Y-HOTSPOT

March 3, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

Y-HOTSPOT is a native Windows hotspot manager built for stability-focused local networking.
It combines a WinUI 3 desktop interface with a background Windows Service to manage Windows Mobile Hotspot reliably.

Table of Contents

Features

  • Runs as a background service with auto-start and restart recovery
  • Configures hotspot settings (SSID, passphrase, authentication mode, band, client limit)
  • Supports optional LAN fallback adapter path (Wintun-based)
  • Supports optional Wi-Fi disconnect policy while hotspot is active
  • Applies hotspot-focused system tuning with backup and restore
  • Provides status and diagnostics pages with live refresh
  • Includes troubleshooting actions for common setup failures
  • Adds tray menu quick actions
  • Includes reset flow to remove service, restore settings, and clear app config

Support and Test Scope

The app is provided as-is. Support is currently limited.

Validated environment:

  • Windows 11 build 26100+
  • amd64 CPU architecture
  • Wi-Fi 7 hardware

Other hardware or OS configurations may work, but are not guaranteed.

Quick Start

  1. Download the latest release build.
  2. Run Y-HOTSPOT.exe as administrator.
  3. Open Settings and configure your hotspot options.
  4. Enable service mode if you want persistent background management.
  5. Open Status to confirm service, hotspot, and client state.
  6. Use Troubleshooting if setup appears incomplete or inconsistent.

Build From Source

From the repository root in PowerShell:

.\restore.ps1
.\build.ps1

Build output:

  • .\Publish\Y-HOTSPOT.exe

Helpful scripts:

  • .\format.ps1 - Run dotnet format and csharpier
  • .\update.ps1 - Update packages and tools
  • .\cleanup.ps1 - Clean build artifacts

Architecture Overview

Runtime Model

  • UI mode: WinUI 3 desktop app
  • Service mode: same executable launched with --service
  • Single-instance guards for both UI and service contexts
  • UI and service communicate through a named pipe

Service Lifecycle

When service mode is enabled, the worker loop:

  1. Loads encrypted config from %ProgramData%\Y-HOTSPOT\config.bin
  2. Applies hotspot-focused Windows optimizations
  3. Initializes network profile and fallback adapter path
  4. Configures and starts native Windows tethering
  5. Monitors state and performs automatic recovery after stop/failure

Reversible System Tuning

Before tuning, Y-HOTSPOT stores a snapshot in %ProgramData%\Y-HOTSPOT\system_config_backup.json.
When disabled or reset, it restores backed-up settings and removes the backup file.

Tuning includes:

  • ICS registry values (timeouts and max peers)
  • Adapter power-related PnP value
  • Optional WLAN AutoConfig disable per adapter
  • Service restarts (icssvc, FDResPub, SSDPSRV, upnphost)
  • TCP global autotuning normalization

Limitations

  • Designed for Windows-only tethering workflows
  • Primarily tested on one hardware/software profile
  • May behave differently on older builds, different chipsets, or non-amd64 systems

Bug Reports

When reporting a bug, include:

  • Full system specifications
  • Exact reproduction steps
  • Fresh logs captured after reproducing

Before collecting logs, set log detail level to All and clear old logs so the reproduction session is isolated.

License

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

You may use, modify, and redistribute this project, including for commercial use, with attribution preserved.
See LICENSE and NOTICE.