[Tip] Share your wireless connection without a router

If you are frugal like me, you may be looking for different ways to spend less money. Rather than buying a router AND wireless cards, this tip will allow you to share your internet connection without the purchase of a router.

What you need: 1 wireless card per computer; make sure they can operate on the same bands (ex. a/b/g)

To start off with the base computer (one wired to modem/hub/etc), go to Network Connections, right click on your wireless card and select Properties. Click the Wireless Networks tab, and then choose Add. In this step, uncheck “The key is provided for me automatically” (Note: The key must be either 5 or 11 characters long) and check “This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not used.” For the last step on the base computer, go to My Network Placesand then Set up a home or small office network and share the wired connection.






On the secondary computer, a bubble will appear (assuming you are in range) and prompt you for the 5/11 character key. Type it in and you will be connected to the internet!

Pros: Cheap, easy to configure
Con(s): The computer physically wired to the internet must be powered on in order for the other computer(s) to access the shared connection

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"I can travel anywhere, except Cuba, and I will travel to New Zealand and walk the Lord of the Rings trail to Mordor and I will hike Mount Doom." ~Dwight K. Schrute

Very neat, routers can be pretty pricey, thanks!

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Agreed. Extremely well written. Sometimes, I just prefer the abilities of the router. Now I know how to setup a wireless network without requiring one though. It will definitely come in handy someday.

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We have an arcade.

For a while at our lan parties, I used to have to be the one that leeched off of the wireless from a near by hotel, then have everyone feed off of the lan cable. The oppisite works just as well.

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You registered for QuakeCon on April 30, 2008, 6:56 pm. You were # 366 to sign up for QuakeCon!

Hey I am trying to do this with a laptop and its telling me I need to turn off ICS (Unknown Internet Connection Sharing Device) Also it found the adhoc network and is connected but isnt recieving packets. It also spouted off about being on the same IP. Thanks

It seems as though I set up the connection on my base computer whenever I turn off my laptop to reboot it, it says wireless connection has gone down? This is very odd

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Noob

Only the main computer (the one that is wired and is also sharing the internet) needs ICS enabled.

You need to create an Adhoc network (wep/wap enabled is your choice), I would say on the main computer and have it connect to the new wireless newtork (adhoc) that you created. Then get the laptop to connect to it too.

I'll get some screenies setup (or if anyone else wants to they may jump in) as soon as I get my main pc back online.

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You registered for QuakeCon on April 30, 2008, 6:56 pm. You were # 366 to sign up for QuakeCon!