Network Help

[Sufficient]

Ok ... I need some help with some networking stuff. I have an old desktop that has a NIC but no wireless card. I do however, have a laptop with a wireless card. Is there a way for me to utilize the wireless connection on my laptop through my desktop (w/o using any routers etc)?

[Fair]

ok so the desktop pc recieves internet via lan.
then you want this desktop pc to share connection to the wirless laptop?

if this is case its ez if both are on xp and the desktop has a lan port which internet goes in and also has a wirless card, all you do is set up using the network wizard to first select where internet comes from (lan port) then it will ask how computers will connect and you can just select the wirless card.

this will just share the line so both computers can use the net.
but i would assign a network key for security, but if the wizard doesnt help you can set it up manually with one of the options within the wizard i do it with 3 pcs and a laptop so should be fine.

but if you have to buy another wirless card for the desktop pc you might as welll just get a wirless router as they cost a lil over a wirless card.
and the router will normally come with 4 lan ports and be wirless so it'll sort ip for you and your problem

[geekbot]

No idea what Fair is saying.

You want the internet coming wirelessly from your laptop to be shared with your desktop, yes?

I recently discovered that this is so awesomely click a checkbox easy on a mac. I assume you have windows. I have never gotten this to work on Windows but here's the theory:

Laptop needs wireless connection to internet. Assuming you know how or have that already.

You need a wired connection between the two computers. Unless you have a hub/router/switch, you need a crossover ethernet cable. You probably need static IPs on the same subnet.

On the laptop, you need to bridge (share) the connection between the wireless card and the ethernet card. This is the part that's black magic to me on windows.

Questions about any of this, ask away.

[Darkmoor]

I thought he meant that he wants to share the connection from the desktop to the laptop via wireless.

If that is the case you just need another wireless NIC for the desktop.

[DoCk>]

I realize that you don't want to buy anything but you should really get a router.

If you want to do it without a router, you have to spend $50 or whatever on a wireless network card for your desktop. Then, you have to go nuts with the network config and do some fun bridging/gatewaying/routing/NATing/firewalling, to configure the box as a gateway for web traffic.

It's a pain in the ass for someone who doesn't know a whole lot about network theory. Just get yourself a wifi router for $40-50.

[Darkmoor]

If you want to do it without a router, you have to spend $50 or whatever on a wireless network card for your desktop. Then, you have to go nuts with the network config and do some fun bridging/gatewaying/routing/NATing/firewalling, to configure the box as a gateway for web traffic.

You what? The box means the desktop PC? Are we still talking about sharing the Internet connection via that?

I think Windows XP should do most of that stuff almost automatically, you do not need any special network knowledge. We are not configuring a Cisco router here.

Or it could be that I missed something... which I probably did.

[Sufficient]

You what? The box means the desktop PC? Are we still talking about sharing the Internet connection via that?

I think Windows XP should do most of that stuff almost automatically, you do not need any special network knowledge. We are not configuring a Cisco router here.

Or it could be that I missed something... which I probably did.

You're missin the fact that i have an old desktop with no wireless card. Thanks for the info tho guys.

[Fair]

heh

dunno why ye couldnt understand what i put but i managed to do exactly this using windows was ez pz.

but if your not gunna spend any money gunna have to wait till xmas
its not far now