How to share wired Internet connection in hotel using two wireless PCs

Can you help me network a single wired Internet connection at my hotel
with my
two wireless computers?

The hotel charges $30/day for the wired Internet connection, which is
OK. However, they charge for each laptop which I find to be highway
robbery especially since they only supply wired Internet so there's no
way to share between rooms.

Luckily, both Windows XP computers are wireless.

Is there any way to use the wireless part of the WinXP computers to
SHARE the initial connection?

Is this too basic a question?

Here is what I have done so far:
a) Shut down both computers and hook the wired ethernet to the
computer whose MAC address (I suspect) was registered when I bought the
Internet service from the web page.
b) Boot both WinXP laptops and check the ip address (ipconfig /all)
which shows the
computer with the wired connection has an IP address of:
IP Address. . . . . . . . . ... . . : 192.168.2.6
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.248.0
c) The other computer, not on the network, had no IP address (can that
happen?)
Media State = Media disconnected.

The question is how to use the second computer to connect to the first
computer via the built-in wireless card? Can that be done? How?

Cindy

Cindy,

Here's the information on how to connect two computers and share Internet
connection wirelessly without additional equipment:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...02april08.mspx

The info seems to be up to date.
--
Svyatoslav Pidgorny, MS MVP - Security, MCSE
-= F1 is the key =-

"Cindy" <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1157531558.056874.221870@m73g2000cwd.googlegr oups.com...
> Can you help me network a single wired Internet connection at my hotel
> with my
> two wireless computers?
>
> The hotel charges $30/day for the wired Internet connection, which is
> OK. However, they charge for each laptop which I find to be highway
> robbery especially since they only supply wired Internet so there's no
> way to share between rooms.
>
> Luckily, both Windows XP computers are wireless.
>
> Is there any way to use the wireless part of the WinXP computers to
> SHARE the initial connection?
>
> Is this too basic a question?
>
> Here is what I have done so far:
> a) Shut down both computers and hook the wired ethernet to the
> computer whose MAC address (I suspect) was registered when I bought the
> Internet service from the web page.
> b) Boot both WinXP laptops and check the ip address (ipconfig /all)
> which shows the
> computer with the wired connection has an IP address of:
> IP Address. . . . . . . . . ... . . : 192.168.2.6
> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.248.0
> c) The other computer, not on the network, had no IP address (can that
> happen?)
> Media State = Media disconnected.
>
> The question is how to use the second computer to connect to the first
> computer via the built-in wireless card? Can that be done? How?
>
> Cindy
>

"Cindy" <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1157531558.056874.221870@m73g2000cwd.googlegr oups.com...
> Can you help me network a single wired Internet connection at my hotel
> with my
> two wireless computers?
>
> The hotel charges $30/day for the wired Internet connection, which is
> OK. However, they charge for each laptop which I find to be highway
> robbery especially since they only supply wired Internet so there's no
> way to share between rooms.
>
> Luckily, both Windows XP computers are wireless.
>
> Is there any way to use the wireless part of the WinXP computers to
> SHARE the initial connection?
>
> Is this too basic a question?
>
> Here is what I have done so far:
> a) Shut down both computers and hook the wired ethernet to the
> computer whose MAC address (I suspect) was registered when I bought the
> Internet service from the web page.
> b) Boot both WinXP laptops and check the ip address (ipconfig /all)
> which shows the
> computer with the wired connection has an IP address of:
> IP Address. . . . . . . . . ... . . : 192.168.2.6
> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.248.0
> c) The other computer, not on the network, had no IP address (can that
> happen?)
> Media State = Media disconnected.
>
> The question is how to use the second computer to connect to the first
> computer via the built-in wireless card? Can that be done? How?
>
> Cindy
>


You might consider a small travel type wireless router. Here is an example
of one made by Netgear. There may be others...

http://www.netgear.com/Products/Rout...rs/WGR101.aspx

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...

Sooner Al [MVP] wrote:
> You might consider a small travel type wireless router.
> http://www.netgear.com/Products/Rout...rs/WGR101.aspx

Hi Al Sooner (Sooner Al?),

I like your suggestion.

Not only is this deck-of-card sized wireless router an interesting
potential addition to my travel kit, but, it also would give me the
freedom to move around the room while connected.

Currently, I'm "tethered" to the desk by wire; but I vastly prefer to
work on the bed with all those fluffy pillows spread around (not to
mention my VOIP calls back to the states tethered to the computer via
headphones and a mic to avoid the pillaging and plundering that goes on
with overseas phone calls from my room). It would be great to make
those VOIP calls lying down in my nice comfortable bed with the
convenience bar only an arms' length away.

I have one theoretical question with this method ...
I called the hotel who said they key off the MAC address. If I were to
use the wireless router (which I don't have, but I ask this to better
understand the solution) ... would the hotel then key off the MAC
address of the wireless router and not off the two wireless laptops
"connected" to the wireless router?

Would that solution be any better (or different theoretically) than if
I purchased a small hub (switch?) and some long CAT5 ethernet cable?

This is very interesting to me, so I hope you respond, so we all
benefit,
Cindy

S. Pidgorny <MVP> wrote:
> Here's the information on how to connect two computers and share Internet
> connection wirelessly without additional equipment:
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...02april08.mspx

Hi S. Pidgorny,

Oh my. You do have a great potential answer here! You are just what the
doctor ordered. A great many people would benefit from this discussion
as it applies even to home or office use to have one wired Internet
connection work with two computers in the same room (one at a time).

Reading your suggested web page about building an ad hoc 802.11b
wireless network using the graphical user interface in Windows XP was
very interesting:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...02april08.mspx

According to your document, the main steps to follow are:
1. Set the 1st PC as an ad-hoc (pc-to-pc) wireless connection
2. Ensure the wireless card is working properly in the second PC
3. Enable Internet Connection Sharing on the first PC

More specifically, it seems, first, on PC1, we:
* Ensure PC1 is hooked to the Internet via the Ethernet wire
* Start > Settings > Network Connections
* Rightclick on the wireless network icon
* View Available Wireless Networks > Change Advanced Settings
* Select the "Wireless Networks" tab
* Hit the "Advanced" button
* Select "Computer to computer (ad hoc) networks only"
* And clear the "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks" box

Ooops. I hit the return button too soon. Here for all to benefit, are
the steps as I understand them (please fix where I make mistakes) to
create and share an ad-hoc computer-to-computer wireless network
without need for a wireless router or wired hub.

A) To set up the HOST computer (the one with the wired connection):
* Ensure the host PC1 is hooked to the Internet via the Ethernet wire
* On WinXP PC1, press Start > Settings > Network Connections
* Then rightclick on the wireless network icon and select
* View Available Wireless Networks > Change Advanced Settings
* Select the "Wireless Networks" tab
* Hit the "Advanced" button
* Select "Computer to computer (ad hoc) networks only"
* And clear the "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks" box
* Again select the "Wireless Networks" tab
* Under "Preferred Networks", hit the "Add" button
* Enter in a "Network Name (SSID)" of "Hotel"
* Notice the grayed-out checked box indicating "This is a
computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not
used"
* For now, leave the "Network Authentication" as "Open"
* Likewise, leave the "Data encryption" as "Disabled" for now
* OK your way out of these forms

B) To set up the CLIENT computer (the one that will be wireless):
* On WinXP PC2, press Start > Settings > Network Connections
* Then rightclick on the wireless network icon and select
* View Available Wireless Networks
* You should see "Hotel" as an "Unsecured computer-to-computer network"
* Select "Hotel", press the "Connect", & "Connect Anyway" buttons
* You'll see the message "Acquiring network address"
* Soon you should see the message "Connected"

C) To Share the Internet connection:
* Go back to the host WinXP computer, PC1
* Make a note of the wired connection's name (e.g., Local Area
Connection)
* Press Start > Settings > Control Panel
* Switch to classic view > Network Connections.
* Rightclick the connection to be shared
* Under Network Tasks, click "Change advanced settings"
* Select the "Advanced" tab
* Select the "Allow other network users to connect through this
computer's Internet connection" check box.
* Disable the setting to "Allow other network users control or disable
the shared Internet connection"
* Optionally turn on the Windows Firewall
* In the "Home networking connection", select a private network
connection of "Local Area Connection" (i.e., the connection to the
wired network)
* OK your way out of the forms

If the planets align, after you've completed this ICS configuratoin,
the Network Connection window on the host PC1 should display the
original wired Ethernet connection and display the status as Shared as
well as Enabled.

Likewise, the Network Connection window on the client PC2 should
display the connection on the host as an Internet Gateway. The client
PC2 should now receive a private class, non-routable IP address in the
192.168.0.* address range via DHCP from the host computer and should
have full Internet connectivity. Multiple client PCs can be connected
in this manner.

Bear in mind, all this is theoretical. I tried it, but it didn't work
(so I'm debugging as we speak). I'll let you know what I find out.

Note: For some inexplicable reason, I lost my wired connection when I
ran the steps above but I got it back by turning off "Enable IEEE
802.1x authentication for this network" in the "Local Area Connection"
"Authentication" tab on the host PC1; and then by selecting in the
"Advanced" tab in the "Internet Connections Sharing" section to "Allow
other network users to connect through this computer's Internet
connection".

But, so many settings happened, that I'm not sure all the steps above
were exact as I still don't have PC2 connected to PC1 wirelessly
without a router.

Cindy

> Here are the steps to create and share an ad-hoc computer-to-computer
> wireless network without need for a wireless router or wired hub.

I now have PC1 connected again but PC2 says its connected to the
"Hotel" network but it doesn't work. I need to debug.

Maybe I'll just change the MAC address so that both PCs are the same
MAC address.

That would, of course, only work with the ethernet cable connected to
one at a time (which is OK ... just not as convenient as being wireless
in the hotel room).

I found a freeware MAC address changer here:
http://www.gorlani.com/downloads/dlc...=macmakeup.zip

Cindy

you are making it far too difficult.....

wireless router and you are done.......

or just create a vpn connection to whichever computer is online......

30 bucks a day? Shoot, I would just find a coffee shop around the
corner.......I bet in the lobby if it is a remotely populated area, you
could jump on someones unsecured netowork....


Chuck

> You might consider a small travel type wireless router.

I've used a linksys WTR54GS for this purpose for several years now.

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satel...VisitorWrapper

Or using tinyurl to shorten that hideously long URL:

http://tinyurl.com/b9ts2

The nice thing about this unit is it's built-in AC plug. So you don't have
to carry along yet ANOTHER wall wart AC adapter (or forget to bring it, as
experience shows...) Plug it into the wall and run the ethernet cable into
it. If there's a PC already using that outlet, no problem, just plug the PC
into the second outlet on the WTR54GS.

Works great.

-Bill Kearney

garciyalater@hotmail.com wrote:
> wireless router and you are done.......
> or just create a vpn connection to whichever computer is online......
> you could jump on someones unsecured netowork....

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for the advice; but I don't understand two of your three
suggestions:

SUGGESTION 1:
- Wireless router
- I'm fifteen countries away from my home; where would I get a
wireless router?

SUGGESTION 2:
- Create a vpn connection.
- I do not understand this at all. Yes, I have the Nortel Networks
Contivity VPN client.
- But, without a network, how would I use this to connect my two
computers?

SUGGESTION 3:
- Jump on someone elses' unsecured network.
- I always wondered how to do that.
- If I "see" someone else's network, just connecting to it doesn't give
me Internet access.
- Am I doing something wrong?

Chuck ... I do appreciate your help. But, can you clarify how I could
use the Nortel VPN software to connect a second PC to the first PC's
wired ethernet connection?

Same with jumping on someone else's network. Once I "connect" ... why
don't I have any Internet access when I connect to someone's unsecured
connection? What am I doing wrong?

Cindy

Bill Kearney wrote:
> I've used a linksys WTR54GS for this purpose for several years now.
> http://tinyurl.com/b9ts2
> The nice thing about this unit is it's built-in AC plug.

Hi Bill Kearney,
Thank you for your advice. When I left on this trip two weeks ago,
that's when I should have thought of it. As it was, I had to buy a
whole bunch of British-style three square prong adapters to fit the
American-style two-blade plug of my computer.

At the moment, I'm in a strange city (Singapore) and I don't have a
clue what is where as I just arrived today. In two days, I'll fly to
the Philippines and then to Beijing so I'm trying to travel ligthly.

Next time I might pick up the router in the states as far too many
hotels have wired but not wireless Interner connections in the rooms
(and wireless is so very nice when you're relaxing in bed).

Thanks for your advice. At the moment, I'm stuck trying to get the
second computer to connect to the first via the wireless. I already
tried the MAC address change and that worked, but, it's wired and I
prefer to be wireless by far.

But, for want of a setting or two I would be wireless,
Cindy

"Cindy" <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1157549431.456679.246310@d34g2000cwd.googlegr oups.com...
> Sooner Al [MVP] wrote:
>> You might consider a small travel type wireless router.
>> http://www.netgear.com/Products/Rout...rs/WGR101.aspx
>
> Hi Al Sooner (Sooner Al?),
>
> I like your suggestion.
>
> Not only is this deck-of-card sized wireless router an interesting
> potential addition to my travel kit, but, it also would give me the
> freedom to move around the room while connected.
>
> Currently, I'm "tethered" to the desk by wire; but I vastly prefer to
> work on the bed with all those fluffy pillows spread around (not to
> mention my VOIP calls back to the states tethered to the computer via
> headphones and a mic to avoid the pillaging and plundering that goes on
> with overseas phone calls from my room). It would be great to make
> those VOIP calls lying down in my nice comfortable bed with the
> convenience bar only an arms' length away.
>
> I have one theoretical question with this method ...
> I called the hotel who said they key off the MAC address. If I were to
> use the wireless router (which I don't have, but I ask this to better
> understand the solution) ... would the hotel then key off the MAC
> address of the wireless router and not off the two wireless laptops
> "connected" to the wireless router?
>
> Would that solution be any better (or different theoretically) than if
> I purchased a small hub (switch?) and some long CAT5 ethernet cable?
>
> This is very interesting to me, so I hope you respond, so we all
> benefit,
> Cindy
>


Yes, in this case you would give them the MAC address of the router.

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...

The ng microsoft.public.windows.networking.wireless removed, because
it's not on the newsserver I am using here.

Cindy <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote:

<snip>

> I have one theoretical question with this method ...
> I called the hotel who said they key off the MAC address. If I were to
> use the wireless router (which I don't have, but I ask this to better
> understand the solution) ... would the hotel then key off the MAC
> address of the wireless router and not off the two wireless laptops
> "connected" to the wireless router?

If you're not going to be using both computers connected to the internet
at the same time, then you could spoof the Mac address of the computer
keyed off by the hotel on your other computer.

On 9/6/2006 12:48 PM Cindy plucked Senior Frog's Magic Twanger and said:
> Bill Kearney wrote:
>
>> I've used a linksys WTR54GS for this purpose for several years now.
>> http://tinyurl.com/b9ts2
>> The nice thing about this unit is it's built-in AC plug.
>>
>
> Hi Bill Kearney,
> Thank you for your advice. When I left on this trip two weeks ago,
> that's when I should have thought of it. As it was, I had to buy a
> whole bunch of British-style three square prong adapters to fit the
> American-style two-blade plug of my computer.
>
> At the moment, I'm in a strange city (Singapore) and I don't have a
> clue what is where as I just arrived today. In two days, I'll fly to
> the Philippines and then to Beijing so I'm trying to travel ligthly.
>
> Next time I might pick up the router in the states as far too many
> hotels have wired but not wireless Interner connections in the rooms
> (and wireless is so very nice when you're relaxing in bed).
>
> Thanks for your advice. At the moment, I'm stuck trying to get the
> second computer to connect to the first via the wireless. I already
> tried the MAC address change and that worked, but, it's wired and I
> prefer to be wireless by far.
>
> But, for want of a setting or two I would be wireless,
> Cindy
>
>
Cindy,

I picked up your message in rec.travel.usa-canada. Until I opened my
reply I wasn't aware that you have cross-posted to two technical groups
as well. I was going to suggest that you post to one.

All the same I will post a list of some non-Usenet http forums that I
have found very useful.

Windows BBS - http://tinyurl.com/rlq89
Windows Annoyances Network FAQ - http://tinyurl.com/3vkc
There is also a discussion forum for Windows Annoyances at: -
http://tinyurl.com/844gw

Hope that this helps.

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

On 6 Sep 2006 01:32:38 -0700 "Cindy" <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote:

:>Can you help me network a single wired Internet connection at my hotel
:>with my
:>two wireless computers?

:>The hotel charges $30/day for the wired Internet connection, which is
:>OK.

You are OK with $30/day????

I ain't happy with $12/day.

:> However, they charge for each laptop which I find to be highway
:>robbery especially since they only supply wired Internet so there's no
:>way to share between rooms.

:>Luckily, both Windows XP computers are wireless.

:>Is there any way to use the wireless part of the WinXP computers to
:>SHARE the initial connection?

Yes.

:>Is this too basic a question?

Probably.

Do it just like you do at home - use a router. It can clone your MAC address.

Curios minds wish to know - which hotel (it has got to be in NYC) charges that
much?

--
Binyamin Dissen <bdissen@dissensoftware.com>
http://www.dissensoftware.com

Should you use the mailblocks package and expect a response from me,
you should preauthorize the dissensoftware.com domain.

I very rarely bother responding to challenge/response systems,
especially those from irresponsible companies.

Binyamin Dissen wrote:
> :>The hotel charges $30/day for the wired Internet connection, which is
>
> You are OK with $30/day????
> I ain't happy with $12/day.

Hi Binyamin Dissen,

I should have noted these are $30 Singapore dollars per day for the
wired hotel network.

That's about 30 x 2/3 = $20 US dollars a day which is OK by me for a
wired hotel network.

What I'm taking as a theoretical study (which is eating into my
vacation because I hate to lose a technical challenge) is how I can use
my second laptop to connect wirelessly to the first laptop which is
connected to the wired network.

Achieving the most of wireless is what wireless is all about; so that's
why I'm trying this.

I've already agreed these OTHER approaches work:
a) Buy a compact wireless router to be wireless on BOTH PCs by hooking
the NAT to the hotel network and using the two wireless PCs anywhere in
the hotel room

b) Spoof the MAC address on the second PC & connect one PC at a time to
the short wired network

c) Connect wirelessly from the second PC to the wired first PC.

It is the third approach I'm trying to get working as the other two are
(by now) obvious.

It would be great to make the most of our wireless cards like God
herself intended us to do by giving us electromagnetic waves in the
first place! I'm still trying to implement the steps in the Microsoft
article cited.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...02april08.mspx

An alternative source for the same setup would be wonderful as
something is missing from the instructions at that Microsoft web site.

Cindy

On 6-Sep-2006, "Cindy" <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote:

> like God
> herself

That's a joke. Right?

--
----------
Just Me, D

Cindy wrote:
> Sooner Al [MVP] wrote:
> > You might consider a small travel type wireless router.
> > http://www.netgear.com/Products/Rout...rs/WGR101.aspx
>
> Hi Al Sooner (Sooner Al?),
>
> I like your suggestion.
>
> Not only is this deck-of-card sized wireless router an interesting
> potential addition to my travel kit, but, it also would give me the
> freedom to move around the room while connected.
>
> Currently, I'm "tethered" to the desk by wire; but I vastly prefer to
> work on the bed with all those fluffy pillows spread around (not to
> mention my VOIP calls back to the states tethered to the computer via
> headphones and a mic to avoid the pillaging and plundering that goes on
> with overseas phone calls from my room). It would be great to make
> those VOIP calls lying down in my nice comfortable bed with the
> convenience bar only an arms' length away.
>
> I have one theoretical question with this method ...
> I called the hotel who said they key off the MAC address. If I were to
> use the wireless router (which I don't have, but I ask this to better
> understand the solution) ... would the hotel then key off the MAC
> address of the wireless router and not off the two wireless laptops
> "connected" to the wireless router?
>
> Would that solution be any better (or different theoretically) than if
> I purchased a small hub (switch?) and some long CAT5 ethernet cable?
>
> This is very interesting to me, so I hope you respond, so we all
> benefit,
> Cindy


It's my understanding that the MAC address is used to verify the
equipment you registered w/ the Front Desk is actually getting the IP
address they set aside for you.

In other words, giving them the MAC address from the Wireless Router
would be the way to go; it should 'shield' your downstream laptop(s)
from view by the Hotel's Networking and 'bing, bing- Bobs your Uncle.

While the Netgear device looks sexy enough you should perhaps study and
verify if what it's putting out meets your hardware's needs or not.
(Likely it'll be OK.)

Lastly, all things being equal there remains the common experience of
wired being faster than wireless and too many cooks on the wire
spoiling the soup (there may be a time when the wireless device
represents a device too many between you and the Internet for example.
I mention it but I myself find it a _remote_ possibility.)

Enjoy, hth.
TBerk

I would purchase one of the small travel routers with wireless and a wired
switch.
you would then plug the hotels wired ethernet connect into the wan port of
your router. the wan ports mac then becomes registered with the hotel and
you are free to setup your own private network in your room with both wired
and wireless clients.. This would enable you to share files and have both
machines on the internet at the same time..

Adair

Doug Jamal wrote:
> > like God herself
> That's a joke. Right?

Hi Doug Jamal,

We don't know what God looks like (or do you?) ... so God, who created
802.11b,g in the first place, can be male or female or neutral for all
we know.

As you inferred, I was just being a bit too subtle by referring to God
in the feminine sense when referring to her all-mightly creation of the
supreme power of periodicity ...

I've been on the Singapore circuit tour all day; now that I'm back in
the hotel, I'll attack the electromagnetic problem again of trying to
wirelessly connect with one Windows XP computer to another WinXP
computer wired to the hotel network sans a wireless router ...

Any advice, short of an act of God, that shows me the way to connect
one computer wirelessly to another which is wired so that they can
share the Internet connection would be greatly appreciated.

Cindy

TBerk wrote:
> > Currently, I'm "tethered" to the desk by wire;
> > I have one theoretical question
> > If I were to use the wireless router (which I don't have,
> > would the hotel then key off the MAC address of the wireless router

> Giving the hotel the MAC address from the Wireless Router
> would be the way to go; it should 'shield' your downstream laptop(s)
> from view by the Hotel's Networking and 'bing, bing- Bobs your Uncle.

Hi Berk,
Thanks for that explanation. I would guess one would power up the
wireless router plugged into the hotel wired network. Then, one would
power up the wireless router. Nothing would happen.

Then one would power up one of the portable PCs. Presumably when that
portable PC accesses the NAT, it would send the MAC address of the
wireless router to the hotel network.

If this is true, then when one powers up the second PC, the NAT would
still send the same MAC address of the NAT wireless router to the hotel
network.

Presumably, this would provide exactly what I desire (with the nice
addition of a firewall) ... yet I don't have this wireless router
thousands of miles away from home.

What I'm trying to do is tie one PC wired to the hotel network and then
wirelessly connect the second PC to the first PC to the wired hotel
network. According to the google literature, it _should_ work ... but
so far I've had almost connections but no real connection.

If anyone has a good reference for how to tie a second PC wirelessly to
a first PC wired, that would be wonderful for all of us!

Cindy Fischer

Adair Witner wrote:
> I would purchase one of the small travel routers with wireless and a wired
> switch.

Hi Adair Witner,

Yes, that would work. What is simpler is to spoof the MAC address. Both
would work.

The problem with the travel router approach is that I'm thousands of
miles from home sans the travel router; the problem with the second
approach is that the cable is too short to move about the room. Both,
of course, can be rectified with a shopping trip to the local
electronics emporium.

But, I'm a stubborn gal in that I would really like to obtain the
elegance of tying a second wireless PC to the first wired PC without
benefit of a wireless router. According to Microsoft, it _should_ be
possible (they even say it's easy).

Do you have another source for setting this supposedly easy network up
other than:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...02april08.mspx

Cindy Fischer

I don't think that manipulating MAC address of the PC2 will give you
something - only PC1 is connected to the hotel network, and only its MAC
address should be used to send information to the hotel's switch.

I'm afraid I can't really help troubleshooting the issue in the offline -
intercontinental mode. Make sure that PC2 receives 192.168.0.x IP address
from DHCP server on PC1 (this is how ICS works); and that Windows Firewall
is disabled for the wireless adapter on PC1. Sharing must work thereafter. I
don't see any reason why it wouldn't - hotel cannot realistically prevent
this.

--
Svyatoslav Pidgorny, MS MVP - Security, MCSE
-= F1 is the key =-

"Cindy" <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1157554676.133029.255490@i42g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
>> Here are the steps to create and share an ad-hoc computer-to-computer
>> wireless network without need for a wireless router or wired hub.
>
> I now have PC1 connected again but PC2 says its connected to the
> "Hotel" network but it doesn't work. I need to debug.
>
> Maybe I'll just change the MAC address so that both PCs are the same
> MAC address.
>
> That would, of course, only work with the ethernet cable connected to
> one at a time (which is OK ... just not as convenient as being wireless
> in the hotel room).
>
> I found a freeware MAC address changer here:
> http://www.gorlani.com/downloads/dlc...=macmakeup.zip
>
> Cindy
>

Cindy,

You need a wireless bridge with NAT - you canuse either one of your PCs, or
an appliance for that purpose.

However, NAT (hiding two or more PCs behind same IP address and MAC) can
break IPsec VPN, including Nortel - depending on the configuration. Lately
they are fine.


--
Svyatoslav Pidgorny, MS MVP - Security, MCSE
-= F1 is the key =-


"Cindy" <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1157560969.561644.222770@p79g2000cwp.googlegr oups.com...
>
> garciyalater@hotmail.com wrote:
>> wireless router and you are done.......
>> or just create a vpn connection to whichever computer is online......
>> you could jump on someones unsecured netowork....
>
> Hi Chuck,
>
> Thanks for the advice; but I don't understand two of your three
> suggestions:
>
> SUGGESTION 1:
> - Wireless router
> - I'm fifteen countries away from my home; where would I get a
> wireless router?
>
> SUGGESTION 2:
> - Create a vpn connection.
> - I do not understand this at all. Yes, I have the Nortel Networks
> Contivity VPN client.
> - But, without a network, how would I use this to connect my two
> computers?
>
> SUGGESTION 3:
> - Jump on someone elses' unsecured network.
> - I always wondered how to do that.
> - If I "see" someone else's network, just connecting to it doesn't give
> me Internet access.
> - Am I doing something wrong?
>
> Chuck ... I do appreciate your help. But, can you clarify how I could
> use the Nortel VPN software to connect a second PC to the first PC's
> wired ethernet connection?
>
> Same with jumping on someone else's network. Once I "connect" ... why
> don't I have any Internet access when I connect to someone's unsecured
> connection? What am I doing wrong?
>
> Cindy
>

Cindy <cxsingapore@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Adair Witner wrote:
>
> > I would purchase one of the small travel routers with wireless and a wired
> > switch.
>
> Hi Adair Witner,
>
> Yes, that would work. What is simpler is to spoof the MAC address. Both
> would work.
>
> The problem with the travel router approach is that I'm thousands of
> miles from home sans the travel router; <snip>

You are in Singapore! That's probably the best and cheapest place in the
whole world to buy computer equipment.

Cindy wrote:
> Doug Jamal wrote:
>
>>>like God herself
>>
>>That's a joke. Right?
>
>
> Hi Doug Jamal,
>
> We don't know what God looks like (or do you?) ... so God, who created
> 802.11b,g in the first place, can be male or female or neutral for all
> we know.
>
> As you inferred, I was just being a bit too subtle by referring to God
> in the feminine sense when referring to her all-mightly creation of the
> supreme power of periodicity ...
>
> I've been on the Singapore circuit tour all day; now that I'm back in
> the hotel, I'll attack the electromagnetic problem again of trying to
> wirelessly connect with one Windows XP computer to another WinXP
> computer wired to the hotel network sans a wireless router ...
>
> Any advice, short of an act of God, that shows me the way to connect
> one computer wirelessly to another which is wired so that they can
> share the Internet connection would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Cindy
>

By the time your get it to work, you'd be checking out of the hotel room :-)

The basic idea is to use your 1st PC to connect to the internet thru
hotel's wired internet connection. At the same time you'd turn the 1st
PC into a wireless router so the 2nd PC can connect to it wirelessly and
share internet connection (with WinXP Internet Connection Sharing). All
internet traffic will have to go thru the 1st PC before it goes out to
the internet (of course PC1 must be left online). MAC address shouldn't
have anything to do with it.

What's the IP address on PC1 wired NIC? What's the IP on PC1 wireless
NIC? What's the IP address on PC2 wireless NIC? Also, turn off firewall
of any sort on both PCs. You can turn it back on once you got the
connection working.

Neill Massello wrote:
> And to judge from the progress of 802.11n, She keeps changing Her mind.

It's Her perogative!

S. Pidgorny <MVP> wrote:
> I don't think that manipulating MAC address of the PC2 will give you
> something - only PC1 is connected to the hotel network, and only its MAC
> address should be used to send information to the hotel's switch.

Hi S. Pidgorny,
Actually, the MAC address switching did work fine.

Here, in Singapore, I bought a longer wire so I could use my second
computer on the bed.
A three meter cat6 cable cost five Singapore dollars (the taxi to go
get it cost more).

However, only one computer at a time can be connected because not only
do they both have the same MAC address now, but, there is only one wire
and I don't have a router or hub or switch.

Still, it would have been nice to get the one wired computer to
wirelessly serve the second wireless computer without a router ... so
when I get back home in a few weeks (I'm heading for Shanghai and then
Shin-Yokohama before heading home in a week) I'll try it on my home
network by unplugging my wireless router.

Thank you very much for your help and advice,
Cindy Fischer

Axel Hammerschmidt wrote:
> You are in Singapore! That's probably the best and cheapest place in the
> whole world to buy computer equipment.

Hi Axel Hammerschmidt,
I heard that Singapore, besides not allowing you to buy chewing gum,
has the best prices on computer equipment ... but I didn't see any in
the malls I visited (Raffles Hotel Shopping Arcade, City Link Mall, The
Concourse Mall, etc.).

I did find a CAT 6 cable of fifteen-foot length for about five
Singapore dollars (1 USD ~= 1.5 SD) so that got me by for the short
stay here in Singapore.

I'll see if I have the same problem in Shanghai as I'm staying at the
Shangrila Hotel (I haven't checked if it has wireless or wired in the
rooms yet).

Certainly, when I get home (I have a few more stops though), I'll
remove my wireless router and see if I can get by with just cable
hooked to the modem to the computer with the second computer connected
to the first computer wirelessly without the router or hub or switch
involved.

Thanks for your advice,
Cindy Fischer

Ron wrote:
> By the time your get it to work, you'd be checking out of the hotel room :-)

Yep. I ended up using the fifteen foot CAT6 cable and spoofing the MAC
address allowing me to use one computer at a time (which is, I believe,
within the letter of the agreement) which is all I wanted to do (I have
a work and personal computer with me).

I'm checking out tonight for Shanghai where I hope the Shangri-la Hotel
has wireless in the rooms (it better given the rates I'm paying) ... if
not ... I'll be in the same boat again. :)

Thank you all for the wonderful advice,
Cindy Fischer