this is my first publicly listed tutorial, an accumulation of trials and errors in between my pokémon black playthrough. this may not work for everyone, thus i have tried my best to be as specific as possible in my methods for accurate repeatability.

devices used: 1) nintendo ds (original and lite), 2) android phone (for mobile hotspot), and 3) melonds version 0.9.5

• step 1: setting up your mobile hotspot
  • set your hotspot band to 2.4ghz. for this process, using an android phone is best as iphones force wpa2 security, therefore ds consoles cannot join.
  • remove hotspot password by enabling open security. if your phone has the option to lock the hotspot to authorized devices only, enable it for your security. remember to switch your hotspot off after using!
• step 2: setting up nintendo wfc settings (hardware and melonds)
  • even after you connect your ds to wi-fi, nintendo official wi-fi servers are no longer in service,
  • here are the most commonly used fan-run wfc servers:
    • kaeru (pokéclassic network): 178.62.43.212 (what i use)
    • wiimmfi: 95.217.77.151 (tested dec 13, 2025; not working on my end)
    • altwfc: 172.104.88.237 (tested dec 13, 2025; best used exclusively on emulators on my end)
  • set your 'auto-obtain dns' setting to 'no' so you may input any of the above-listed servers as the primary dns. ensure that both of your devices are connected to the same wfc dns server.
  • test your connection. make sure that your secondary dns is set to 0.0.0.0, so that your ds doesn't try to connect to another ds server. in my experience, setting it to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 has caused more problems than anything.
  • if your test connection fails, you can either double-check previous steps taken or to simply restart your devices.
  • remember to save your connection settings before leaving the wfc menu.
• step 3: setting up the games on both devices
  • before you proceed to the pokémon center wi-fi club, exchange friend codes between your saves using the pal pad. if your save doesn't have a friend code yet, you need only connect to nintendo wi-fi once. infrared connectivity is not supported on the melonds, so you will have to manually input your codes.
  • once both players are in the room, you should be able to see each other's avatar and trade as you normally would.