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  Home Product FAQs ELM327 Wi-Fi Interfaces: Windows 8.1 Connection Configuration

Gendan ELM327 Wi-Fi Interfaces:


Windows 8.1 Connection Configuration


When Microsoft updated Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, they strangely decided to remove support for connecting to "ad-hoc" Wi-Fi networks. This means machines running 8.1 cannot see or connect to ad-hoc networks, such as the one created by our ELM327 Wi-Fi interface cables.

Fortunately however, while the functionality to easily see and connect to ad-hoc networks has been removed, the underlying features that actually allow the computer to connect to them still exist. This means you can still connect to ad-hoc networks - it's just a little fiddly compared to the normal user experience.

Setting up the network


You only need to run the network setup once.
  • Make sure you are logged into the PC as an administrator
  • Open the Windows "Network and Sharing Center"
    (The easiest way to do this is go to the standard Windows 8.1 start screen (the "metro" tiles), and just start typing "Network and...." - the option will quickly appear in the search results)
  • Click "Set up a new connection or network"
  • Double click "Manually connect to a wireless network"
  • Enter the SSID of the ad-hoc network (GENDAN) into the "Network name" field
  • Set the security type to "No authentication (Open)"
  • *IMPORTANT* - Uncheck "Start this connection automatically"
  • All other options on this menu can be left unmodified
  • Click "Next", then "Close"
Next you need to change the connection type of the network.
  • Open a Command Prompt (type "Command pr..." from the start screen)
  • *IMPORTANT* - Type the following into the command prompt window:
netsh wlan set profileparameter GENDAN connectiontype=ibss
The network should now be setup, ready for connection.
You won't need to repeat the steps above unless you manually remove the network (see the "Clean-up" section below).

Connecting to the network

Once the network has been setup, you just need to enter another text command to connect to it.
Open a Command prompt again, and enter:
netsh wlan connect GENDAN
Hovering over the Wi-Fi icon in system tray will show the name of the network that you are currently connected to, even if it's an ad-hoc network (the network picker will not show it if it's ad-hoc). The name is also visible in "Network and Sharing Center" window.

Disconnecting from the network

Once you are connected, you can disconnect with a similar text command.
Open a Command prompt again, and enter:
netsh wlan disconnect
(To save manually typing these commands each time, you can create a windows "batch file" for each command, so you can connect and disconnect by just double-clicking on the batch file icons).

Clean-up

Should you wish to remove the network settings from your PC, again this can be accomplished with a text command.
Open a Command prompt again, and enter:
netsh wlan delete profile GENDAN
Once you have done this, should you wish to connect to the network again, you will need to repeat the initial setup.
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