Why Hosted and Ad-Hoc Networks Are Not Working on Windows® 10
Content Type: Troubleshooting | Article ID: 000023257 | Last Reviewed: 02/11/2025
Support Knowledge Base
Environment
Operating System
Windows® 10 family
What am I seeing?
Recent Intel® Wireless Adapters don't support the following wireless hosted network and the ad-hoc features on Windows® 10:
- Wireless Hosted Network
- Also known as Soft AP
- Introduced in Windows 7*
- Implements a software-based, wireless access point or hotspot-like function with supported wireless adapters
- Command line interface only
- Ad-hoc networks
- Also known as Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS)
- Allow two or more Wi-Fi clients to connect to each other directly, without a wireless access point
Why am I seeing it?
Newer adapters no longer support these features due to Windows® 10 requirements.
Microsoft has introduced a new driver model for Windows® 10. This model no longer supports Soft AP and IBSS.
All new Wi-Fi devices are required to use this new driver model on machines running Windows® 10.
The following Intel® Wireless Adapters (including future products) must implement this new driver model, and as such can no longer support soft AP and ad-hoc features. They do support the new Windows 10 mobile hotspot feature instead via Wi-Fi Direct:
- Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX210
- Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201
- Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200
- Intel® Wireless-AC 9560
- Intel® Wireless-AC 9462
- Intel® Wireless-AC 9461
- Intel® Wireless-AC 9260
- Intel® Tri-Band Wireless-AC 18265
- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
- Intel® Tri-Band Wireless-AC 18260
- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
- Intel® Tri-Band Wireless-AC 17265
- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-N 7265
- Intel® Wireless-N 7265
- Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
| Note | Older generation Intel® Wireless Adapters that don't implement the new Windows 10 driver model can continue to use the hosted network feature or the new Windows 10 mobile hotspot. For example, the Intel® Wireless 7260 Family and earlier. |
How to fix it
Customers who wish to use the deprecated hosted network (Soft AP) feature to share Internet connection may consider using:
- Windows 10 Mobile hotspot: Requires Windows® 10 version 1607, aka Windows® 10 Anniversary Update and later.
