Re: Ad-hoc wireless network - does this work?

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 12:07:55 -0600, Peabody
<waybackNO784SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote in
<0O17h.1150$nf6.868@newsfe07.phx>:

>As will shortly be obvious, I just told you everything I know about
>wireless. So I apologize if this is dumb.
>
>I currently have a desktop with an integrated regular NIC, running
>XP MCE2005, and a Moto SB5120 cablemodem. No router.
>
>I'm thinking about getting an inexpensive laptop which would connect
>back to the "data center" wirelessly from, say, the back porch. And
>I would want the two computers to share the internet connection as
>well as be able to talk to each other. The laptop would be used for
>just farting around on the internet, including possibly video chat
>(but no really high-volume stuff), while the desktop would still
>handle the big stuff, including binary newsgroup downloads, file
>sharing networks, and video processing. I would want the wireless
>traffic to be encrypted.
>
>I understand that I could buy a wireless router, but would I save
>any money, and would it be simpler, and possibly faster, to just add
>a PCI-card wireless NIC to the desktop, and have the desktop
>function as the router? I'm pretty sure this is as big as this home
>network is gonna get.
>
>I see that XP has something called ICS which, if I read it
>correctly, is supposed to do this exact thing. But, I also have
>this suspicion that there may be a downside to doing it this way. I
>understand that the desktop would have to be on for the laptop to
>reach the net, but it's gonna be on anyway. But other than that,
>are there things I should consider about doing this? Would it slow
>down the desktop a lot? Are there security problems I wouldn't have
>with a separate router? Anything else? Any kind of service that I
>couldn't connect to for some reason?

Bingo: Security is a big issue in ad hoc mode, since WPA can't be used.
You would need to set up some sort of secure VPN (e.g., with iPig, a
free service), and secure firewalls on both machines.

>And if I do go this way, is there anything better (but still free)
>than ICS to use as software?

ICS is fine. The problem is ad hoc mode.

>I would appreciate comments, or, if it's easier, links to sites
>where this is all explained/discussed.

I strongly recommend a cheap wireless router instead.

--
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