SolveYourProblem
eLearning Series
Wireless Networking
Sharing
an Internet Connection
over a Wireless Network
by Jeff Cohen
Once
you've got your wireless network set up, I've no doubt that
one of the first things you'll want to do with it is share
an Internet connection - after all, that's why most home
users put in a wireless network to begin with. Well, the
good news is that Windows has Internet Connection Sharing
built in. The bad news is that setting it up can sometimes
be a little less than fun.
How
Internet Connection Sharing Works
When
you set up Internet Connection Sharing, you set up one of
your computers as a 'gateway' to the Internet, and then use
this gateway to access the Internet with your other computers.
Essentially, requests for data from the Internet are being
sent out through the gateway, and the responses and being
sent back across the network ('routed') back to your computer.
The gateway computer is still the only one that's directly
connected to the Internet.
If
you have trouble visualizing what's happening, imagine for
a second that the computers are people. Let's call the computer-people
Bob, Fred and Alice. They're all in a bar together, but Bob
is the only one with money for drinks (we could say he has
a 'connection' to the bar). Fred and Alice can ask Bob to
buy them a drink, and Bob can bring over the drinks, for
them to have as they usually would. At no point, however,
can Fred or Alice go and order a drink at the bar.
Setting
It Up: The Gateway
Note:
this guide assumes that you have already set up your wireless
network, but you have not connected it to the Internet yet.
The
computer with the modem connected to it is the one you need
to set up first - as the gateway, it's going to be providing
Internet access to all your other computers. On this computer,
go to the Control Panel, then click Network Connections.
From here, you can run the Network Setup Wizard by clicking
'Set up a home or small office network'.
Click
next through the wizard until you get to a screen called
'Select a connection method'. On this screen you need to
select 'This computer connects directly to the Internet.
The other computers on my network connect to the Internet
through this computer'. From here on, you should be able
to click next again until you get to the finish. Say 'yes'
to turn on file and printer sharing when you're prompted.
Your
computer is now ready to be a gateway to the Internet.
The
Network
The
next step is setting up the other computers on your network
to make use of the gateway you just created. Run the Network
Setup Wizard on each of these computers, but this time through
choose 'This computer connects to the Internet through another
computer on my network or through a residential gateway'.
If
the computer that will now be using a shared Internet connection
was using a dial-up connection before, then there are a few
things left to do - you need to change some settings in the
web browser Open Internet Explorer, then go to the Options
screen (in the Tools menu). Click the Connections tab. You
should click 'never dial a connection', and untick three
boxes: 'automatically detect settings', 'use automatic configuration
script' and 'use a proxy server'.
The
Trouble With Internet Connection Sharing
To
go back to our bar for a moment, imagine Bob leaves. Oh dear.
Looks like Fred and Alice can't get any more drinks, doesn't
it? The same thing applies to the computers on your network
- if the gateway computer is switched off, they will lose
all their access to the Internet.
That's
not the only problem, though. While Internet Connection Sharing
works fine for the web and email, it can be more problematic
when it comes to doing other things. Downloading files from
filesharing networks, for example, or using videoconferencing,
requires you to mess around with the gateway computer's settings.
After a while, it can get quite frustrating. If you're in
this position, you should really try a wireless router -
see our article 'Create Always-On Networks with a Wireless
Router'.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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