Windows 10: How do I enable "Mobile Hotspot" without internet connection?

I am attempting to start the "Mobile Hotspot" that is inside the settings menu, without an active internet connection. Is there any way I can do this, or is there an alternative?


What I have tested before is using the netsh command to set and start the "Hosted Network". I can set the settings fine, but starting the hosted network yields "The hosted network couldn't be started. The group or resource is not in the correct state to perform the requested operation.". I have already tried the fix where you enable the "Virtual Adapter" device in device manager, but it did not change anything.


To clarify, even though the netsh method fails, using Mobile Hotspot with an active internet connection works fine.


I am running Windows 10 Pro x64 Anniversary Edition (build 14393) on a Dell Inspiron 7558. The wireless networking card is dual-band 802.11ac.

:)

 

How do I enable "Mobile Hotspot" without internet connection?

"Mobile Hotspot" is the *exact* term that Microsoft named the said feature in W10:Anniversary. Look at the screenshots below. Sorry if there was any confusion.

Please note that on the second screenshot, not all of the settings are shown. I understand that it doesn't really matter, but I just wanted to point it out.

 

How do I enable "Mobile Hotspot" without internet connection?

Good day,

I am not with Lawrence here, however he's right.

What excactly do you mean by ' mobile hotspot '.

Probably an AP (=Access Point) that serves to feed a signal into mobile devices such as smart phones.

A 'hotspot' itself is never "mobile", unless you are using your notebook as an AP and run around the house carrying the notebook.

I stopped asking people "why?", when they ask questions.

Sure you can turn your notebook into a (let's call it) "sleeping" AP. "Sleeping" means "it exists but does not broadcast"

There are different ways to do so, most common is

- direct sharing of the signal that a device (your notebook or desktop PC) is receiving

- indirect sharing of the signal that a device (your notebook or desktop PC) is receiving by establishing a " virtual hosted network " serving as a so-called " Soft AP "

I am not quite familiar with the Anniversary Upgrade yet.

However for sure the 'netsh wlan' commands still work.

If you need further assistance please follow and reply to my "questionaire" in a similar thread here:

Hostednetwork could t be started, THE GROUP OR RESOURCE IS NOT IN THE CORRECT STATE

Questionaire: Problem with Soft AP

After you have dropped your screnshots within THIS thread here, I shall gladly assist you further, if you wish.

Cheers!

 

You cannot unless you have a active Internet Connection. It is a Bridged connection if you have Internet connected to the computer.

 

You can set up as "Ad-Hoc", it will allow 2 PC´s to communicate with each other without a router..
You have to use the Command Line and use the: netsh wlan show/set/start/stop hostednetwork mode=allow.
This is working for me when the Hostednetwork is started in a W10-64bit . Starting Hostednetwork in a W10-32bit there is a error that it could not be started due a incorrect state.
Any way the HostedNetWork has very poor throughput, like 3MB/s and it is connecting only at 72Mbps, even if PC´s hardware are 802.11 AC-867 Mbps.

 

check in a elevated command prompt if Adapter/Driver support HostedNetWork

netsh wlan show driver

 

That was partially my bad. I forgot to mention that it did report no for that field. However, why would I still be able to host a "Mobile Hotspot" if my network card doesn't support it? That makes no sense.

 

I think "Mobile Hotspot" and the "HostedNetWork" are different things.
Mobile Hotspot is for to Share Internet Connection and will not work without an active Internet connection. And for this it is not necessary the support of Driver / Card for HostedNetWork.
HotedNetWork, is and Ad-Hoc connection, it means you are creating an Home WLAN infrastructure without a Router, so at the end the HostedNetwork is a substitute for a Router. I did not try it, but probably you also could share the Internet.

 

If that's the case, then couldn't a network infrastructure be spoofed inside of Windows, and then be sent to the networking card, as if it was a pre-existing network?

 

Spoofed as in what? You can create any Ad-Hoc you want on any OS. It is not just a Windows only.

The whole purpose of using say a laptop as a Hotspot, is if you are connecting to a Captive Portal with a pay wall and you have say a streaming device or game system that cannot connect and then let you through the Captive Portal or pay wall, you would set up a Bridge with say two Wifi adapters, or Ethernet with Wifi Bridged.

The bad side would be if someone sets up to capture and sniff packets and use the laptop to deceive people into thinking that it is the actual hotspot, then there are problems. Honey Pots are another way to use the Laptop to try and steer someone who is attempting to find a way into a Wifi network, so you can then take that person's connection and record any attempts, but they are not going to get anywhere while in the Honey Pot.

 

My goal is to be able to host a temporary, but reliable wireless network for other devices to connect to. My main uses would be allowing my phone and laptop to communicate wirelessly when outside of WiFi coverage, and to act as a network for games and file transfer to communicate through. If I use my phone, I risk using my data, the hotspot shutting down when I get outside of coverage (and not being able to turn it back on), lowered speed and stability by using it as a middle man, and wasting battery on something that the laptop could handle.

 

I don't recall performance that poor. When I've done it previously, it tended to be extremely stable (great for multiplayer LAN gaming), and have reasonable throughput (for file transfer). Both of those are generally lost when I use a phone as a middle man, among other downsides.

 

If that's the case, then PLEASE tell me how on windows, because that *should* solve my original question.

 

Hello UserNumber00001, were you able to get around your limitations? I have the same need to create an intranet, i.e. without internet connection, to run my so-called internet appliances. Intel's WiFi adapters (Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260, in my case) do not generally allow hosted networks. I've read that older drivers (<18.30) may allow this feature. Another alternative is Connectify or Ostoto Hotspot, but I'm not sure if they require hosted network capabilities.

It would be ideal to do this natively in Windows 10, for example, with some simple registry switch, because when mobile hotspot works (when I have internet) it works well.

 

Sadly, no. Nobody else had offered any more advice, and I have not been able to resolve the issue. I'm still open to ideas!