Windows 8 & Hyper-V Can't Bridge Wifi Connection

04
2013-08
  • xinunix

    So I have an odd issue that I can't quite figure out... I am running Windows 8 Enterprise on a Dell 6420 laptop. I have a Broadcom 802.11n wireless adapter. I am connected to an home router (Netgear WNDR3700) that is connected to the internet. It is a very simple home network setup. I am trying to stand-up a few VMs in Hyper-V and want the VMs to be able to access the internet over my wireless connection. I have found numerous examples of how to set this up using both External and Internal Virtual Switches but have yet to be able to get it to work on my machine.

    I have narrowed the issue down to the fact that my host machine always loses internet connection when I bridge my wifi connection (both when it is bridged automatically by windows when I setup an external virtual switch bound to the wifi adapter or if I do it manually by creating an internal virtual switch, right click on it and my wifi network and select "Bridge Connections".) In both cases after the bridge is established, my host machine can no longer connect to the internet. I am not sure where to start with troubleshooting this problem. After the bridge is setup, an ipconfig shows all netowrk devices on the machine as "Media Disconnected". I do know that the wireless adapter is connected to the router b/c it shows the connection as active and full-strength.

    The only thing I can possibly think of is that this machine also has the Cisco VPN client installed on it which installs a Cisco Virtual Network Adapter. Is it possible that this Cisco Virtual Adapter is causing me issues when I try to bridge? I saw some people had a similar issue with a VirtualBox virtual adapter when trying to share via Hyper-V.

    Any thoughts or suggestions on how to troubleshoot?

    • Answers
  • xinunix

    Should have tried it before I ever posted, when all else fails, reboot!

    Went back and setup an external virtual switch bound to my wireless card, as before lost internet after setup completed. This time I rebooted the machine, after reboot I had internet connection and now my VMs can access the bridged connection.

    Once again thanks to the old 3-finger-salute, problem solved, crisis averted, town saved.


    • Related Question

    network adapter - Windows 8 Hyper-V - how to give VM internet access?
  • Graham Clark

    I've got Windows 8 Pro on my home machine. I want to have a Windows 7 Professional VM running under Hyper-V, and I want the VM to have full internet access. My physical machine has a wireless network adapter I use to connect to a router.

    Here's what I've done so far:

    • In Hyper-V Manager, I've created a new External Virtual Switch, which is connected to my wireless network adapter. If I look in Windows 8's Network Connections page, I can see it's created a virtual ethernet adapter and a network bridge, and my wireless adapter is now bridged.

    • I've created a Windows 7 VM, and in the Hyper-V settings I've set it to use the virtual switch.

    When I log into the VM, I have a network, but it's "unidentified" and has no internet access. What am I missing? Is it something to do with the "VLAN identification" settings? I'm not quite sure what these are about.

    This question was a Super User Question of the Week.
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    • Related Answers
  • KronoS

    In order to get the VM connected to the internet you have to tie it to the Ethernet/Wireless NIC Card. In order to do this you have to create a "Virtual Switch".

    1. Open your Hyper-V Manager

    2. Select Action --> Virtual Switch Manager

      Accessing the VM Switch Manager

    3. Select External and then Create Virtual Switch

      Virtual Switch Manager

    4. Give the Switch a Name and then select the External Controller you use to connect to the internet (Ethernet, or Wireless NIC, etc,.)

      VM Switch Properties

    5. Select Apply and then OK

    6. Right click on the Virtual Machine you want to connect and select Settings

      VM Settings

    7. Under the Network Adapter Setting select the newly created Virtual Switch

    Connecting the Switch to the VM

    This should enable the connection you use to connect to the internet to be accessible to the VM

  • Canadian Luke

    I had to disable and then re-enable the Allow management operating system to share this network adapter under the Virtual Switch Manager.

    If this isn't checked the host machine will not be able to use the chosen adapter. It had been checked in my case, for some reason I had to flip it back and forth again.

  • Mike Walsh

    Another trick as detailed in this question Windows 8 Hyper-V network not working on host is that this may not work over wireless... re did the setting several times nothing - set up an ethernet adapter - worked straight away. [quick edit to say of course I'd set up separate virtual switches for the two physical adapters...]

  • random

    In my case, while the VM was running I changed the virtual Switch settings to “Not Connected” and then back to my newly created virtual switch. Worked.