windows 10, it was possible to create and manage such an access point only from the command line. Windows 10 1607 now has a simple GUI to create an access point – “Mobile hotspot”.
So, today we’ll look at how to create a virtual access point on Windows based 10 without using additional ones third party programs. We assume that your computer has two network adapters: a wired Ethernet adapter (connected to the network of the provider through which you access the Internet) and wireless wifi adapter. We want a computer with a Wi-Fi network card to be able to be used by other devices as Wi-Fi hotspot access and provided general access to your Internet connection.
Advice. Instead of a wired connection, a 3G / 4G connection via a USB modem or phone can be used to access the Internet.
Checking support for Ad-Hoc mode by the Wi-Fi adapter driver
Before you start creating an access point, you need to make sure that the driver of your Wi-FI adapter can operate in virtual access point (Ad-Hoc) mode. For this purpose in command line run the command:
netsh wlan show drivers
The command line will display information about the Wi-Fi adapter driver used and supported technologies (more about supported Wi-Fi standards drivers in the article). Availability of line Hostednetworksupported: Yes ( Hosted Network Support – Yes ) , indicates that this driver supports operation in access point mode. Otherwise, try updating the driver version or installing a different Wi-FI adapter.
Mobile hotspot in Windows 10
Window 10 1607 (Creators Update) and higher introduced a simple graphical tool for distributing the Internet via Wi-Fi. This function called " Mobile hotspot"(Mobile Hotspot). The function is located in a separate section Options -> Network and Internet -> Mobile hotspot. On this tab, with just a couple of clicks, you can launch an access point on your Windows 10. All you need to do for this is to turn on the switch “ Allow the use of my Internet connection on other devices" New name Wi-Fi networks and password will be generated automatically (you can change them) and select the Internet connection to which you will provide access to other devices (list Sharing internet connections). If your computer has only one Internet connection, it will be selected automatically.
Limitation. This way, you may not be able to share all types of connections. For example, PPPoE connection It won't be possible to distribute it this way.
The same window will display a list of devices that are currently connected to your access point. The device name and MAC address are displayed, as well as the IP address assigned to it. As you can see, up to 8 devices can be connected to the access point on Windows 10 at the same time.
Common Windows 10 errors when creating a mobile hotspot
In the event that an error appears when trying to create an access point: Cannot configure mobile hotspot. Turn onWi-Fi‘, try updating your Wi-Fi adapter driver and/or uninstalling virtual Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter according to (it is through this virtual adapter that the Internet is distributed). After that, restart your computer and try turning on the mobile hotspot again.
Another common mistake is ‘‘. Try simply restarting your Internet connection.
Another error: ‘ Could not set up mobile hotspot because the computer is not connectedEthernet,Wi-Fior connection to cellular network ‘. Most likely there are problems with your Internet connection (no network). Check the connection. This error also appears if you are connected to your provider via PPPoE; this type of connection is not supported by the mobile hotspot.
Create a virtual Wi-Fi network from the command line
Let's look at how to create a virtual Wi-Fi access point from the command line.
Let's say we want to create a wireless network called Hotspot(this is the network SSID) and connection password 3 i3iPass. Open a command prompt (with administrator rights) and run the following command:
If everything is specified correctly, the command will return the following text:
Hosted network mode is enabled in the wireless network service.
The hosted network SSID has been successfully changed.
The hosted network user key passphrase was successfully changed.
This command will create a new Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter on the system, which will be used by others wireless devices as an access point. Now let's enable the created virtual adapter:
Line Thehostednetworkstarted(Host Network Started) indicates that the software Wi-Fi access point has started successfully.
There will be a new feature in the Network and Sharing Center wireless connection with name Hotspot.
Other Wi-Fi devices can now see and connect to the created access point. Within such a network, devices can use general documents and peripherals, but access to the Internet through such an access point is not yet possible.
Allow connected devices to use the Internet connection
Now let's allow all devices connected to our virtual Wi-FI hotspot to use a wired network connection to access the Internet. To do this, in the Network and Control Center, click on the name of the network adapter through which you can access the Internet. In our example, this is a connection named Ethernet.
In the network adapter statistics window, click the button Properties.
In the network adapter properties window, you need to allow general Internet access through this connection. To do this, go to the tab Sharing(Access). Check the box next to " Allowothernetworkuserstoconnectthroughthiscomputer'sInternetconnection» (Allow other network users to use the Internet connection of this computer), and in the drop-down list select the name of the virtual adapter that we created earlier.
Save your changes. In the Network and Sharing Center window, the Hotspot network type will change to Internet, which means that this network (and all devices connected to it) now have access to the Internet.
Now all devices connecting to the Windows 10-based access point we created gain access to the Internet through the external network interface of the computer. Try connecting to the created hotspot from your phone, tablet or other laptop.
View current virtual access point settings
You can view the current settings of the access point you created using the command.
Netsh wlan show hostednetwork
The command will display the name (SSID) of the network, supported types of authentication and encryption, the maximum number of devices that can simultaneously use this access point (Max number of clients) and the current number of connected clients (Number of clients).
The following command displays your Wi-Fi hotspot's various security settings and connection keys:
Netsh wlan show hostednetwork setting=security
The access point on Windows 10 cannot work in hidden SSID mode.
Possible errors and solutions with a Wi-Fi access point on Windows 10
Question. After reboot Windows, Wi-Fi access point does not turn on.
Answer. To restore the wireless network, you need to start the hosted network with the command
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
There is no need to re-enter the network name and password.
Question. When trying to start a hosted network, the error “The Wireless AutoConfig Service (wlansvc) is not running. The hosted network couldn’t be started.”
Answer. Start the service WLANAutoConfig(Wlan AutoConfig Service) from the services.msc console or from the command line:
net start WlanSvc
and restart the virtual access point
Question. When starting a Wi-Fi network, the error “The hosted network could not be started. The group or resource is not in the correct state."
Answer. Check if your Wi-Fi adapter is turned on. Then open device Manager, in the menu View select item Show hidden devices. In the network adapters section, find MicrosoftHostedNetworkVirtualAdapter and turn it on (Engage). If it doesn’t help, run the commands sequentially:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow
Then recreate the access point:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Hotspot key=3i3iPass
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
Question. How can I view the status and settings of the access point?
Answer
netsh wlan show hostednetwork
Answer. You can stop the access point with the command:
netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
The access point is deleted (the SSID and network password are deleted) like this:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=disallow
Question. The device has connected to a Wi-Fi access point, but the Internet does not work on it.
Answer: Check whether your device has received the DNS server settings (try manually specifying the public DNS address Google servers— 8.8.8.8 in your client settings. Also try restarting the Sharing Service (ICS), or disabling and re-enabling sharing for the adapter through which your Windows 10 computer/laptop is connected to the Internet.
A few more common problems due to which your access point may not work on Windows 10:
In my previous one, comments appear every now and then on the topic that the indicated methods refuse to work in Windows 10 (however, some of them work, but the problem is most likely in the drivers). That’s why it was decided to write this instruction (updated in August 2016).
This article contains a step-by-step description of how to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi from a laptop (or computer with a Wi-Fi adapter) in Windows 10, as well as what to do and what nuances to pay attention to if the described does not work: the hosted network fails to start, the connected device does not receive an IP address or works without Internet access, etc.
First of all, launch the command prompt as an administrator (right-click on the start button in Windows 10, and then select the appropriate item) and enter the command netshwlanshowdrivers
The command line window should display information about the Wi-Fi adapter driver used and the technologies it supports. We are interested in the item “Support for a hosted network” (in English - Hosted Network). If it says “Yes”, then you can continue.
If there is no support for a hosted network, then first you should update the drivers for the Wi-Fi adapter, preferably from the official website of the laptop manufacturer or the adapter itself, and then repeat the check.
In some cases, it may help, on the contrary, to roll back the driver to the previous version. To do this, go to the dispatcher Windows devices 10 (you can right-click on the “Start” button), in the “ Network adapters"Find the required device, right-click on it - properties - "Driver" tab - "Roll Back".
Again, check the hosted network support again: if it is not supported, all other actions will not lead to any result.
Distributing Wi-Fi in Windows 10 using the command line
We continue to operate in the command line launched as administrator. You need to enter the command there:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid= remontka key= secretpassword
Where remontka- the desired name of the wireless network (specify your own, without spaces), and secretpassword- Wi-Fi password (set your own, at least 8 characters, do not use Cyrillic).
After that, enter the command:
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
As a result, you should see a message indicating that the hosted network is running. You can already connect from another device via Wi-Fi, but it will not have access to the Internet.
Note: If you see a message that it is impossible to start the hosted network, while in the previous step it was written that it is supported (or the required device is not connected), try disabling the Wi-Fi adapter in the device manager, and then re-enabling it (or removing it there, and then update the hardware configuration). Also try in the Device Manager, in the View menu item, enable the display of hidden devices, then in the “Network adapters” section, find the Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter, right-click on it and select “Enable”.
To access the Internet, right-click on “Start” and select “Network Connections”.
In the list of connections, right-click on the Internet connection (the one that is used to access the Internet) - properties and open the “Access” tab. Enable the option “Allow other network users to use the Internet connection” and apply the settings (if you see a list of connections in the same window home network, select the new wireless connection that appears after starting the hosted network).
If everything went as it should, and no errors were made during setup, now when you connect from a phone, tablet or other laptop to the created network, you will have access to the Internet.
To subsequently disable Wi-Fi distribution, in the command line as an administrator, enter: netsh wlan stop hostednetwork and press Enter.
Problems and their solutions
Many users, despite fulfilling all the above points, access the Internet through such Wi-Fi connection doesn't work. Below are several possible ways fix it and figure out the reasons.
I think you will succeed. All of the above was just tested in conjunction: a computer with Windows 10 Pro and an Atheros Wi-Fi adapter, connected iOS devices 8.4 and Android 5.1.1.
Additionally: Wi-Fi distribution With additional functions(For example, automatic start distributions upon login) in Windows 10, the program promises, in addition, in the comments to my previous article on this topic(see), works for some free program MyPublicWiFi.
There are times when you need to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi to other laptops, tablets or smartphones using a Windows 10 laptop. For this purpose, the top ten has created a special virtual WiFi technology. Thanks to this technology, a virtual Wi-Fi adapter is created, with which you can set up a personal Wi-Fi network for distributing the Internet.
In this material we will take a detailed look at the work Virtual WiFi in Windows 10, and also get acquainted with the utility MyPublicWiFi, which performs the same actions in the windowed interface.
Despite the fact that all the examples in the article were made in version 10 of the OS, you can use the same methods to distribute WiFi in other Windows.
Checking the compatibility of a wireless network Wi-Fi card with virtual WiFi
First of all, we should check the compatibility of our network adapter with the “Virtual Wi-Fi” development. To do this, open the console with administrator rights. In Windows 10, this can be done by right-clicking on the menu shortcut " Start».
Then select the item “ Command Line (Administrator)" IN open console type the control line netsh wlan show drivers
If there is a clause “ Hosted network support: yes" in the console, be aware that your wireless network card has support for "Virtual WiFi". Presence " Hosted network support: no" means that it is impossible to create a virtual network for distributing the Internet.
In many cases, if when checking your network adapter does not support “Virtual Wi-Fi”, then the problem can be solved by by updating the driver yours network card. You can find the latest versions of drivers on the website of the wireless card manufacturer or on the website of your laptop. In the example considered, the adapter is used Realtek RTL8188CE, who has there is support this technology.
Creating a virtual mesh in Windows 10
First of all, we initiate the wireless network. To do this, in ten, in the console (must be in administrator mode), type the control line netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=test_grid key=GS6-C3_4zSmtug07uk3Y Here under the value test_grid is understood as the name of our network, and GS6-C3_4zSmtug07uk3Y stands for set password. As you can see, the password is quite complex and is 116 bits long. Such complex password used to ensure that your network is reliably protected.
Now we just have to put the grid into operation. For this purpose, enter the following command into the console: netsh wlan start hostednetwork This line will make your network active and will allow other Wi-Fi computers to connect to it.
The final step will be enable sharing adapter to which Internet connected.
Pay attention! It is very important to open general access ONLY in the settings of the adapter through which your computer is connected to the Internet. Do not change the access settings on the newly created wireless connection.
To do this, go to network connections. This can be quickly done in the program " Execute» command « ncpa.cpl" After that, find the adapter connected to the Internet and go to its properties. Go to the " Access» and check the boxes as shown in the figure below.
If you want disable network, then enter the command netsh wlan stop hostednetwork in the console, after which the network will stop functioning.
You can view the network parameters in order to configure it later using the following commands:
- The command that will output all characteristics your network: netsh wlan show settings
- The command that will display security properties Wi-Fi networks. With its help you can also find out the password you created for it: netsh wlan show hostednetwork setting=security
We share access to the World Wide Web on a laptop using the MyPublicWiFi utility
You can download this utility from its official website www.mypublicwifi.com/publicwifi/en/index.html. According to the developers, it is fully compatible with Windows 10. After downloading MyPublicWiFi run the installer.
The installer will prompt you to click the Next button, which we will click to go to the next window.
In this window you can select the installation location MyPublicWiFi. After selecting the location, also click the Next button.
In the window that appears, check the box “ Create a desktop icon"to create a shortcut on the Desktop and click Next. In the next window, click the Install button, which will start the installation process. In the final window, the installer will ask you to restart your computer. This is necessary for the further launch of our utility.
After reboot let's run the utility using a shortcut on the Desktop to configure it. Now let's enter our settings network name And complex password, and also select the adapter from which the Internet will be distributed.
To start our virtual network, click the button Setup and Start Hotspot. After this action, the program will make settings and launch the virtual network. To disable the virtual network, you must click Stop Hotspot.
On the second tab " Clients» You can view the connected devices to your access point. I would also like to note that thanks to the enabled checkbox “ Enable Internet Sharing"We do not need to manually enable the Internet for a network adapter that has a direct connection to the Internet.
As can be seen from the example, using MyPublicWiFi It is much easier to create a virtual Wi-Fi network, in contrast to the “Virtual WiFi” technology.
Let's sum it up
In this material, we used an example to look at the development of “ Virtual WiFi» in Windows 10, and also got acquainted with the utility in detail MyPublicWiFi. Most of all utility MyPublicWiFi suitable for beginners, as it allows you to set up an access point in a few minutes without using the command line. Essentially MyPublicWiFi is a window add-on for “Virtual WiFi” and is absolutely free.
Our material will be especially useful in situations where you are out of town, and there is only one 3G modem and you need to distribute the Internet through it to several laptops. This information will also be useful if your new office does not have the Internet, and you only have a laptop with a 3G modem and a dozen nettops to which you need to distribute the Internet. We hope our article will help you create your own virtual access point and allow you to solve your Internet problem.
Video on the topic
In this article - step by step instructions how to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi from a laptop (or a computer with a Wi-Fi adapter) in Windows 10 and discuss common errors during distribution: The hosted network cannot be started, the connected device does not receive an IP address or operates without Internet access, etc. See also How to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi in Windows 10 using the Mobile hotspot function and How to set up Quick actions in the Windows 10 notification center.
If everything was done correctly, we see a message stating that the hosted network is running. You can already connect to your laptop via Wi-Fi, but it will not have access to the Internet.
Note: if you see a message that it is impossible to start the hosted network, while at the previous stage it was written that it is supported, try disabling the Wi-Fi adapter in the device manager, and then re-enabling it (or removing it there, and then updating the configuration equipment). Also try in the Device Manager, in the View menu item, enable the display of hidden devices, then in the “Network adapters” section, find the Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter, right-click on it and select “Enable”.
In the list of connections, right-click on the Internet connection (necessarily the one that is used to access the Internet) - properties and open the “Access” tab. We turn on “Allow other network users to use the Internet connection” and apply the settings, and in the list below we select the newly created wireless connection (if there is one).
If everything is done correctly, then we connect and use it.
To disable Wi-Fi distribution, in the command line as an administrator, enter:
netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
and press Enter.
Problems distributing WiFi from a laptop in Windows 10 and their solution
For many users, despite following all the above points, Internet access via such a Wi-Fi connection does not work. Below are several possible ways to fix this and understand the reasons.
Additionally: Wi-Fi distribution in Windows 10 is represented by the Mobile hotspot function, in addition, in the comments to my previous article on this topic How to distribute WiFi from a laptop using Windows, some people use the free MyPublicWiFi program.
Often there is a need to distribute the Internet via WiFi from a laptop on Windows 10, but not everyone knows how best to do this. There are many different ways you can distribute WiFi from a laptop. The main thing is that the latest WiFi adapter drivers are installed on your laptop and that it is fully functional. If you also have an external or internal WiFi adapter on your computer, then you can distribute the Internet from your computer without any problems.
This article will tell you how to distribute the Internet from Windows laptop 10 using as means operating system Windows 10 and third-party example software. We recommend paying attention to options for distributing WiFi from a laptop via the command line, as well as using a mobile hotspot in Windows 10.
After updating to Windows 10 build 1607, users were able to distribute the Internet through the control panel using a mobile hotspot. You can enable the ability to use other devices only if you have a working WiFi adapter. If you have a WiFi adapter installed on your computer with all the drivers, then the Mobile hotspot section will also appear in System Settings.
- Open the parameters by clicking on Pusk > Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot.
- Next item slider Allow the use of my Internet connection on other devices drag to position Included.
- At point Internet Connection Sharing indicate a working Internet connection.
And also, if necessary, you can easily change the network name and network password. To do this, just press the button Change in section Mobile hotspot in the system parameters.
A mobile hotspot makes life much easier for users, since after a one-time setup, you can distribute the Internet from a laptop on Windows 10 in just one click. Moreover, there are no problems when using a mobile hotspot compared to third-party programs.
How to distribute WiFi from a laptop via the command line
The method of distributing WiFi via the command line works both on the Windows 10 operating system and on previous versions. It is second in ease of use because it also does not require downloading third-party software. Here, the user just needs to copy and execute a few commands on the command line. We recommend creating an executable file with which the user can quickly launch their own WiFi network.
- Create text file with any name, changing the file extension from .txt to .bat. If you do not see the file extension by default, see the instructions: .
- Next, right-click on the created file and select Change.
- In the notepad window that opens, paste the following text:
The above suggested command contains the name of the wireless network − ssid, as well as the password of the future wireless network - key. Therefore, to change the wireless network parameters, the user just needs to enter different values for ssid and key.
Next, run this file as administrator. After which a wireless network will be created, but most likely without access to the Internet. Therefore, you need to go further to Properties wireless network 
and check the box.
The convenience of using the executable file is that after rebooting the system, the user only needs to run one file to turn on the wireless network.
MyPublicWiFi - free analogue Connectify to create a free hotspot. MyPublicWiFi is another great option for creating a WiFi hotspot on your laptop, and it's completely free. The program is very light and fast. After installation, just run the utility as an administrator: 
Then, you will see a window in which 3 main parameters for setting up the access point are available: Network name (SSID), Security key (wireless network password), Internet connection that will be available to clients. 
- Network name (SSID)- set the name of the wireless network that will be distributed.
- Password- Wi-Fi password consisting of at least 8 characters (WPA encryption is used).
- General connection- in this field you should select the connection through which your laptop is connected to the Internet.
Conclusions
So we looked at 4 ways to create a wireless access point on personal computer or a laptop running an operating system Windows systems 10. And there is also a possibility that you will have to, since it will exclude the possibility of distributing an Internet connection.
