This spring I shared a broadband connection from a laptop in Mexico by using ICS from the PCI broadband card to the ethernet port. I then used a router as an A/P only. The laptop is underpowered and performance was lousy.
I am wondering if I can use bridging to pass the broadband signal directly to the ethernet and then use the router as a true router? I tried it once quickly and it appeared to not work. Anyone have knowlege of such bridging?
Thanks, Dave
Dave wrote in news:36916f39-6fa4-434f-aec0- snipped-for-privacy@m45g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:
IS there a reason you don't want the rtr first ?
I want the router to handle routing and DHCP not ICS on the laptop.
Dave
What signal is this? Where is it coming from? From a wired connection or wireless? The term "broadband" usually means WIRED, not wireless.
ICS is often more trouble than it's worth. It requires setting up a specific IP address on the machine doing the sharing. This is fine if you're just sharing one connection, but with multiples it gets to be an adventure.
What connection is being used to get to the internet?
The broadband connection is from Telcel via a PCI broadband wireless card. I just want to pass this connection seamlessly thru the laptop to the broadband ethernet port of a router. That's the question. I don't have a remotely similar lashup here at home to experiment with. I'll be going bach to Mexico in a few months and would like to have a plan for better sharing.
Dave
PCI card? Don't you mean mini-PCI or ExpressCard? There aren't many laptops with an actual PCI slot.
And people in Hell just want ice water. Wanting it doesn't mean it's always simple or easy.
A better plan would be to use a card that works in a router. I use a PCMCIA card in a Linksys WRT54G3G router. This handle connecting local PCs (both wired and wireless) through a cellular data service. If telcel has such a card available, one that would work with a router, this would probably be your best solution. As you've discovered, using the laptop isn't ideal. Trying to lash up a router onto it as well is likewise going to be a hassle. Least of which being the double-NAT routing woes.
What other card choices does telcel offer?
Telcel NOW offers external USB cards. Is there a router that would allow USB for the WAN feed? That would be ideal.
Dave
Yes, I believe there's a Kyocera (KR2?) unit that supports several devices, one being USB. Whether it supports the telcel unit is the question. I don't know.
Bill: Yes! The KR2 looks very much like it will do what I want. The value of these discussion groups is immense. TYVM!
Dave
Bear in mind they charge a pretty hefty premium for the added functionality found in the KR1/2 and WRT54G3G routers.
But what they make possible has been worth it, for me anyway. The ability to plug the air card into the router and have it's connection shared among multiple computers, without having to use client software on them, has been a tremendous convenience.
My advice stands, however, make sure you KNOW that the telcel card will work BEFORE you get stuck with the KR2. Or make sure you've got a decent return window on it for when you next travel to Mexico to test it.
-Bill Kearney
Bill: Looks like neither box supports Telcel compatible cards. I'm still looking at other sources, but looks like we may still be using a laptop with ICS next winter. We'll see!
Dave
Do not just take what the box maker says is supported. A lot of stuff works beyond the officially listed cards. I've got a Linksys "Sprint" model that uses a Verizon card quite nicely. You might want to check some of the EVDO forums, as those are usually the ones using these air data cards in routers. It's possible someone's tried using your particular brand of device already. There's not a lot about these cards that's particularly unique. They're all basically just modems in one form or another. What does occur is that some need to be activated using a PC first, as was the case with mine. That and it periodically needs to be updated, also directly connected to a PC. But the rest of the time it works in the router.
-Bill
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