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I need to create a Wi-Fi hotspot on my OS X machine with no internet connection.
I need this in order to locally connect my Android smartphone via the hotspot and control the machine via an app (Unified Remote) for a presentation.
The place where I need this only has a corporate network which doesn't allow for such local connections.
I know this is going to work because I used to do this on Windows, but here the hotspot doesn't turn on until it has a wired connection, and automatically turns off if I unplug the ethernet wire.
Is there a way to turn on the hotspot even with no connections?

Thank you :)

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  • Please consider rewriting. I am unclear as to what you are asking.
    – Allan
    Commented May 23, 2016 at 18:45
  • Yes, sorry, I hope it is clearer now :)
    – itsmeciao
    Commented May 23, 2016 at 21:18
  • Ok...but now it looks like a possible duplicate of How to create an ad hoc Wi-Fi network in OS X? did you look at this yet?
    – Allan
    Commented May 23, 2016 at 21:23
  • The guy in the question wanted to share his internet connection through his mac... I just want the two devices to be on the same network so I can use the app mentioned above, I don't need internet.
    – itsmeciao
    Commented May 23, 2016 at 22:06
  • If you click the WiFi symbol in the top bar and select "create network" can your Android device connect to it?
    – Allan
    Commented May 23, 2016 at 22:08

1 Answer 1

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Funny thing, I just used this feature on an old G4 machine running Mac OS 10.3.9 and was wondering where it went on Mac OS 11... I stumbled on this old question while searching and finally, an answer can be provided.
Turns out it is still there, only hidden: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchl98b9beb6/12.0/mac/12.0#mchl040cfb2c To reactivate it you need to enable legacy network modes:

  • On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Network .
  • In the service list on the left, select Wi-Fi, then click Advanced.
  • Select the “Show legacy networks and options” tickbox.
  • Click OK, then click Apply.

You then can:

  • Click the Wi-Fi status icon in the menu bar, then choose Create Network.
  • Enter a name and choose a channel for your network.
  • Click Create.

You now have an ad hoc wifi network. Unfortunately, this network has no security settings, which I suppose is the reason why this feature was hidden.

Unfortunately, connecting an android device to an ad hoc network is not always straight forward. On some models it just works, on some you need to root android and change the WPA supplicant: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1591207 As this point is not explicitly requested in the question, I will leave the interested reader to follow the link.

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