Easy way to share internet (Wireless)

Hello all, like many here I'm new at this (Networking). I have 2 desktop PC's right now sharing the Internet. I'll call "mine" the one with the Modem connected to the Belkin Router (F5D6230-3). The "HP" will be the other on Home Network. Its a wireless connection with the HP having a NIC card & a Wireless USB Network adapter (F5D6050). I've had some problems getting the HP to get online. I thought it was easier to share the Internet before. My daughter just came home from college last night and I want to get her new Dell Laptop also online. That has everything also so I should be able to get online. (Dell Inspiron 1505) I'm using XP Pro on "Mine" and XP Home on the "HP ".
Sorry for length of post also if not to clear,,I just need some basic directions on how to share Internet. COMCAST is my Cable Company, Thanks for any help,,

~Paul

 

I may be reading ( or thinking ) wrong but, If you do have a router then why do you need to share the connection ? I believe you should be able to connect each one separately.

I have three machines ( at home ) connected to a Router and any one can be on at anytime. Or I have even seen all three on at the same time.

BillyBob

 

Share a wireless Connection to Web??

Billy Bob, thanks for the reply. I do have a Router, Belkin Wireless Cable Gateway Router with 3 places for connections that "MINE" desktop is connected with the rj45 cable thru the cable modem. . but if my Laptop has the wireless capabilitys and the "HP" desktop in other room has a wireless usb network adapter and a nic card in it, shouldn't I get on the web with the HP and the Laptop wireless. They would share the connection from "MINE" When I pluged the other rj45 cable from laptop to the Router I got the internet connection, but should't it be available wireless. I'm probably all wrong in what to expect these PC's to do. Just tring to share Internet but without running a cable from the HP or the Laptop to the Router.

Again,thank you
~Paul

 

Yes. You should be able to connect to the router via the wireless connection and then access the internet via that connection.

PC ~~~ wireless ~~~ router ----- internet

Can you connect to the router wirelessly?

Connect via the cable and then run the command:

Code:

ipconfig /all > ipconfig.txt

This will output your TCP/IP settings to a text file called ipconfig.txt

Then disconnect the cable and connect via wireless. Then run:

Code:

ipconfig /all > ipconfig_wireless.txt

Then post the contents of ipconfig.txt and ipconfig_wireless to this thread. That should give us clues as to how to fix you problem.

 

Dear TonyT & Reggie, I'm trying to absorb your directions and I will get back to you. MANY MANY Thanks!!!!
~~Paul

 

Reggie & Tony we have "Lift Off ". I'm on-line wireless with the laptop. My daughter told me that at school they had shutoff the wireless connection. So now all thats left is the HP desktop in other room to share the Internet with the "Wireless USB Network Adapter" on top of the HP. "MINE" is connected from cable Modem to Belkins Wireless Cable Router.
You have all been so patient and helpful, many many thanks.

~Paul D.

 

Great Tip Tony, I've heard about cordless phones causing interfernce. I have it on the other side of my desk now!
Merry Christmas my friend
~Paul

 

Sharing Internet Connection

Sharing should be fairly easy.
I am unsure if you have a dial up connection with a modem or the modem is part of your broadband connection.
If you are just trying to share internet with the broadband connection place
the cable from the wired computer into a lan port ( 1 of the 4 ports not the single internet port)
Then it is a a simple matter of setting up the wireless connection on the remote pc.
If you are trying to share a dial up modem connection then you have the telephone wire coming into the modem, turn on a setting in networking to "allow others to share the internet connection of this computer " or something like that ( you can google internet sharing Windows whatever)
Run the cable from the network card from that computer to the modem ( same as the previous setup) to a port in the lan section of your router.
Then set up the wireless connection in the same manner as before.
You will have to leave the computer with the modem dial in connection on to connect to the internet.
You might find a networking program called Network Magic usefull although I am not sure if used with a dial up modem .
If you want to share folders it is a matter of allowing folders to be shared either in the Windows Networking assistant setup or in the premium version of Network Magic.
The connection between the 2 computers should be quite good- it will be faster than your internet connection.
If you are reasonably close in distance between the two computers and transferring large files between the two then a wireless g setup would be preferrable to the older b cards ( rated at 5 times the speed at max rates).

 

Great information "visionof ", thats kinda right there for me to follow. I find a lot of the directions I read to be hard to follow. It is getting easier thanks to the people on this Board. Sorry about the Modem, yes its a Broadband connection (Comcast) I have a Broadband Motorola Modem on "Mine" PC that connects "Mine" into the Router. I was able to get the "remote" (Laptop) its wireless & connecting great to my Internet now. I'm trying still to get the "HP" with the wireless USB Network Adapter to share my Internet. I'm going to look at the program called Network Magic you mentioned.

Thank You Kindly visionof
~~Paul

 

Cable Broadband Resource Site

Paul ,

an exellent side for resources on speeding up your cable broadband connection is;

www.askmarvin.ca

also a major side benefit of a router is a first line defense for security with the NAT function.

 

A

visionof,

With respect, let me make a few comments about a link to this site:
http://www.askmarvin.ca/

I hope my concerns make some sense.

Marvin makes essentially two recommendations:

. Use a proxy server
. Modify RWIN values in TCP/IP

Issue #1: Use a Proxy server. (I am assuming he means a caching proxy server, as the simple use of a proxy server makes no sense otherwise.

As general advice, this is mixed. As will be explained, Marvin's advice includes the suggestion for the illegal use of third-party proxy servers.

As "mixed" advice, ask any AOL user to compare their results over a month with those using the same cable or ADSL provider. All AOL subscribed traffic passes through a proxy server. The non-AOL subscribers to the same service report, in general, higher throughput consistently. The use of a proxy server when distributing content in its cache can help, but the speed increases are as an overall suggestion completely without scientific or factual basis. As "mixed" advice, most large LANs use a proxy server for firewall protection, without any noticable improvement in bandwidth.

Moreover, to suggest that any broadband user configure to use the caching proxy servers of another ISP, as this gentleman does, is:

. an illegal use of the proxy server;
. very unlikely to succeed as most are authenticated servers.

As general advice: Dubious at best and certainly illegal.


Issue #2: RWIN values.

If one wants to speed up broadband, the only things of any consequence to make sure you have right are:

. the MTU value
. the RWIN value

Windows XP for any Broadband connection will assign an MTU of 1500. For most cable connections, this is fine. (The exception are those using proxy servers, where the MTU can be as low as the low 1470s -- AOL is a good example).

For ADSL connections under PPoE 1492 is usually correct. For PPoA, the standard 1500 is likely fine. But one needs to test to find out, and never assume the values.

Getting the MTU set correctly is critical. The MTU value is composed essentially of the MSS (the true size of the underlying packed) plus overhead.

Now we return to the discussion earlier. Any RWIN value should be an even multiple of the MSS + 16 bytes. Anything too large is not only a waste of memory, but slows matters down. Anything too small slows things down.

The only proper way to set RWIN is by an actual testing of your connection. This lets you determine the underlying MSS, the recommended MTU, and consequently, the "best" RWIN value.

To suggest an RWIN value globally for all broadband connections is just wrong; and the suggestion in the linked article to do so is just wrong.

Suggestion:

. Do a an actual test, or two or three, to get stable results. I use the free "Tweak" test site at BroadbandReports.com:
http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks

. Take those results (write them down or print them) and download and use the site freeware DrTCP to make the MTU and RWIN settings recommended by the testing:

Discussion and download link: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/578

Without testing, any general broadband advice on settings for broadband connections strikes me as having no value for the user, and can easily make matters worse.

 

Dear visionof & Bill, thanks to you both. I love getting links to sites that I can look at and learn from. Its up to me I guess to try and decipher whats in the sites. Thank you again visionof That link is full of info,,thank you.
WOW, Bill, I can't thank you enough for all the time and effort you put into that post..My goodness I'll be reading for an hour but I'll enjoy it and learn from it.
Thank you Bill & visionof.
Its all about trying to learn something and thats what I need.

~~Paul

 

Cable Broadband Resource Site Proxy Server

Bill ,

with due respect at least in my case I can only use the proxy server of the ISP I am attached to.
If anyone else ( of if setting up a computer and inadvertently the proxy setting is left on ) the proxy server will give an error message that the user is not allowed access to the site.
The tells me at the least the ISP knows I am on their service. Perhaps or perhaps not in their records they can figure out my ip. This is not an anonymous proxy. On top of that the default setting in Windows 98 ( at least ) is to check for " and then use" a proxy server if available.
Cable ( and I was told by the phone company dsl provider) broadband suppliers routinely cache content in " proxy farms" which are listed on the sites list http://askmarvin.ca/ .
Most cable broadband users are using a proxy server of their ISP inadvertently anyways. Is there a setting of " do not use a proxy server" in Windows ?
Overall in anedoctal repeat real life tests the proxy server seemed to double
the general rates of internet download I was receiving. Of course it depends
what content you are going for. Microsoft tech notes or major programs will be cached . Email or new sites will not be.
It is true that from time to time the cache may be of old data. However I have not seen that to be a problem . As well I use an automated program with ebay with never a problem.
Everything can be used for good or evil. It is true I might trick some poor **** network into thinking I am validating my email to them in "City A' covered by my ISP to a distant city 500 miles away " City B ". If it is really serious the other side often will not validate on a proxy server even a non anonymous one.
What are your thoughts of the cached dns service open dns ?

http://www.opendns.com/ ?

Any tool can be used for good or evil. You might toss your computer out of your window and injure some poor soul seriously. However that does and should not stop you from using a computer and obtaining increasd skills as well as helping out ( or scaring ) people who come here for computer help and answers to their concerns.
It is all in the intentions.