How To Fix No Hosted Network Support For Wlan On Windows 10

Windows has long had the capability to create a hotspot. It is subject to the right hardware being present on your system i.e., your network chipset must support it. On Windows 7 and 8/8.1, the mobile hotspot is enabled via the Command Prompt. On Windows 10, there’s a handy little toggle in the Action Center that takes care of everything. Still, this hotspot works a bit differently and users on Windows 10 1803 might want to create a hotspot from Command Prompt. In doing so, you might have discovered the there is no Hosted Network Support for Wlan on your chipset despite the fact that you can create a hotspot. What’s more, you might have had hosted network support on the Creators Update but it appears to have disappeared. This problem is a result of drivers.

Cause

When you updated Windows 10 to a newer version, it also installed new drivers. For a select few network chipsets, i.e., those listed below, this resulted in no Hosted Network Support.

• Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
• Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
• Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
• Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
• Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
• Intel® Dual Band Wireless-N 7265
• Intel® Tri-Band Wireless-AC 17265
• Intel® Tri-Band Wireless-AC 18260
• Intel® Wireless-AC 9260
• Intel® Wireless-AC 9461
• Intel® Wireless-AC 9462
• Intel® Wireless-AC 9560
• Intel® Wireless-N 7265

Check Network Chispet

You can check if you have one of these chipsets by opening the Device Manager. Expand Network Adapters and look for one of these chipsets.

Fix No Hosted Network Support

The problem lies in the network driver you’re using. It hasn’t been updated to be compatible with the new API on Windows 10 1708, and later. The driver version 17.16.0 is the one that will give you hosted network support but you’ve been updated to a later version. The solution is to roll back the driver, or install the old one which is a bit tricky.

If you have a roll back option in Device Manger use it. If not, you need to download Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows 8. This driver’s version is 17.16.0.

Next, you need to boot your system into safe mode. To boot Windows 10 into safe mode, open the Start menu and click the power button. Hold down the Shift key and click Restart in the power menu. When your system reboots, go to Troubleshoot>Advanced options>See more recovery options>Startup settings and click Restart. On the next screen, tap the 4 key.

Once you’re in safe mode, you should not be connected to your WiFi network. If you are, forget the network from the Settings app.

Open the Device Manager and expand Network Adapter. Select your chipset and right-click it. From the context menu, select Update Driver. Select Browse my computer for software>Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer. From the list, select the Intel driver for your chipset and allow it to install.

You might get an error once installation finishes and installation might take quite a while (upto 15 minutes). Regardless, restart your system and you will return to normal mode. Run the following command and hosted network support should now work. Your driver version should also be reduced to 17.16.0, or something older.

netsh wlan show drivers

Any time you feel like returning to the latest driver version, simply go to Device Manager, expand Network Adapters, right-click your chipset and select Update driver.

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Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

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