How to Share an Ethernet Connection Over Wi-Fi

Like its predecessor Windows 7, Windows 8 features the ability to create a virtual wireless Internet connection on your computer for other nearby devices. This means you can effectively turn your computer into a wireless router for your wired Ethernet connection and share it with your other devices. Compared to the easy setup for Windows 7, however, the process for creating this ad-hoc network connection is much more intricate and difficult to carry out.

Sign into Windows 8 using an account with administrator privileges.

Press "Windows-X" to open the Power User menu, and then select "Command Prompt (Admin)." If prompted, confirm that you wish to use the elevated command prompt.

Run the following command, without quotes:

"netsh wlan show drivers"

Check the heading "Hosted Network Supported." If it says "Yes," then you can proceed. If it says "No," then you will not be able to use your computer as a wireless hotspot.

Enter the following command in the elevated command prompt, without quotes and replacing the placeholder tags with your own personal preferences.

"netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Placeholder_Network_Name key=Placeholder_Password"

You should see the following confirmation messages if all has gone correctly:

"The hosted network mode has been set to allow. The SSID of the hosted network has been successfully changed. The user key passphrase of the hosted network has been successfully changed."

Enter the following command without quotes to start the network.

"netsh wlan start hostednetwork"

You should see the following confirmation message if everything has gone correctly:

"The hosted network started."

Close the command prompt.

Press "Windows-X" to open the Power User menu and select Control Panel.

Select "Network and Internet" followed by "Network & Sharing Center."

Click the blue linked text with your current connection's name to open the connection's status dialog window.

Click "Properties," and the "Sharing" tab from the "Properties" window.

Click the checkbox marked "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection" and select the ad-hoc network you created from the "Home networking connection" drop-down menu.

Click "OK" on all dialogs for the connection to finalize creating and broadcasting your new hotspot connection. Test the connection with your other devices to ensure it works.