Managing wireless networks and network interfaces on Windows can be efficiently done using the netsh command line tool. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the most useful netsh commands for both wireless and wired network configurations.
Display All Wireless Interfaces
To see all wireless interfaces on your system:
netsh wlan show interfacesThis command displays details about the wireless interfaces, including their status, SSID, BSSID, and other relevant information.
Show Wireless Drivers
To list the wireless drivers installed on your system:
netsh wlan show driversThis command helps you monitor driver versions, which is crucial since exploits can exist in drivers.
List Available Wireless Networks
To list all available wireless networks:
netsh wlan show networksThis command provides details about nearby wireless networks, including SSID, signal strength, and encryption type.
View Saved Network Profiles
To view profiles of networks saved on your machine:
netsh wlan show profilesThis command displays all the wireless profiles stored on your computer.
Connect to a Specific Network Profile
To connect to a specific wireless network profile:
netsh wlan connect name="ProfileName"Replace "ProfileName" with the name of the profile you want to connect to.
Export Profile Details
To export the details of a wireless profile to an XML file:
netsh wlan export profile name="ProfileName"This exports the profile, including an encrypted version of the pre-shared key (PSK).
Show WiFi Password
To show the password for a WiFi profile:
netsh wlan show profile name="ProfileName" key=clearReplace "ProfileName" with the actual name of the WiFi profile. The password will be displayed under the Key Content section.
Create and Start a Hosted Network
To set up a hosted network on Windows 7 or Server 2008 R2:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=SomeSSID key=passphraseReplace SomeSSID with your desired network name and passphrase with the network key.
To start the hosted network:
netsh wlan start hostednetworkYour Windows machine will now advertise the network “SomeSSID,” allowing other devices to connect.
Managing Network Interfaces
List All Network Interfaces
To see a list of all network interfaces:
netsh interface show interfaceThis command lists all network interfaces, including enabled, disabled, and copied adapters.
List Network Interface Configurations
To see a list of NICs with their configured network settings:
netsh interface ip show configThis command provides detailed configurations of all network interfaces.
Set a Static IP Address
To set a static IP address:
netsh interface ip set address "ifname in quotes" static ipaddr subnetmask gateway metricFor example, to set the IP address on “Local Area Connection 3” to 10.0.0.100 with a /16 subnet mask and a 10.0.0.1 default gateway:
netsh interface ip set address "Local Area Connection 3" static 10.0.0.100 255.255.0.0 10.0.0.1 1Configure a DNS Server
If you are setting a static IP for the first time, you will also need to configure a DNS server:
netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver "Local Area Connection 3" address=8.8.8.8 index=1Change Connection to DHCP
To change the connection back to DHCP:
netsh interface ip set address "Local Area Connection 3" dhcpBy utilizing these commands, you can efficiently manage and troubleshoot both wireless and wired networks on Windows, making network management tasks much simpler and more effective.
