Windows 10: Mobile hotspot just stops working after 30 mins

I just got this laptop and i put my mobile hotspot on from my phone and it worked for like 30 mins and then stopped working not sure what i did but it just stopped… help please

:)

 

Windows 10 Mobile Hotspot Not working

Hi,

Your Bluetooth connection may be enabled which prevents you from setting up your mobile hotspot. To have this addressed, we suggest turning off the Bluetooth connection and see if you're able to set up your mobile hotspot. Follow these steps:

• Open Settings and select Devices.
• Click Bluetooth, then toggle it OFF.

Once done, check if you can now turn on your computer's mobile hotspot. Let us know how it goes.

Regards.

 

Windows 10 Mobile Hotspot stopped working: How to fix?

I had been using Windows 10 Mobile Hotspot to successfully join two laptops together for a couple of months, but recently it has stopped working and my (somewhat limited1) skills and Windows' diagnostics have not been able to get it going again.

Details

• Dell XPS-15 Laptop running Windows 10 Professional (10.0.17763).
  
  • Wired ethernet connection (via Dell Thunderbolt dock) to the internet.
    
  • Mobile Hotspot enabled over Wi-Fi, sharing above connection.
    
• Sony VAIO-X Laptop running Windows 7 Professional SP1.
  
  • Connected over Wi-Fi to the Mobile Hotspot provided by the Dell.
    

After a couple of initial problems getting all the right settings in place, I was able to:

• Connect to the internet from the Dell.
  
• Connect to the internet over Wi-Fi from the Sony using the mobile hotspot.
  
• File-share in both directions between the Sony and the Dell over Wi-Fi.
  
• RDP from the Dell to the Sony over Wi-Fi.
  

The above system is what I use in a serviced office space. At home, I mainly use the Sony and connect to my home broadband over Wi-Fi. For the most part, the Sony would switch happily between connecting to my broadband when at home and the hotspot in the office.

The Problem

A short while ago, the Sony stopped (reliably) connecting to the hotspot. As far as I can remember, I had not (knowingly) changed any network-related settings on either machine, nor explicitly updated any drivers (although it's possible this did happen through Windows Update on the Dell). I seem to remember that at some point Windows' diagnostics on the Sony indicating it couldn't get an IP address, so I tried ipconfig /renew and using this when a problem occurred seemed to fix things for a while.

Since the initial problems, the ipconfig /renew on the Sony no longer works: it returns (after quite a long wait):

Attempts to Fix

Since the "renew" command stopped "fixing" things, and with the help of on-line searches / StackExchange, I have tried running all (obviously) suitable Windows' diagnostics on both machines, and they don't indicate problems. I have inspected settings of various components2, but none (by my somewhat limited knowledge1) looked wrong. Where possible, I have tried disabling/enabling components to "reset" things, but this hasn't made any noticeable difference. Both machines have been rebooted a number of times, and the Dell is up-to-date with both Windows and Dell.

Current State

• The Sony successfully makes a Wi-Fi connection to the Dell, so the Wi-Fi adapters on both are working and (at least somewhat) configured correctly. However, nothing shows under the Devices connected: section of the Dell's Mobile Hotspot settings page.
  
• pinging by name from either machine cannot find the host; pinging what ipconfig reports as the other machine's IP address gives PING: transmit failed. General failure. from both machines.
  
• If I try connecting my Android 'phone to the Dell's hotspot, it seems to connect at the Wi-Fi layer but, after a number of attempts, fails with "Failed to obtain IP address.".
  
• If I activate the Mobile Hotspot of my 'phone (to share its 4G connection) then I can successfully connect to it (and the internet) from the Sony.
  

To me, the latter two results suggest the problem is more likely to be with the Dell than the Sony.

Conclusion

While the Wi-Fi link-layer of the Mobile Hotspot is working on the Dell, some part of the higher layers are not. In particular, it does not appear to be issuing IP addresses. Whether this is because DHCP is not running over the hotspot, or something more fundamental at the IP level is not working, I don't know.

Can someone suggest a more directed approach to diagnosing/fixing the problem?

1 I'm fairly technical (programmer for 25 years including writing TCP/IP client/server software at the socket() level). However, my "in depth" knowledge of which bits of Windows affects which other bits of Windows as far as networking is concerned is much more limited.

2 I've not posted specific settings as I feel there are too many possible things I could post, and I'm not sure which are most relevant. However, I'll gladly add any if requested.

 

Windows not discovering mobile hotspot

I think you have already answered both of the other points I would have checked so I have nothing else useful to suggest -
- Your computer can detect other 2.4GHz networks/hotspots
- Other computers can detect your phone's 2.4GHz hotspot

I have deliberately altered some Windows settings to hide unwanted local networks [not just stop any connection to them but hide them from appearing in the list of available networks]. But you have not been taking similar measures or you would have said so.

As a final check, see if your phone's mobile hotspot appears in the list of detected networks using
NirSoft WiFiInfoView

Best of luck,
Denis