I have a Windows8 computer linked to the internet via an ethernet cable ("Ethernet" network connection). I have attached to it a DLink Wifi USB stick, and I'm trying to share the main PC's internet connection with my Android phone via a local wifi network. I am using the following batch file to set up this network:

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=MyWifiName key=password keyUsage=persistent
netsh wlan start hostednetwork 

After I run this script, I can see a new network connection appear in "Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections" named "Local Area Connection *12", and I can see "MyWifiName" on the Android phone. The device name for this connection on the PC is "Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter". I also set up the "Ethernet" connection to share Internet with "Local Area Connection *12".

However, the Android phone usually doesn't manage to obtain an IP from the wireless network, and when it does, there still seems to be no connectivity to the internet. When I turn off the Windows Firewall completely, or even just for "Local Area Connection *12", the Android connection is perfect.

My questions are:

1. How should I set up the Windows firewall to allow the phone to connect properly? Is there a specific rule I need to add to the Windows firewall advanced settings? [Note: the above method worked great in Windows 7, without any specific tinkering with the firewall].

2. Is it safe to turn off the firewall specifically for the "Local Area Connection *12" (the wifi connection) if the main Ethernet connection is still protected by the firewall?

Thanks in advance.