You can distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi using software or Windows 11 itself. It works on an old Wi-Fi adapter TP-LINK RL-WN721N, the connection interface of which is USB 2.0. And the modern Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6E AX210 — mobile hotspot and software work, but through the terminal no way…
This article will tell you how to distribute Wi-Fi from a Windows 11 laptop. It is worth noting the access point function, or mobile hotspot. It was implemented well and has now been improved. With its help, I can connect to a home network and at the same time create a virtual Wi-Fi and distribute the Internet.
Windows 11 Mobile Hotspot
In the section Settings > Network & Internet find Mobile hotspot. Click Turn onto create a hotspot. Select Sharing an Internet connection and through what Grant access. And the Mobile hotspot slider will instantly distribute Wi-Fi…
Right away, let’s add a button to enable this function to the quick access panel. Click Edit quick settings > Add > Mobile hotspot > Done. Now you can activate it faster. For some reason, the instant Wi-Fi sharing button was hidden by default.
In line Properties set the networks Name, Password and Range (if supported). When activating distribution, the item appears Energy saving. The function automatically turns off the mobile hotspot if no device is connected. This feature can be disabled.
Share Wi-Fi via Windows Terminal
In context start menu select Terminal (Administrator). You can leave Windows PowerShell or select Command Prompt. The three highlighted commands allow you to create a Wi-Fi hotspot. It is worth noting that the first one will tell you whether the hosted network is supported.
| netsh wlan show drivers | Check the hosted network support this way. Shows Wi-Fi adapter data. |
| netsh wlan set hostednetwork allow | Allow the hosted network mode itself in the built-in wireless network service. |
| netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=”WINDDpro” key=”98765432″ | This command assigns a name to the wireless network and a password. Change it to suit your needs. |
| netsh wlan show settings | Display available wireless network information and show its current status. |
| netsh wlan start hostednetwork | Actually, create an access point or distribute Wi-Fi. After rebooting, do it again. |
| netsh wlan stop hostednetwork | Stop distributing the wireless network in order to turn it off or restart it later… |
| netsh wlan set hostednetwork disallow | Disable hosted network mode in the same wireless network service. |
Your adapter may not support this feature. So, after running the first command, you will see: no support for hosted network. When trying to start: failed, the group or resource is not in the correct state. Return to Windows 11 mobile hotspot.
If it worked, then enable Internet access via this network. In the section Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings select Additional network adapter parameters. And in Properties connections Access and Allow other network users to use…
If necessary, create a .bat file and run the distribution through it. A text file with any name, its contents will be below. Change the extension from .txt on .bat. Launched as administrator – the access point works. Can be added to Windows 11 startup.
netsh wlan start hostednetwork netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid="WINDDpro" key="98765432" keyUsage=persistent
How to use/setup MyPublicWiFi
The MyPublicWiFi application turns your laptop into a multifunctional Wi-Fi access point. Download, install, launch and you can use it. The user has access to the following modes: Access point, Wi-Fi Repeater and Personal access pointNow we are interested in the first one.
My setup: Router mode, Wireless adapter, Network name (SSID) and Key (min. 8 characters). After such reconfiguration, press Enable TD. This is how you can expand the Wi-Fi zone. At the same time, you can manage devices and enable blocking.
Conclusion
The classic mobile hotspot function is more than enough for me. You can use third-party applications, for example, MyPublicWiFi – an analogue of Connectify Hotspot 23. They implemented blocking of torrents, social networks and advertising. And also a Wi-Fi repeater – expands the range.
You can provide a wireless internet connection to other devices by distributing Wi-Fi from a Windows 11 laptop. In the settings, you can manage connections and block access. Of course, all services and adapter drivers must work correctly.
