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I just tried to create an ad-hoc network on OS X Yosemite and noticed there are no password options. Are they hidden? If so, is there any way to enable them? Is Terminal an option?

Is it possible to create a password protected ad-hoc network on yosemite? If so, how?

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2 Answers 2

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You can create a password-protected ad-hoc network by sharing your internet connection. To do so:

  1. Go to Apple Menu -> System Preferences
  2. Go to Sharing preference pane
  3. Select "Internet Sharing"
  4. Choose the source port
  5. Set your connection to be broadcast over WiFi
  6. Click on WiFi options and set a network name and security

While this is a little more involved than just creating the ad-hoc, it will serve the same purpose as well as having the benefit of sharing your connection. At this time, there is no way to add security to an ad-hoc only network on Yosemite.

Source

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  • 1
    Thank you(+1), that's handy to know. Unfortunately I can't share a WiFi connection to WiFi :(
    – George Profenza
    Apr 27, 2015 at 18:07
  • @GeorgeProfenza True :(
    – smoooosher
    Apr 27, 2015 at 18:22
  • "WiFi options" is grayed out on Yosemite (2012 MBP Retina), FWIW. Might work on newer macs?
    – internetdotcom
    Jul 1, 2015 at 16:28
  • Works on Mojave too!
    – Danny Staple
    May 21, 2019 at 12:40
  • And on Catalina as well.
    – Harald Hanche-Olsen
    Jun 3, 2020 at 11:55
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As a newer answer for making an ad hoc network that works in Mojave without a internet connection, while searching online, I finally found an answer!

Smoooosher's answer only works with an active connection to share.

To create your own "active" network, in terminal run the 2 following commands.

sudo networksetup -createnetworkservice Loopback lo0
sudo networksetup -setmanual Loopback 172.20.42.42 255.255.255.255

This creates a new network conection that although it looks inactive, it can be shared from the internet sharing preference pane to wifi.

source: https://www.laszlopusztai.net/2016/02/14/creating-a-wi-fi-access-point-on-os-x/

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    Doing this made it so my computer refused to reconnect to the wifi when I was done with it. Bad advice.
    – Tustin2121
    Mar 31, 2019 at 22:09
  • You just have to restart the computer and the wifi will reset. It's the only way i have found that actuall does make a shared wifi hotspot without a active connection.
    – Benjamin Scherer
    Apr 3, 2019 at 9:54
  • I'm still struggling with this. I can create the ad hoc network through sharing and connect to it from an iPad, but can't seem to send UDP data. Two basic questions: 1. will the IP address given with -setmanual Loopback be the host address to send data to? 2. why does the network mask end with 255, not 0, as for manual DHCP? Cheers!
    – diemo
    Jun 8, 2022 at 16:29

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