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Connectify Hotspot Changelog

What's new in Connectify Hotspot 2023.0.0.40169

Jan 23, 2023
  • Under the covers, Connectify Hotspot is much faster, and uses less CPU
  • Support for high DPI monitors
  • Bug fixes

New in Connectify Hotspot 2021.0.0.40131 (Nov 25, 2020)

  • Support for Jumbo Packets: Connectify Hotspot includes a new driver, which supports jumbo Ethernet packets, up to 9000 bytes per packet, if your internet connection supports them.
  • Improved Speedify Compatibility: Building on the Jumbo packet support, Speedify and Connectify Hotspot now automatically negotiate packet sizes, making sure that your hotspot clients really get the full speed, security, and stability benefits of your bonded Speedify connection. (Make sure you’re up to date with Speedify 10.7 or later)
  • Faster: Under the covers, Connectify Hotspot is much faster, and uses less CPU.
  • Better Device Recognition: Even more devices are automatically recognized and given the correct icons and names.

New in Connectify Hotspot 2020.1.1.40119 (Aug 5, 2020)

  • QR Code support: Just scan the QR code to have your Android smartphone or iPhone join the hotspot without having to log in or type passwords. See more details in our knowledge base.
  • Fixes for various minor user interface issues around Dark Mode.
  • The DNS server now uses the system hosts file for overrides of domain names.

New in Connectify Hotspot 2020.0.0.40101 (Mar 30, 2020)

  • Dark Mode Support
  • Additional Command Line Interface Options
  • Improved Device Detection and Vendor Icons

New in Connectify Hotspot 2019.1.2.40048 (May 7, 2019)

  • Fix for an error starting the hotspot on some 64-bit systems.

New in Connectify Hotspot 2019.1.1.40046 (May 7, 2019)

  • Fixes an ARP corruption bug that could result in no Internet, local network, and/or host access from client devices.

New in Connectify Hotspot 2019.1.0.40045 (May 7, 2019)

  • Support for the latest versions of Speedify (7.5+)
  • Stability improvements

New in Connectify Hotspot 2019.0.0.40040 (May 7, 2019)

  • Reduced installer file size – we have optimized Connectify so that you’ll be able to install and update it faster.
  • Better support for static IP addresses – clients that do not obtain IP addresses via DHCP are now supported in Wi-Fi Direct mode.
  • New and updated emojis from our friends at EmojiOne to use for Wi-Fi hotspot names, upon popular demand. In total there are 157 new emoji including Hot Face, Cold Face, Partying Face, Pleading Face, Woozy Face, and Face with Hearts.
  • Stability improvements

New in Connectify Hotspot 2018.4.0.39090 (May 25, 2018)

  • Connectify Inc. officially became GDPR ready on May 25th. Here’s what we did to comply with the new EU regulation:
  • We appointed a new Data Protection Officer.
  • We updated the privacy policies for all our services: Connectify Hotspot, Speedify and Pingify.
  • We notified existing customers in our applications about our privacy policy changes.
  • We’ve tightened our internal data security to protect against breaches of personal data.
  • We’ve adopted procedures to guarantee all user rights of the GDPR.

New in Connectify Hotspot 2018.2.2.38986 (Apr 12, 2018)

  • Looking for a mobile hotspot on Windows 10? Connectify Hotspot 2018, release 2 is available now for download and update! It is a huge step forward, especially for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (FCU) users:
  • Bridging, Repeater Mode and Custom DHCP Ranges are all now fully supported for MAX users, on all Windows 10 FCU machines, including those that only support Wi-Fi Direct (like the Surface Pro 4)!
  • More Emoji: 846 additional emojis are now supported in the hotspot name, courtesy of EmojiOne. The emoji keyboard has an additional “popular” tab to make easier to find the most commonly used emoji at a glance.

New in Connectify Hotspot 2017.2.0.38454 (Feb 17, 2017)

  • Here are the main improvements:
  • By popular demand: we’ve added even more emojis to the list and a better emoji keyboard!
  • The ad sites list will now automatically update itself, making sure you won’t see any ads in your browsers or in your apps on the client devices! On the host machine you will also be able to see how many ad trackers have been blocked for your clients.
  • We care about your online security, so our brand new Privacy Monitor warns if your IP and location are exposed. Just in case: we also have a solution for that – Speedify VPN.
  • Along with these, we’ve made small user interface and stability improvements throughout the app.

New in Connectify Hotspot 2017.0.0.38236 (Jan 17, 2017)

  • Ad Blocking for client devices
  • Emojis for the hotspot name
  • Unicode characters in the hotspot name

New in Connectify Hotspot 2016.0.8.37644 (Oct 15, 2016)

  • Windows 10 Wi-Fi Direct mode hotspot improvements
  • Error message display improvements
  • Updated notifications on Windows 10
  • Stability fixes

New in Connectify Hotspot 2016.0.4.37243 (May 20, 2016)

  • Updates and bug fixes to improve stability and performance

New in Connectify Hotspot 2016.0.3.36821 (May 20, 2016)

  • Updates and bug fixes to improve stability and performance

New in Connectify Hotspot 2016.0.0.36433 (Dec 1, 2015)

  • Windows 10 Support – Windows 10 uses Wi-Fi Direct by default, if present, to support running hotspots on Wi-Fi adapters that dropped Hosted Network support. Windows 10 users can revert to using Hosted Network (if their Wi-Fi card supports it) by disabling ‘Allow Wi-Fi Direct’ in the Advanced menu under Settings.
  • The ‘Clients’ tab now includes improvements to the real-time usage graphs that are being introduced in Connectify Hotspot 2016.
  • Connected devices will now appear even quicker in the ‘Clients’ tab once connected to your Hotspot.
  • Enhancements to ensure that tablet and touchscreen users enjoy a smooth Connectify Hotspot experience.
  • Client bandwidth usage graphs are now available in the Clients tab showing bandwidth usage by connected device.
  • Minor updates and bug fixes to improve performance

New in Connectify Hotspot 2015.1.0.35473 (Aug 1, 2015)

  • Full Windows 10 Compatibility
  • Change display of Bridging option to differentiate ‘Routed vs Bridging’ methods of sharing Internet with clients
  • Fix for ‘Wired Router’ sharing detection of Ethernet port state on some Ethernet adapters
  • Speedify 3 Compatibility

New in Connectify Hotspot 2015.0.4.34734 (Mar 21, 2015)

  • Fixes for Internet/Local Network firewall controls when using bridging/Repeater mode
  • Force dependent services to start to help after a Windows upgrade disabled driver services
  • File Flings with files that containing ampersands and other characters no longer break the Fling display window
  • Handle WLAN API handles becoming invalid, causing Connectify to not see AP mode support on Wi-Fi cards
  • Handle Repeating/bridging to networks with MTUs smaller than 1500

New in Connectify Hotspot 2015.0.3.34560 (Feb 25, 2015)

  • Fix ‘Start Service’ button being disabled in some situations
  • Allow bridging to non-private IP subnet networks, while showing a warning that this may not work. This should allow bridging to some college/university networks
  • Support bridging to networks with DHCP servers that don’t handle DHCP Relay
  • Disable background Wi-Fi scans intended to keep some Wi-Fi cards awake, but that interfered with other some Wi-Fi adapters’ AP functionality
  • Better job of keeping error message windows in foreground
  • Clearer error messages around Wi-Fi Repeater
  • Allow bridging to legacy Switchboard licenses
  • Clear out update installers when generating logs
  • Fix Wi-Fi Repeater error if you previously ran Wi-Fi Hotspot mode while sharing Dispatch
  • Default to enabling ‘Disable Adapter Power Management’ setting to help some Wi-Fi adapter keep power when sharing Internet from another source

New in Connectify Hotspot 9.3.0.33832 (Dec 19, 2014)

  • Fix incorrect identification of Wi-Fi adapters as not supporting Hosted Network
  • Add warning when Hotspot is being broadcast in 5GHz mode
  • Better IP/Gateway selection on complex network setups
  • Improve compatibility with adapters that have adaptive MTUs
  • Further stability and reporting improvements

New in Connectify Hotspot 9.2.2.33000 (Oct 18, 2014)

  • Correctly read the MTU of connections with dynamic MTU values, such as Speedify
  • Fix compatibility with some VPN products - The ability of client devices to access the Hotspot host computer by using any of the host’s IPs has been turned off by default. It may be re-enabled by selecting Settings - Advanced - Access Host via Any IP. This fixes compatibility with Switchboard Personal Server.
  • Further stability and reporting improvements

New in Connectify Hotspot 9.2.1.32872 (Oct 2, 2014)

  • Fix compatibility with Speedify!
  • Fix crash bug in the native networking code
  • Fix some log generation failures when file system permissions are broken

New in Connectify Hotspot 9.2.0.32804 (Sep 27, 2014)

  • Clients can now access the Hotspot host computer by using any of the host’s IPs
  • Fix for clients accessing upstream networks of the Hotspot host computer when a router isn’t present, or the router doesn’t forward traffic properly
  • Hotspot now uses packaged Open Sans fonts. This gives the software a more modern look and should fix crashes on computers that cannot display Arial.
  • Fix credits/settings/license files occasionally getting corrupted
  • Stability improvements

New in Connectify Hotspot 9.1.0.32701 (Sep 12, 2014)

  • Performance tuning: The NAT inside of Hotspot / Dispatch had been tuned for performance, and is up to 10% faster.
  • Hotspot startup time has been improved for some users
  • Better recovery from disabled Wi-Fi adapters
  • Bundled Fonts: Connectify now includes all of the fonts that it uses. This is important for many European users.
  • Improved support for multi-user computers: Connectify better handles multiple users being logged onto a machine at the same time.
  • Fix for crashes on unexpected errors.

New in Connectify Hotspot 9.0.1.32218 (Jul 24, 2014)

  • Fix for starting a Wi-Fi Hotspot on Tablets and other devices without Ethernet adapters
  • Fix for settings loss when upgrading from 8.0 and earlier : Everyone upgrading from any version will have their 'Resume on boot-up' settings from Startup Options for both Hotspot and Dispatch reset when updating to this or newer releases, but all other settings will be retained.

New in Connectify Hotspot 9.0.0.32164 (Jul 22, 2014)

  • New Driver / Improved Compatibility – We did a lot of work to debug problems caused by other drivers on your system doing a variety of bad things. The end result is great; we have fixed compatibility with Cisco AnyConnect VPN, Yes Go 4G USB modem, Vodafone and Huawei USB modems, as well as many others.
  • Fixed a fragmented packet handling issue – Resolved issue with the Spotflux VPN on iOS clients. It’s likely that this fix may resolve issues with other devices and applications as well.
  • New ‘Settings’ Tab – In Settings we’ve pulled choice of Wireless (create a WiFi hotspot, the default) vs Wired (turn your computer into a wired Ethernet router) to the very top. This makes things much clearer, as once you make that choice, all the settings that don’t apply to you disappear.
  • Static IP Addresses – You can now assign a static IP Address to a client to ensure that it always gets the same IP address, every time it connects. On the ‘Clients’ tab, right-click on the computer icon, and select “Set Static IP Address”
  • New Startup Option – Automatically run a hotspot or always Dispatch your Internet connections anytime you turn your computer on, with the new “Always Resume” option in Settings > Startup Options.
  • License screen (under Activate Software) displays how many machines a license is good for.

New in Connectify Hotspot 8.0.0.30686 (Mar 27, 2014)

  • Hotspot:
  • Fix Android clients not being able to connect when Local Access is disabled.
  • Option to ‘Disable Adapter Power Management’ (Under Settings/Advanced) on the Hotspot adapter. This may help users who have client devices all get kicked off or have the hotspot disappear if sharing Ethernet. You may need to reboot your computer after starting a hotspot for the first time for this setting to take full effect in Windows
  • Give more time for adapters to come up when starting an Access Point to avoid some instances of ‘Hosted Network unavailable’ and similar failed starts.
  • Fix a peer scanning deadlock on background threads
  • Fix for some clients devices (mostly Android) avoiding a Hotspot or disconnecting from a Hotspot
  • Dispatch:
  • New, updated Dispatch tutorial
  • Fix Dispatch tutorial ‘Do not show this again’ button
  • Detect multiple connections to the same network, which can lead to various connectivity issues
  • Sort adapter list in Application Settings by most recent connections
  • Fixes around secure connection grouping when an interface is set to NEVER or becomes Overlimit
  • Reset connections on other adapters when setting an Application to a specific adapter
  • General:
  • Fix uninstaller not getting created on some systems during a fresh install
  • Automatically start service dependencies if they are disabled (WLAN AutoConfig, Windows Management Instrumentation) and warn during install if these services are not present
  • Enable Wi-Fi devices that are software-disabled when starting a Hotspot, instead of informing the user that they should enable their Wi-Fi devices.
  • Fix a Hotspot UI crash
  • Work around some email systems not liking our secured log files
  • Stability fixes
  • New, updated Activation screens
  • Protect against deadlocks causing Hotspot and Dispatch UIs to freeze up
  • Stabilize license check on some systems
  • Fix Installer hang on ‘Checking software conflicts’
  • Fix Hotspot/Dispatch hang on launch
  • Support for activation behind a proxy that requires authentication

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.3.5.30545 (Mar 18, 2014)

  • Fix uninstaller not getting created on some systems during a fresh install

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.3.4.30523 (Mar 18, 2014)

  • Automatically start service dependencies if they are disabled (WLAN AutoConfig, Windows Management Instrumentation) and warn during install if these services are not present
  • Enable Wi-Fi devices that are software-disabled when starting a Hotspot, instead of informing the user that they should enable their Wi-Fi devices.

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.3.3.30440 (Mar 5, 2014)

  • Hotspot:
  • Hotspot Shut-off Timer extended to 90 minutes per session for free users
  • Fix Android clients not being able to connect when Local Access is disabled.
  • Option to ‘Disable Adapter Power Management’ (Under Settings/Advanced) on the Hotspot adapter. This may help users who have client devices all get kicked off or have the hotspot disappear if sharing Ethernet. You may need to reboot your computer after starting a hotspot for the first time for this setting to take full effect in Windows
  • Give more time for adapters to come up when starting an Access Point to avoid some instances of ‘Hosted Network unavailable’ and similar failed starts.
  • Fix a peer scanning deadlock on background threads
  • Fix for some clients devices (mostly Android) avoiding a Hotspot or disconnecting from a Hotspot
  • Dispatch:
  • New, updated Dispatch tutorial
  • Fix Dispatch tutorial ‘Do not show this again’ button
  • Detect multiple connections to the same network, which can lead to various connectivity issues
  • Sort adapter list in Application Settings by most recent connections
  • Fixes around secure connection grouping when an interface is set to NEVER or becomes Overlimit
  • Reset connections on other adapters when setting an Application to a specific adapter
  • General:
  • New, updated Activation screens
  • Protect against deadlocks causing Hotspot and Dispatch UIs to freeze up
  • Stabilize license check on some systems
  • Fix Installer hang on ‘Checking software conflicts’
  • Fix Hotspot/Dispatch hang on launch
  • Support for activation behind a proxy that requires authentication

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.3.2.30404 (Mar 4, 2014)

  • Work around some email systems not liking our secured log files

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.3.1.30389 (Mar 4, 2014)

  • Stability fixes

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.3.0.30321 (Feb 27, 2014)

  • Hotspot:
  • Hotspot Shut-off Timer extended to 90 minutes per session for free users
  • Fix Android clients not being able to connect when Local Access is disabled.
  • Option to ‘Disable Adapter Power Management’ (Under Settings/Advanced) on the Hotspot adapter. This may help users who have client devices all get kicked off or have the hotspot disappear if sharing Ethernet. You may need to reboot your computer after starting a hotspot for the first time for this setting to take full effect in Windows
  • Give more time for adapters to come up when starting an Access Point to avoid some instances of ‘Hosted Network unavailable’ and similar failed starts.
  • Fix a peer scanning deadlock on background threads
  • Fix for some clients devices (mostly Android) avoiding a Hotspot or disconnecting from a Hotspot
  • Dispatch:
  • New, updated Dispatch tutorial
  • Fix Dispatch tutorial ‘Do not show this again’ button
  • Detect multiple connections to the same network, which can lead to various connectivity issues
  • Sort adapter list in Application Settings by most recent connections
  • Fixes around secure connection grouping when an interface is set to NEVER or becomes Overlimit
  • Reset connections on other adapters when setting an Application to a specific adapter
  • General:
  • New, updated Activation screens
  • Protect against deadlocks causing Hotspot and Dispatch UIs to freeze up
  • Stabilize license check on some systems
  • Fix Installer hang on ‘Checking software conflicts’
  • Fix Hotspot/Dispatch hang on launch
  • Support for activation behind a proxy that requires authentication

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.2.0.29636 (Dec 20, 2013)

  • New Features:
  • Dispatch:
  • Application Settings: The Applications screen (Settings > Applications) has been totally redone, and has become a powerful new tool to both understand and control what your applications are doing with your Internet connections.
  • The window is scalable. If you stretch it wide, it will show you all of the information on each application in separate columns. If the window is narrower, it will show only the most pertinent information.
  • Every application running on your system gets a row in the table. That row turns green whenever it actually accesses the Internet. There are several columns of data: Current Usage, Total Usage and Tracked Connections (open sockets).
  • Each application has an Adapter Setting. Selecting this brings up a dialog that lets you select how Dispatch will handle connections from the application:
  • Smart Load Balancing:
  • Default – Uses Dispatch’s intelligent load balancing algorithm
  • Use Only Adapter:
  • Previous functionality – assigns the traffic from the application to the specific adapter
  • Use Any Adapter Except:
  • Allows you to exclude traffic from a specific adapter while still gaining the benefit of load balancing your other adapters
  • Round Robin:
  • Ensure that each connection from this application ends up on the next available adapter
  • Lowest Latency:
  • Use the adapter with the lowest latency at the time the connection is made – please note that this will not ensure that another adapter might have lower latency than the one chosen in the future
  • Do Not Dispatch:
  • Use Windows Default Network as if Dispatch wasn’t started
  • Blocked:
  • Do not allow any Internet traffic from this application – useful for controlling Internet usage
  • Actions:
  • Reset Connections: Immediately breaks all of that application’s connections (sockets, etc.). This can be useful with applications such a BitTorrent to force them to reopen the sockets when your Internet connections have changed.
  • Reset Usage: Resets the “Total Usage” number to 0, so that tracking starts over.
  • Hotspot:
  • Firewall state of unknown clients – The default firewall rules from the Settings tab now affect clients prior to them being identified and showing up in the Clients tab as connected clients.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Hotspot:
  • Properly load ‘Always Show Ad-Hoc’ setting on UI start
  • Work even when Windows Firewall has been uninstalled completely from the system
  • Identify when Domain Group Policy forbids Connectify
  • Dispatch:
  • Fix incoming connections to local servers (RDP fix, uTorrent opened port fix)
  • More logging around Dashboard communication issues
  • Improve Dashboard memory usage
  • Fix interface latency/reliability measurements when WAN connections come and go
  • General:
  • Fix case when Connectify service loses activation after reboot
  • Fix upgrades from version 3.x not being able to stay activated
  • Fix activation fallback methods on systems without default browsers set
  • Add service dependency to fix activation on systems where Connectify service came up before the WMI service
  • More logging around service installation and packet redirection errors
  • Set Windows 8/8.1 to not minimize number of concurrent connections.
  • Fix installer crash at ‘Checking for software conflicts’
  • Fix for ‘Only one copy of installer can be run at once’
  • Improved cleanup of old ports in Hotspot and Dispatch NAT layer

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.0.0.28979 (Sep 25, 2013)

  • DISPATCH FEATURES:
  • New Dispatch Lite: Huge news, Connectify Dispatch can now be used for free in Lite mode! Use multiple Internet connections at the same time for faster web browsing and downloads. Dispatch Lite lets you combine connections to get that burst of speed when you really need it. Features such as Per Application Settings, Unlimited Usage, Connection Metering, and Connection Priority are only available to Dispatch PRO users.
  • New Dispatch Dashboard: The Connectify Dispatch user interface has been completely overhauled and improved. The network adapters are now shown in a responsive table which can be sorted based on any adapter statistics. The window is easily resized to either much larger, or much smaller sizes while still remaining useful. Everything looks better, and is more consistent with the interface that we rolled out for Hotspot in Connectify 6.
  • Dispatch support for SFTP and FTP: Dispatch now recognizes that it must group together FTP and SFTP connections to the same host onto the same Internet connection. Discuss this user-requested feature or fix with other members of the Connectify Community.
  • Improved Dispatch Help: Dispatch Help, About, and Credits screens got some well-deserved love and improved formatting.
  • Dispatch better recognizes applications: In Dispatch application settings, we fixed a problem where the software would not properly recognize and remember settings for 32-bit applications running on a 64-bit Windows system. Also, it now recognizes applications whose names are nothing but white space (looking at you, Netflix). Discuss this user-requested feature or fix with other members of the Connectify Community.
  • HOTSPOT FEATURES:
  • New ‘Set DHCP Range’ Feature for Hotspot: This release adds the ability to set the DHCP range that Connectify Hotspot assigns to client devices. It’s available to PRO users under Settings -> Advanced -> Set DHCP Range. You can select ranges that either start with 192.168.*.* or 10.*.*.*. Unless you have a specific reason to lock your Hotspot to one range, we suggest using the default “Dynamically Managed” mode, as this will allow Hotspot to choose an IP range that will not conflict with any network that you’ve ever used. This has been one of our highest-ranked requests for features on the Connectify Community site.
  • Added ‘Pause Mode’ Setting to Menu: In Hotspot Settings- > Advanced, there is a new ‘Pause on No Internet’ setting, which is checked by default. Connectify automatically “pauses” and stops your Hotspot if there are no clients and no Internet connections (this is how Connectify has behaved for years, by the way). The default Pause Mode is usually a good thing, as it stops you from accidentally joining Hotspots that can’t get on the Internet. However, if you want your Hotspot to stay running all the time, even if there’s no Internet, then you can uncheck this setting in the menu. Pause Mode is explained in more detail over at the Connectify Community
  • New ‘Sleep Mode’ Setting for Hotspot: This setting, under Settings -> Advanced -> Allow Sleep While Running, lets you control whether Hotspot allows the computer to go to sleep while your Hotspot is running. By default it is set to avoid allowing the computer to go to sleep. Note that this only prevents the timer in Power Options from putting the computer to sleep. Closing the laptop or explicitly choosing “Hibernate” or “Sleep” from the computer’s Power Menu overrides this Connectify setting. Discuss this user-requested feature or fix with other members of the Connectify Community.
  • New ‘Always Show Ad Hoc’ Setting for Hotspot: By default, Hotspot does not list the Ad Hoc Sharing Modes, as the additional settings caused confusion for many users. That said, for those who wish to use Ad Hoc mode, there is now an option in the Menu under Settings -> Display -> Always Show Ad Hoc to get the old behavior back.
  • COMMON FEATURES:
  • New Startup Options Feature: By popular demand, there is a new ‘Connectify Startup Options’ window, which you can reach either through the Start Screen or via the Settings Menu in Dispatch or Hotspot. This allows you to control which components of Connectify start when Windows boots. You can control whether the user interfaces run, whether the Connectify Service starts, and whether Dispatch and Hotspot automatically start routing or broadcasting, respectively. You must be an Administrator to run this window, and Windows will prompt you with the User Account Control (UAC) to confirm whether you wish to continue. This feature is available to all users, Lite and PRO.
  • Better Integration with Connectify Community: The best way to get support is to search the new Connectify Community site, and if your issue hasn’t been addressed, post a new question. Both our support team and the actual developers of Connectify are moderating the community on weekdays, and it really is the best place to start if you’ve got an issue. To that end, the support links in the software now point there, too.
  • Support for Different Resolutions / Sizing Options: With Windows 8 we’re seeing computers with high resolution monitors, and users with custom sizing in the Control Panel’s Display Sizing options. Connectify now supports all different resolutions.
  • New Driver: The Connectify driver has been upgraded to fix the problem that caused certain network adapters to lose Internet connectivity when using Connectify. This may mean that you need to reboot during install. Discuss this user-requested feature or fix with other members of the Connectify Community.
  • Connection Issues: Resolve issues experienced by Hotspot clients and Dispatch users when connecting to certain sites, such as curse.com
  • Resolve Activation Issues: We fixed issues that some users were experiencing signing in for the first time, and activating the software. Discuss this user-requested feature or fix with other members of the Connectify Community.
  • Fix for Installer Requiring Extra Reboot: We fixed an issue where, on some systems the installer insisted on a reboot, even though none was necessary. Discuss this user-requested feature or fix with other members of the Connectify Community.
  • Fixes to Service Start: Based on working with users at community.connectify.me/, we tracked down and fixed some issues where the Connectify Service would not be able to start on certain computers. Discuss this user-requested feature or fix with other members of the Connectify Community.

New in Connectify Hotspot 7.0.0.28758 Beta 1 (Aug 30, 2013)

  • New Dispatch Dashboard: The Connectify Dispatch user interface has been completely overhauled and improved. The network adapters are now shown in a responsive table which can be sorted based on any adapter statistics. The window is easily resized to either much larger, or much smaller sizes while still remaining useful. Everything looks better, and is more consistent with the interface that we rolled out for Hotspot in Connectify 6.
  • New Driver: The Connectify driver has been upgraded to fix the problem that caused certain network adapters to lose Internet connectivity when using Connectify. This may mean that you need to reboot during install.
  • Fixes to Service Start: Based on working with users at community.connectify.me we tracked down and fixed some issues where the Connectify Service would not be able to start on certain computers.
  • Added ‘Pause Mode’ Setting to Menu: In Hotspot’s Settings > Advanced menu, there is a new ‘Pause on No Internet’ setting, which is checked by default. By default, Connectify “pauses” and stops your hotspot if there are no clients and no Internet connections (this is how Connectify has behaved for years, by the way). This is usually a good thing, it stops you from accidently joining hotspots that can’t get on the Internet. However, if you want your hotspot to stay running all the time, even if there’s no Internet, then you can uncheck this setting in the menu.
  • Dispatch better recognizes applications: In Dispatch’s application settings, we fixed a problem where Dispatch would not properly recognize and remember settings for 32-bit applications running on a 64-bit Windows system.
  • Dispatch support for SFTP and FTP: Dispatch now recognizes that it must group together FTP and SFTP connections to the same host onto the same Internet connection.
  • Resolve Activation issues: We fixed issues that some users were experiencing signing in for the first time, and activating the software.
  • Removed Unused Features: We have either hidden or removed some features that are very rarely used. We think that you won’t miss them, so we’re not going to go into details here. But, if something you love is missing from Connectify, post a question about it at community.connectify.me
  • - See more at: http://www.connectify.me/connectify-7-beta-is-here/#sthash.sS9iIAG1.dpuf

New in Connectify Hotspot 6.0.1.28704 (Aug 24, 2013)

  • Fix endless upgrade window popups
  • Fix Hotspot UI window title not changing on license activation
  • Automatically work around DAP 10 bug that caused Dispatch Dashboard to be stuck loading
  • Handle adapters which do not report an MTU
  • Fix client network access icons not updating when hotspot-wide firewall settings changed
  • Support larger client lists (over 100). We were delighted to see that at least one person really had a list of 122 clients which had connected to their hotspot.
  • Fix Ethernet-mode existing DHCP server detection
  • Fix XBox client icon

New in Connectify Hotspot 6.0.0.28615 (Aug 7, 2013)

  • New Look for Hotspot: Connectify Hotspot has a new look. Lots of changes here:
  • The user interface is no longer always on top, is resizeable, and can be moved anywhere on the desktop.
  • Additionally, the menu has been expanded into a menu bar, so everything’s easier to find.
  • Passwords just got easier. There is a Generate Password button that will suggest a new, random password. By default the password is shown in the status bar for easy access while the Hotspot is running (but there’s a “Hide” link right there, if you don’t want your password displayed).
  • Switchboard and Dispatch Compatibility:
  • For all those people with both Dispatch and Switchboard, you can now run them both at the same time. Switchboard Internet access wins out over Dispatch Local. But, running a personal server, you can then share Internet via Hotspot and share Dispatch client access. You can also use Switchboard to VPN somewhere without using Internet from the hub, and use Dispatch Local to balance your connection. Note that you need Connectify 6 and Switchboard Beta 4 (coming soon) to use this.
  • Faster, more accurate speed testing in Dispatch:
  • Dispatch’s speed tests of Internet connections are faster and more accurate now.
  • Dropped support for WPS thumbdrives:
  • Hotspot no longer has the “Save Settings to Thumbdrive” option to write the connection settings to a USB thumb drive. Windows 8 has dropped support for that feature, and won’t use the drives that Connectify sets up.
  • “Clone Wi-Fi” is now “Wi-Fi Extender”:
  • The “Clone Wi-Fi” feature has been renamed to “Wi-Fi Extender” as that is clearer, more commonly used name for this sort of thing. It’s also a lot easier to find, right in the Tools menu.
  • More Icons: Updated vendor database with more companies and icons for Clients

New in Connectify Hotspot 5.0.0.27319 (Apr 26, 2013)

  • New Driver: A new driver is installed which provides increased stability and works better with Windows 8.
  • New Tutorial: The new tutorial walks you through setting up your Hotspot for the first time. The tutorial walkthrough can be launched anytime from the Connectify Help menu.
  • New Online Profile: Hotspot PRO users now have access to their web-based Connectify account profile. The profile lets users manage their Connectify product licenses and login information, easily submit and track support tickets, and provides one click access to tutorials and FAQ.
  • Bug Fixes: Too many to list. This release represents nearly 6 months of effort to improve performance and solve customer issues. The work on Connectify Dispatch lead to a major overhaul of the underlying networking engine of Hotspot. Users will see more reliable, faster Internet, that works with more broadband cards and carrier networks worldwide.
  • Update: Connectify 5 runs on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Users running XP and Vista can continue to use Connectify Hotspot v3.7.1
  • Update: Connectify uses the .NET 4.5 Framework. The installer will prompt Windows 7 users to install .NET 4.5 if it is not already installed.
  • Feature: The Connectify Troubleshooter now allows the user to specify whether they are trying to troubleshoot Hotspot or Dispatch.
  • Feature: Support tickets are now accessible from one easy location on the Connectify site. You can find them either from the menu under Help -> Online Support, or by going to http://www.connectify.me/support
  • Feature: Hotspot will automatically choose the recommended “Internet to Share” device if the user has not previously selected a device to use.
  • Feature: Wireless devices in the “Internet to Share” list display the wireless SSID in addition to the adapter name.

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.7.1.25486 (Nov 13, 2012)

  • Installation Correction: If the Connectify drivers get uninstalled, Connectify now detects this automatically and walks the user through reinstalling. This fixes many of the problems that users have seen when upgrading to Windows 8.
  • Hotspot Service Restart: With certain combinations of software installed on clients connected to the Connectify Hotspot (such as Hamachi), Connectify sometimes got stuck, restarting the Connectify service. This has been corrected in this release.
  • Ad-Hoc Stability: Several instances of Ad-Hoc mode hotspot instabilities have been fixed.

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.7.0.25374 (Oct 29, 2012)

  • PRO Users Can Turn off the Banners and Blog: Connectify Hotspot LITE users gets ads in the product, which are replaced by helpful tips for PRO users. Now in 3.7, PRO users can turn off the Blog and Banners if they want the extra space and cleaner look. To turn off ads go to the Connectify Menu -> Display Options -> Hide News / Ads
  • Improved handling of ICMP: Fixes for problems with certain control messages. This problem usually manifested itself as Android devices being unable to get on the Internet, or clients that got on the Internet having strangely slow downloads.
  • Error Messages Link to Troubleshooter: The error message screen now has a direct link to launch Connectify’s integrated Troubleshooter. We hope this will let more people find their way to the help they need.

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.6.0.24540 (Aug 13, 2012)

  • Support for Sharing Connectify Dispatch: Connectify Hotspot 3.6 can share Connectify Dispatch’s aggregated Internet connection with clients over Wi-Fi. If Connectify Dispatch is installed, then the “Internet to Share” box will display a “Dispatch” choice which will start Dispatch, if it wasn’t already running, and share that with the clients.
  • Windows 8: This release of Connectify Hotspot has been fully tested on Windows 8 (Release Preview).
  • Routing Improvements: Under the covers, We reworked how Connectify Hotspot handles packet fragmentation and ICMP messages. These changes make many non-web browser applications (like online games, streaming video, tracert, bittorrent), work much better under Connectify Hotspot
  • Improved Error Message: A number of error messages have been improved.
  • Recognize More Security Software: Connectify Hotspot’s Troubleshooter now recognizes the latest versions of Computer Associates Internet Security, Outpost Free Security Suite, AVG Internet Security Suite, and points users to support articles on how to properly configure them, in case of technical issues.

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.5.0.24132 (Jul 4, 2012)

  • New Power Management Software to Fix Hosted Network Errors: Based on our work with Microsoft, it appears that we have found and worked around the underlying Windows bugs that cause the dreaded “Hosted Network” error messages when a computer comes out of sleep or hibernation. This release includes a significant rework of Connectify Hotspot’s handling of power management in order to avoid such issues.
  • Enhanced Local Access Firewall Controls: We moved the handling of the Connectify Firewall Settings into our driver in the Windows kernel. This means that this traffic is how handled much faster, with less CPU usage.
  • Recognize More AntiVirus Software: Connectify’s Troubleshooter now recognizes Avast, Avira, and VIPRE security software packages, and points users to support articles on how to properly configure them, in case of technical issues.

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.4.0.23678 (May 10, 2012)

  • Faster:
  • Connectify is now faster (20% faster on client-to-client, and client-to-host networking) and uses significantly less CPU than previous versions.
  • Better support for streaming video, peer-to-peer, and gaming: The software for UPnP, MTU, and client-to-client communications have all been reworked for speed and reliability. Some examples of applications that now work noticeably better from clients include the XBox 360’s Zune Marketplace and uTorrent.
  • Better support for 3G/4G cards: A number of additional mobile broadband cards and wireless carrier configurations are now supported. Certain 3G/4G cards that were misidentified as Ethernet cards are now correctly recognized as mobile broadband cards.
  • Options to turn off Fling File Transfers and Network Peer Scanning: Some people requested the ability to turn off the Fling Wi-Fi File Transfer functionality, and we have complied. Turning off Network Peer Scanning will make Connectify no longer detect web servers and shared drives on other computers, but will also prevent it from issuing ARP packets onto the network. Both options can be found in the Connectify Menu under Advanced Settings.
  • Windows 8 Support (Beta): Connectify now works on Windows 8. This is beta level support, please tell us how it works for you.

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.3.0.23104 (Apr 18, 2012)

  • Drag-and-Drop Wi-Fi File Transfer:
  • Connectify now lets users transfer files to computers and other devices using only their computer’s built-in Wi-Fi card. Leave the USB flash drive at home, and start sending files at super-fast speeds with the magic of Wi-Fi, even where no Internet connection is available.
  • Transferring files to PCs and mobile devices has never been easier. With Connectify PRO, users can drag-and-drop an unlimited number of files of any size, right onto almost any device on their Hotspot, and even to another Connectify user on the same network.
  • Pro users have unlimited send/receive limits. Lite users can send 1 transfer per day
  • No limitation on file size. Transfer huge files wirelessly, without a USB flash drive, even without access to the Internet
  • Install Connectify PRO on all of your computers to send and receive files directly onto your desktop
  • Connectify Peers:
  • Now all computers running Connectify can “see” one another. Whether they’re connected directly, through a Connectify Hotspot, or just sharing the same Wi-Fi network, each Connectify computer will recognize the other, allowing users to initiate drag-and-drop Wi-Fi file transfer, remotely launch iTunes and other services, and more.
  • Even Easier to Use:
  • The new, “Help me Choose” option detects and helps users pick the best Internet connection to share, simplifying the setup process
  • The ‘Services’ tab has been merged in with the Clients and Peers dropdown menus. All services, including iTunes, shared folders, and now drag-and-drop Wi-Fi file transfer, can be accessed, right from the appropriate Client or Peer.
  • Lots of look and feel improvements: Better tooltips, Firewall Controls are easily accessible right from the ‘Settings’ tab
  • Improved Service Scanning: Services are detected coming and going much more quickly. Apple iChat / Bonjour Chat users now show up as well, so you can see who’s using a computer.

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.2.0.22201 (Jan 4, 2012)

  • New Pro Features:
  • Share over Ethernet: Connectify can now act as a wired Ethernet router. In the ‘Advanced Settings’, select ‘Share Over’, and then select your Ethernet card. In this mode, you can use your Connectify-enabled PC to get Ethernet-based devices onto Wi-Fi or 3G/4G networks.
  • Services under Clients: In the ‘Clients’ tab, you can click to expand Clients, showing the services (web servers, shared drives, etc.) right in the ‘Clients’ tab. This makes sharing and working together much easier.
  • Apple Bonjour Support: Pro versions of Connectify will now detect many Bonjour / Rendezvous / mDNS services running on connected clients. Automatically detect iTunes and other compatible application shares on connected computers, and click to launch.
  • New Connectify Support Center: The many utilities in the ‘Help’ menu have been merged into the Connectify Support Center. This powerful tool helps you troubleshoot any issues, and searches the updated Knowledge Base for related articles (also available online at http://support.connectify.me/forums). If you still can’t find your answer after that, Connectify Pro users can open a support ticket for a quick response, and free users can submit their logs, and while response times are not guaranteed, we appreciate you taking the time to suggest improvements and telling us about issues so we make improvements in future releases.
  • User Interface Improvements:
  • ‘Getting Started’ screen, shows users what to enter to get up-and-running quickly.
  • Some of the labels have been changed for clarification. For example “Wi-Fi” is now “Share Over”
  • The ‘History’ tab has been merged with the ‘Clients’ tab
  • Names of ‘Internet’ and ‘Share Over’ network adapters has been expanded. We now use the full name for network adapters in the user interface. This should be more informative than the abbreviated “Local Area Network 2” type names that we used in previous releases.
  • Bug Fixes: We’ve continued to work with Microsoft to work around various problems with Windows coming out of hibernation / sleep. We’ve tested hundreds of combinations of phones, tablets, laptops and applications for compatibility with Connectify.

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.1.0.21402 (Jan 4, 2012)

  • Easy firewall control for Pro users: Once you start your hotspot, there are two simple checkboxes to control whether you allow the clients Internet Access and whether you allow them Local Access. Local Access controls whether they can connect to each other, and your computer.
  • Detect Wi-Fi Off: Connectify now detects and warns you if the wireless has been switched off (airplane mode) on your computer.
  • Input Validation: Connectify now validates your inputs as you type. This really simplifies dealing with confusing fields such as WEP passwords which may only be exactly 5, 10 or 26 characters. If finding a valid password frustrated you, you’re not alone, think you’ll find this release much friendlier.
  • Conflict Detection, Part 1: It has become clear that most of the “bugs” that users have reported on Connectify 3.0 are actually other badly behaving software interfering with the operation of Connectify. For the two most egregious offenders, SonicWALL VPN and Comodo Firewall, Connectify now refuses to even install while they are on your system.
  • Conflict Detection, Part 2: When you Submit Error Report, more information about firewalls and antivirus are sent back to Connectify support. We hope that this will allow us to debug other conflicts much faster.
  • Help Menu: We tried to make the items in the Help menu clearer about what they do. We also put the items from the Help menu right in to Connectify folder on the Start Menu to make them easier to reach should you have an issue.
  • Improved Troubleshooter: The Troubleshooter has been improved, it no longer tells you about the many things that are working fine, and just focuses on the problems. It also gives better descriptions and links into our online support system.
  • More Icons: Updated vendor database with more companies and icons for Clients
  • Improved Installer: Many small improvements to the installer. Should lead to less reboots; also Connectify and the installer refuse to continue if a reboot was required, until such time as you reboot.
  • Data in ProgramData: The Connectify Service now stores its data and logs in the system’s ProgramData folder (usually c:\ProgramData\Connectify), instead of the folder in Program Files.
  • Bug fixes and more logging

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.0.0.20932 (Sep 1, 2011)

  • New features:
  • Faster performance: 30% higher throughput when sharing fast Internet connections.
  • Improved Device Identification: Improved detection of XBox 360s and certain Motorola devices.
  • Completely new UPnP implementation: Improved performance, no spurious warnings. Fully-tested with Xbox 360 (PlayStation 3 sees Connectify as Type 3 NAT. This issue is expected to be resolved in an upcoming Beta).
  • All new tabbed User Interface
  • Intelligent warnings when hotspot starts without Internet Connection.
  • Resizable User Interface: grab the top or bottom and resize UI to preferred height.
  • New, clearer Status Area across top of UI.
  • Easily access the Connectify Menu by clicking on logo next to the Start / Stop button.
  • Fixes and Updates:
  • Service startup on boot
  • Support for multi-monitor setups where the taskbar is not on the primary monitor.
  • Fixes to UPnP and fragmented packet handling to improve gaming and streaming video over Connectify.
  • New algorithm for choosing IP address of hotspot improves compatibility with iOS devices.
  • Uninstaller now requests error report.
  • New ‘About’ screen thanks all open-source projects utilized by Connectify.
  • Microsoft has been working with us regarding the Blue Screen of Death issues that certain computers experience when hibernating. Based on what we learned, we have reworked how Connectify interacts with the Windows power management system entirely. With this new power management code, no Connectify user (with up to date Service Packs) should ever see the BSoD again!

New in Connectify Hotspot 3.0.0 (Sep 1, 2011)

  • New Features:
  • Faster performance: 30% higher throughput when sharing fast Internet connections.
  • Improved Device Identification: Improved detection of XBox 360s and certain Motorola devices.
  • Completely new UPnP implementation: Improved performance, no spurious warnings. Fully-tested with Xbox 360 (PlayStation 3 sees Connectify as Type 3 NAT. This issue is expected to be resolved in an upcoming Beta).
  • All new tabbed User Interface
  • Intelligent warnings when hotspot starts without Internet Connection (New in this Beta)
  • Resizable User Interface: grab the top or bottom and resize UI to preferred height. (New in this Beta)
  • New, clearer Status Area across top of UI (New in this Beta)
  • Easily access the Connectify Menu by clicking on logo next to the Start / Stop button (New in this Beta)
  • Fixes and Updates:
  • Service startup on boot
  • Support for multi-monitor setups where the taskbar is not on the primary monitor.
  • Fixes to UPnP and fragmented packet handling to improve gaming and streaming video over Connectify. (New in this Beta)
  • New algorithm for choosing IP address of hotspot improves compatibility with iOS devices. (New in this Beta)
  • Uninstaller now requests error report.
  • New ‘About’ screen thanks all open-source projects utilized by Connectify.
  • Microsoft has been working with us regarding the Blue Screen of Death issues that certain computers experience when hibernating. Based on what we learned, we have reworked how Connectify interacts with the Windows power management system entirely. With this new power management code, no Connectify user (with up to date Service Packs) should ever see the BSoD again!

New in Connectify Hotspot 2.2.0.18699 (Jun 9, 2011)

  • Updated look and feel
  • Installer should no longer be incorrectly flagged by Microsoft Security Essentials
  • Fixed Windows XP SP3 clients not receiving DNS addresses
  • Fixed handling of incorrect DNS NXDomain from some name servers
  • Support for more VPN software (OpenVPN)
  • Better memory and resource handling, especially while using UPnP
  • More icons and names for vendors

New in Connectify Hotspot 1.1.0.14032 (Jan 25, 2010)

  • Wireless Cloning: On the menu (right click the icon either on the Notification tray, or on the Connectify screen itself) there is a new "Clone WiFi Settings" option. Now you can select this to copy the settings from any WPA Personal, or WPA2 Personal network to which you have connected to your Connectify Hotspot. Devices which normally connect to the other network will now be able to connect your computer's hotspot without reconfiguration. You can instantly use this to become a repeater, or take the devices with you.
  • Improved Eye-Fi support: We make sure that the port needed by the Eye-Fi wireless card is opened in the Windows Firewall.
  • WPS Save to USB: Also on the menu is a WPS -> Save to USB Flash Drive option. Select this to write the information (including SSID and password) for your network to a USB flash drive. Then just insert the flash drive into other computers to have Windows automatically ask you if you wish to join the network. It even works in Vista and XP. No more passwords, and if you have a lot of computers to set up this is a fast and easy way to set them all up quickly.
  • Intel driver work around: We worked around the bug in the lucky version 13 Intel drivers for the 5100 and 5300, and probably all the 6000 series cards and some cards from other manufacturers as well. This will bring Connectify back to those users who have the latest drivers.
  • Options to toggle autohide of settings, notification messages.
  • Faster hotspot restarts.
  • Bugfixes for failures when starting a Connectify hotspot, support for usernames with ampersands in them, support for computers whose clocks are more than 4 months behind the real time (but seriously, you might want to look at that).
  • Clean up the system more when stopping a hotspot.

New in Connectify Hotspot 1.0.013874 (Dec 23, 2009)

  • Improved Notification tray icons (including a warning icon if the selected Internet connection is not currently working)
  • Support for even more wireless cards and configurations
  • Improved memory and CPU management
  • Recover from sleep/hibernate
  • Support for machines where multiple users install Connectify and log on at same time
  • Ability to remove clients from the Client History list (right click to get menu)
  • Autohiding of the Mode box. By default we hide the "Mode" box to choose between AP or Ad Hoc mode. If your wireless card supports both, then we default to Access Point mode. To keep the mode box visible, there is an option on the Option menu (right click on the Connectify logo to show the menu).
  • Fix device capability detection

New in Connectify Hotspot 0.4.1.13549 Beta 4.1 (Dec 7, 2009)

  • Fix empty Wifi list.
  • Give AP mode option, but warn if we dont think AP mode support exists. Proper detection will come in future release.