Sharing my laptop wifi connection with another computer

[heylookitsmewow]

I connect to the internet with my laptop using a wireless router and it is running Kubuntu. I have an XP desktop that does not have a wireless card and I mostly use it once in a while when I need to do something that requires Windows. I want to move it to a room that is far away from my router and don't want to string a long ethernet cable from there to my router and I don't want to buy a wifi card for such an old computer that I rarely use. So I am wondering if it is possible to plug it into my laptops ethernet and be able to connect it to the internet through my laptops wifi connection.

[jbaerbock]

Re: Sharing my laptop wifi connection with another computer

Yes it is most possible and rather easy, usually. I have tried many methods and the best is still using firestarter. First thing you want to do is get firestarter via adept installer (or synaptic) and install it. Use the wizard to configure it but make sure you do not choose DHCP since that messes up normally. Then make the ip address for your laptop's ethernet connection be 192.168.0.1. Next go to the desktop and run the setup home network wizard and make sure to check this computer connects through another for internet access. Once that is done running go into your tcp/ip setting for that connection, click on the alternate configuration tab and in the ip address type 192.168.0.2 and gateway 192.168.0.1. I do this same thing from my Kubuntu installed laptop and my wife's XP laptop and works brilliantly. Any questions and I'll be glad to answer. Also make sure to use a crossover network cable between the laptop and desktop or it will not work. Crossover cables can be found at your local radioshack for rather innexpensive.

If my instructions are messed up go to FireStarter's web page and it will tell you there how to set it up manually. Works well.

[heylookitsmewow]

Re: Sharing my laptop wifi connection with another computer

Is a crossover network cable different than the regular blue ethernet cables that Ihave about 8 million of?

[Snowhog]

Re: Sharing my laptop wifi connection with another computer

Don't believe so.
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/n..._crossover.htm

[jbaerbock]

Re: Sharing my laptop wifi connection with another computer

Yeah crossovers are wired specially to allow two computer to connect to eachother without needing a router in the middle. Try it with a blue one though, never tried it that way so wouldn't know.

[lingenfr]

Re: Sharing my laptop wifi connection with another computer

If you read the article that Snowhog pointed to, you will see:

Compared to standard Ethernet cables, the internal wiring of Ethernet crossover cables reverses the transmit and receive signals.

Rather than buying another cable, you might go to your local Radio Shack or similar and get a female to male crossover adapter. It is small enough to keep in a small pocket of your backpack and they come in handy once in awhile. A regular ethernet cable will not work unless you plug both machines into an ethernet hub.

[jbaerbock]

Re: Sharing my laptop wifi connection with another computer

Yup but at the price of crossovers could just buy a cable, got a rather long one for like 6 bucks.