Turn Windows 7 into a Wi-Fi hotspot

Advertisement (Why?)

If you have ever wanted to turn your laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot, a secret feature has been revealed in Windows 7 code that allows you to tether your cell phone or other wireless device to your laptop.

The unfinished feature was hidden by default because of incompatibility with many of the devices and drivers. The feature can be enabled through some simple command line scripts and a feature clicks of the mouse.

Open up the Run command with Administrative permissions and run:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Hotspot key=passwordhere

Set the network adapter with:
netsh wlan start hostednetwork

After running the command, you should notice "Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter" appear in your network and sharing settings.
Enable "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection" under your Sharing tab, under properties.
After you have configured everything, you should be allowed to wirelessly connect to your laptop with your mobile devices. However, this isn't very useful to the everyday user, but has its future possibilities.

Users have reported that the following chipsets work:

Atheros AR5005GS (as in the TP-Link TL-WN651G)
Atheros AR5007EG with 8.0.0.238 firmware
Broadcom 4310-series (in many Dell laptops)
D-link AirPlus G DWL-G510 Wireless PCI Adapter (driver version 3.0.1.0)
Intel 5100/5300 (with latest drivers from Intel's site, version 13.0.0.107, 64bit systems only)
Ralink RT2870 (in many 802.11n USB dongles)
Realtek RTL8187SE (with the drivers that came with Windows 7)
Realtek RTL8192u with 1370(Beta)

Connectify is also available that takes advantage of this feature in Windows 7.

#1 Windows Tester on 16 Nov 2009 - 19:49

This feature might be useful but it causes issues with network share access

(1 reply) #2 Bhav on 16 Nov 2009 - 19:49

just use Connectify.me - takes advantage of this feature but it's far more user friendly.

#2.1 Ridlas on 17 Nov 2009 - 00:11

Thanks dude, works like a charm =D

(5 replies) #3 MrWatchDawg on 16 Nov 2009 - 19:50

wonder if this willl work with Iphoen and my HP laptop

#3.1 jwil1 on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:08

It will, so long as the NIC support WPA2.

#3.2 Andrew Lyle on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:25

aslong as you have the right chipset, it should work.

#3.3 +xiphi on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:27

Definitely a neat feature. Glad my Dell Inspiron E1505 supports it.

#3.4 Andrew Lyle on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:02

xiphi said,

You're lucky, I got the 4965AGN Intel chipset...

#3.5 +statm1 on 17 Nov 2009 - 09:22

I'm in the same boat as you Andrew. I bought a 4965AGN for my netbook about a year ago. So I thought its not to old it should work. Wrong, and add to that, that it needs 64bit if you want to use Intel.

(5 replies) #4 Mike415 on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:21

Unless Im missing this, Ive been doing this on XP and Vista for a while now. Just using ICS.

#4.1 surfandcross on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:36

Mike415 said,

i guess your are talking about ad hoc setup

#4.2 Mike415 on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:49

surfandcross said,

yeah. So this is actually a Wifi hotspot that allows for multiple devices then Im guessing. Makes sense if so.

#4.3 Raa on 16 Nov 2009 - 23:25

Correct. Very handy!

#4.4 Karo - 323z IT on 17 Nov 2009 - 00:17

This can be done on Vista too using Intel's MiFi in the ProSET Software. I don't need it so I just use the regular standalone driver.

#4.5 +statm1 on 17 Nov 2009 - 09:26

The downside to doing an ad-hoc setup is you need two NICs for you to use one for surfing and the other to supply the hotspot. Well this new feature in Windows 7 lets use one card to surf and power the hotspot at the same time.

(4 replies) #5 Shadrack on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:34

I'm not sure I follow the significance of this article...

Whats the difference between this and setting up an Adhoc network by following the step-by-step wizard and using the "Enable Internet Connection Sharing" option at the last step of the wizard?

Going with the built in wizard was very trivial and has the same results. No need to do this on the command line. Don't understand why the author thinks this is a "hidden" or "secret" Windows 7 feature (its been around since Windows XP). Maybe I'm missing something....

#5.1 Nighthawk64 on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:43

Virtual Wi-Fi is entirely different. See this: http://www.istartedsomething.com/20090516/...osoft-research/

#5.2 mmck on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:45

I think an Adhoc network is usually only two devices (two network adapters) connected to one another.

In this case I think it allows multiple devices to be connected to the PC and to the internet through the pc - with the PC only having one wireless adapter.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

#5.3 Shadrack on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:22

Thanks for the article Nighthawk64. I will read through it.

mmck: I can connect with my iPhone and XBox 360 through the same "AdHoc" connection on my PC simultaneously.

#5.4 Andrew Lyle on 17 Nov 2009 - 01:15

Nighthawk64 said,

Yes I actually talked to the author of istartedsomething during the writing of this, and he confirmed that it doesn't matter what order it is done, it can still be done. Also that some of the steps posted on bink.nu was useless

(2 replies) #6 sabrex on 16 Nov 2009 - 20:42

Shadrack, it allows other devices to connect wirelessly through your Windows 7 laptop ... in what way is internet connection sharing the same thing? If you're 30m away from a wireless router, and another person is 60m away and potentially out of range (but still within 30m of you), then this will allow them to connect by accessing the internet through your wifi adapter. and if you have another person 90m away from the router but 30m away from the second person, and that person has also done this hack, then all three of you can potentially connect.

#6.1 Shadrack on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:26

Oh I see. So it sets up a WiFi connection (hub) between two sources and bridges them together into 1 network. Where as ICS shares the connection coming through a different connection (like a wired network) with other network adapters (WiFi or otherwise).

I can see this coming in handy at hotel rooms where you have to pay for Internet, and the Internet you pay for is tied to the MAC address of your device. So I could connect my Laptop to the WiFi, pay for that connection, and then connect my iPhone to my Laptops WiFi and get the Internet through that.

Is that correct or am I still missing something?

#6.2 sabrex on 16 Nov 2009 - 22:10

yeah, that's pretty much it. you could connect multiple devices via wifi through your windows 7 laptop with this feature enabled.

#7 java2beans on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:12

Nice feature. Take that Snow Leopard! Just kidding...

(1 reply) #8 LUTZIFER on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:17

I don't really understand the purpose of this, but I'm missing something.
If someone was able to connect to the laptop running the virtual wifi, why wouldn't they just connect to the router that the laptop is connected to?
Also, by default, at least for me in Win 7, the virtual wifi was already showing up and enabled.
I'm just waiting for the virtual wifi to be finished and does what it was designed to do, now that'd be an awsome feature.

#8.1 Joe USer on 16 Nov 2009 - 23:19

LUTZIFER said,

If someone was able to connect to the laptop running the virtual wifi, why wouldn't they just connect to the router that the laptop is connected to?

This is good any place that has a per-device restriction. It might be Starbucks where you only have 1 account, but 2 devices.

(1 reply) #9 nub on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:38

"If you have ever wanted to turn your laptop is a Wi-Fi hotspot"

My brain exploded

#9.1 ElectronicSoul on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:41

I lol'ed

(2 replies) #10 Klethron on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:43

This can go one of two ways:

1. Microsoft fully support this feature and continues to develop it.
2. Microsoft rolls out a "fix" that completely disables/remove it.

Here's hoping for #1.

#10.1 Raa on 16 Nov 2009 - 23:25

But in reality, #2 is most likely.

#10.2 +statm1 on 17 Nov 2009 - 09:31

I highly doubt they will go #2 because before they decided to hide the feature and was still developing the feature they told IHVs that they need to put support for this into their drivers in order to be gain the Windows 7 logo. So I bet it will be fully supported by SP1. Hopefully anyway.

#11 rdmiller on 16 Nov 2009 - 21:55

3. WiFi chip manufacturers, after thorough testing, turn this feature on when you install the newest driver.

(3 replies) #12 Billus on 16 Nov 2009 - 22:33

Hmm, Windows Mobile already offers this anyway via bluetooth and/or usb cable

#12.1 mmck on 16 Nov 2009 - 22:44

But USB & bluetooth are hardly the same as WiFi - USB means they are limited to well cables. And bluetooth just isn't designed for what WiFi is.

#12.2 Raa on 16 Nov 2009 - 23:26

And thirdly, since when did a WinMo phone offer hotspot access? I've never seen it.

#12.3 mrp04 on 17 Nov 2009 - 05:49

Raa said,

By default, the HTC HD2 has a wireless router application built in. For any other Windows Mobile phone with WiFi, you can either download HTCs software that has been hacked to work on any device, or use one of the multiple programs that enable this functionality.

#13 zivan56 on 16 Nov 2009 - 22:37

Linux has had this ever since the first 802.11b cards started coming out...I have a bunch of Intersil Prism II cards that I used for some embedded systems ~01. Good to see Windows finally has native support for this.
FYI this worked on any Windows based system that had a driver which supported this. This just builds the functionaity into a standard call to drivers via NDIS. There were tools for XP that allowed for this on certain cards as well.

#14 Nashy on 16 Nov 2009 - 23:27

How is this a secret? Didn't they touch on this at the Ballmer launch event?

#15 Ravemaster on 16 Nov 2009 - 23:33

Damn, I just tried again (tried before with Connectify, no luck) on my Dell Studio 1745 with a Dell Wireless 1397 WLAN Mini-card and still no luck.
I got the second connection with Microsoft Virtual Wifi Miniport Adapter but when I did the connection to start or tried enabling it in Adapter Settings, no luck. Still disabled.

#16 Sacha on 16 Nov 2009 - 23:53

Works on an Intel 5100 abgn. You need to install the latest Windows 7 drivers for it and Intel even add their own wifi hotspot application for you.

(1 reply) #17 SoulEata on 17 Nov 2009 - 00:06

Ok, so if my laptop is already using the WiFi around me, wouldn't the other WiFi devices be able to detect that too? What's the point?

#17.1 Andrew Lyle on 17 Nov 2009 - 02:12

Its more for secure places like a college campus, if they require an installation (like mine does) or doesnt support mobile devices, or if you have a 3G laptop, and don't have a WiFi network around, you can link your mobile to it.

This isn't for everybody, but it's actually kind of helpful when you need it.

(1 reply) #18 badsector on 17 Nov 2009 - 06:43

here's one more alternative
http://virtualrouter.codeplex.com/

#18.1 Foub on 17 Nov 2009 - 23:37

It looks just like Connectify.

#19 Foub on 17 Nov 2009 - 23:34

Man, this really works. I completely disconnected my hardware wireless router and installed Connectify and it works great. I think that it is even faster than the hardware router. I even managed to use my phone's web browser through it and I don't have an internet subscription on my phone (Samsong M300.)

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!

Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.

Neowin.net