Sharing internet with USB Satellite modem - HOW?

Much to my surprise AFTER going out and buying a D-Link DI-614+ router and a PCI Wireless card, I discover that my satellite receiver modem (for DirectTV internet) has ONLY a USB connection to the computer...
I've done a little reading and can't find a definative answer here.

What do I do now?! I want to share internet with a desktop upstairs.

 

Unfortunately USB to ethernet converters which will convert a USB DSL/Cable modems USB port to ethernet do not exist. The problem being basically that there is no way to load the necessary drivers onto a DSL/Cable modem to let it know how to talk to the converter.

Hi Joe, Neal Here. What OS are you running? Is the wireless card for the upstairs desktop? I'll just assume for a minute that it's some flavor of Windows, 98SE or above. If not, please set me straight.

I recently recommended & installed a wireless bundle built around the DI-614+, so I think you made a good choice. Regardless of the new hardware firewall, I'd install a s/w firewall-Free Zone Alarm-on both pc's.

Without any additional hardware, you could connect PC #1 to the router behind the firewall via lan port and cat 5 cable...you wouldn't get the DLink's hardware firewall, but it would get you on the network. PC #2 could get the wireless card-good luck getting the right wireless protocol-windows or non-windows, find a wlan security protocol that works for you. You'll also need to add a range of IP addresses in Zone Alarm to the trusted zone on each computer that correspond to your PC's on the network.

You could then connect your DirecWay modem to pc#1 and configure #1 as an internet gateway , and have #2 connect to the internet through it...that's the 'easy' way... but I'd think there's a hardware solution somehow. Does PC#1 have two LAN connectors?

 

So pretty much usb modem connected to pc#1, router connected to pc#1 NOT using WAN port, right? And in order for #2 to be working, #1 HAS to be on?
By the way, yes, #1 has XP and is downstairs / #2 has 98SE and is upstairs and has a netgear wag311.

I've got the diagram in my head but haven't a clue on how to set IP ranges etc.
Any laymen's terms available?

 

I have seen it done this way before.

Sattelite Modem going into PC#1
Wireless card in PC#1

PC#1 Running ICS and sending LAN out through the wireless adapter to a D Link Access Point configured as a Repeater.

Then the repeater handed the wireless to PC#2 via wireless NIC on the other side of the house.

The only drawback was that with the firewall turned on at PC#1, PC#2 could not print to PC#1.

 

Yes Joe, #1 has to be on for #2 to get internet access under this scenario. Yes, you connect #1 to one of the LAN ports on the 614+.
#2 will connect to the Wireless LAN (WLAN) once you get everything set up.

Mr. Smith has some ideas of merit, yet I hope you don't need a repeater.

I think it's best to set up #1 first and get very familiar with the router and the protocols before setting up #2. As a reference, the 614+ manual is on the web here. The 614+ has a firmware menu that's pretty easy to navigate. I have the same router here. you don't really have to set up much on your router for now if you're not using it as a firewall.

You will, however, need to get the IP addresses of #1 and #2 to plug them into Zone Alarm. They can be found by plugging CAT5 cable into #1 and the router, bringing up your browser window, and typing 192.168.0.1 into the window. You should get a login box. Follow the DLink instructions to sign in, and I recommend that you change the password away from the default. Once you're into your router's home page, click the 'DHCP' button on the bottom left corner of the page.

In the new page, your DHCP server should be enabled, the static DHCP server disabled, and at the bottom of the page, your Dynamic DHCP Client List should display #1's local address, something like 192.168.0.100. Make a note of the address. Also note that the IP range in 'DHCP Server' in the upper part of the page is 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.199. When you leave here, you can enable Zone Alarm to allow traffic between these addresses in a 'Trusted Zone' while still being protected with a software firewall in the 'Internet Zone'.

Once you have Zone Alarm installed on computer #1, bring up the Zone Alarm control panel on #1 and click on the 'Firewall' button on the left side. You should see your LAN card as being in the 'Internet Zone'. At the bottom of the page, click 'Add, IP Range...' which brings up a dialog box to add the range. Leave 'Trusted' as the type, on the next line add IP address 192.168.0.1 as the beginning number and 192.168.0.199 as the ending number. In the last line, give it a name like "LAN" and click OK. This will let you communicate with your router firmware as well as anything plugged into the router.

It sounds like you have a handle on installing the DirectWay modem drivers, so I won't ask, but a good time to install the modem is AFTER you install the firewall. Once that's all functioning properly, I recommend turning off your internet connection to complete networking #1 and #2. Temporarily turn off the Zone Alarm firewall on #1.

Next I would install the 98SE driver on #2. Wireless networking is a whole nuther nuther that I will try to be brief with, but in short I suggest that you use some security AFTER you establish a connection. The latest protocol called Wi-Fi Protected Access or WPA is problematic under Win98SE, so I suggest going with the simpler Wireless encryption protocol or WEP. But first you may just want to connect without a security protocol to get going-hopefully the reason you need DirecWay is because you live in the sticks! rolleyes:

There will be no doubt about whether you're connected to the router by the signal strength meter, but you still may want to try to pass a file back and forth between #1 and #2 to make sure you're good. Then I recommend installing your WEP key-it's pretty painless. I'd try to access the router home page from #2 as well. the same 192.168.0.1 page and see if you get a stable experience. Look in the DHCP clients table and see if you see both #1 and #2. Do the same thing from #1. Write down the IP address from #2 and make sure it is covered under the trusted zone range in the #1 Zone Alarm configuration-if not, you need to add the new address.

Next you need to go through the same stages of installing Zone Alarm on #2 and enabling the Trusted Zone just like you did with #1, or you won't be able to send traffic back and forth. Your wireless card may have an odd IP address, but you should be able to add that to #1 trusted zones, just as you add 192.168.0.1 as the beginning number and 192.168.0.199 as the ending number for #2's trusted zones.

After you restarted the whole lot and both computers are protected with Zone Alarm and can communicate with each other, go ahead and fire up that modem and see if it works for #1! That's when you can enable the internet connection sharing with #1 as gateway and #2 as guest...it's pretty easy even in 98SE. You said you've formed a picture in your mind of what to do, (which is the most important part), so I hope this fills in some details.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the forum!

 

Neal...
Thanks for the step by step. But...

The USB modem's drivers were already installed prior to any of this.
I hooked the router up into the enternet port which DirecWay had me diable.
(I enabled it and connected to it) I plugged into slot 1 on router. I tried to access 192.168.0.1 - NO result. Weird.
I uninstalled the modem and it's drivers and attempted to access the router again. I got in! So I set all the settings...all was well.
I reinstalled the modem and it's drivers. Could not get internet access what so ever! Went round and round with DirecWay. No solution.
Disabled the network card...I had internet again!
Here's the only thing I gathered from all this...for DirecWay to work, the proxy server has to be checked. If it's checked, I can't access the router.
If it's unchecked, internet doesn't work. If the modem is uninstalled I can access the router. If the modem is on and functional I can't access the router.
Any clues?
Through ALL of this ZA was disabled.