Simplest wireless configuration for this home network?

I'm trying to set up a quickie wireless network for this home situation:

Computer #1: Desktop running WinXP Computer #2: Laptop running Win2000 Internet: Currently dialup, upgrading to cablemodem eventually. Laptop should share the desktop's internet connection. File sharing: Across the wireless network.

I've set up countless wired networks before, but tried to do a wireless setup this time because it seemed the best way to keep the laptop "mobile" around the house and to avoid needlessly running wires across rooms.

But my first stab at it hasn't worked -- maybe I'm going about it the wrong way in the first place; this is my first attempt at wireless.

So what hardware would you use to do this quick cheap, and easy?

I tried putting a Linksys WPC54G Wireless-G Notebook Adapter (PCMCIA) card in the laptop, and a Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Broadband Router on the desktop (thinking I needed it as a "base unit" connection point for the home network), but it doesn't seem to be working. I can get the laptop's card to "find" the router and hook up, and the desktop recognizes its router and can talk to it, and the laptop can talk to its card, but no file sharing occurs and no Internet Connection Sharing occurs, even though I've properly configured filesharing/ICS in ways that has always worked for me on wired networks.

I'm suspecting that the Broadband Router is designed to share

*only* a broadband internet connection that's plugged directly into the router (which I can't do with the current dial-up obviously), so that probably explains why the internet isn't sharing, but I'm not sure why the file sharing isn't working -- shouldn't that occur over the wireless link when I've got the desktop's ethernet cable plugged into one of the Router's LAN ports?

....or am I misunderstanding -- does the Broadband Router

*only* network things (both wireless and wired) to the shared internet port, and do no other kind of "internetworking" LAN-wise? I expected it to allow file sharing via: laptop -> notebook adapter -> wireless connection -> broadband router -> desktop. Is that not the case?

If I'm not using the appropriate hardware for what I want to do (file sharing *and* internet sharing over wireless, with internet being dialup and/or cablemodem), then what should I be using?

And can I get away with all computers being ad-hoc wireless, or do I need a "connection point" at the desktop? (As I said, I'm new to wireless -- I thought it would just be like wired networking with some of the "wires" being a radio connection, but apparently there are some fundamental differences.)

Thanks in advance.

Simplest approach. (In fact, I did this prior to getting broadband.)

I'd keep the router in the box until you get broadband.

Use the wireless clients in the desktop and laptop in AdHoc mode, with ICS enabled. Bridge the "Dialup Adapter" to the wireless client on the desktop. This will pass internet traffic. For file sharing, just the standard applies -- either with TCP/IP (Netbios over TCP/IP enabled) or NetBEUI. (NetBEUI isn't routable, so when the router comes into play later will either have to use TCP/IP for filesharing or encapsulate NetBEUI into IPX.)

It'll talk. I suspect that using dialup over-the-air for multiple PC's will have you going to broadband sooner than later though. :^)

Cheers,

-Eric

Taking a moment's reflection, Dan Day mused: | | I'm trying to set up a quickie wireless network for this | home situation:

I assume the desktop is dialing up with a modem, and that you have a NIC in the desktop as well. With the desktop computer configured for ICS, plug the NIC into one of the 4 dataports on the router (not the WAN port). This will set the router to working as a switch rather than a router. Go into the router's setup options, and disable DHCP. Configure the wireless settings, and then you should be able to connect wirelessly with your laptop, and receive an internal IP from the desktop's ICS DHCP ... and thus share the dial up connection.

When you get broadband, re-enable DHCP on the router, disable ICS on your desktop, plug the cable/DSL modem into the WAN port, and you should be back in business there as well.

Yes.

Already done.

That's what I was thinking, but so far no go.

Ah, cool, I'll go over there and give this a shot later today.

Excellent. Thanks so much for your quick response. I'll let you know how it goes after I try the DHCP tweak.

My apologies. My previous reply was based on the (incorrect) assumption that you currently have the following hardware:

- Gateway Router/AP

- Wireless client hardware in the desktop (Along with dialup modem and ethernet NIC card, obviously)

- Wireless client hardware in the laptop

From re-reading your post more carefully, it seems that the desktop does not have any wireless hardware? (Therefore the Adhoc approach I mentioned would require purchasing an additional piece of wireless hardware.)

Yeah, using the router (connected to the desktop's ethernet NIC, bridged to the dialup adapter) as Mhicaoidh suggested will work just fine. Ethernet cable from the desktop's NIC goes into the one of the LAN ports on the router, not the WAN, obviously.

I'm doing something "somewhat similiar" to that, in fact, with a wireless router. I'm using a PC as a "WIFI Gateway" (running a program called "ZoneCD") to create a subnet that allows tighter control of wireless clients. The PC running "ZoneCD", like ICS, does all the DHCP for the subnet. The wireless router connected the the "ZoneCD PC" needed only to function as a "switch" and give AP functionality, so likewise it is connected by a LAN port and not the WAN. DHCP on the wireless router, of course, is disabled. Subsitute the "ZoneCD PC" for a PC (ethernet NIC bridged to dialup adapter) and seems to be pretty much the same thing you are wanting to do.

Picture of the topology at:

Cheers,

-Eric

Oh, one more thing... (I haven't been over to try out the DHCP thing yet.)

I can see how the DHCP setting might be the key for getting the dialup internet sharing properly (until they get cablemodem), but if this fixes the file sharing as well, won't the file sharing stop working once they get cablemodem service and I switch the DHCP setting back? Or is that another issue entirely which hasn't been addressed yet?

Taking a moment's reflection, Dan Day mused: | | I can see how the DHCP setting might be the key for getting the | dialup internet sharing properly (until they get cablemodem), but | if this fixes the file sharing as well, won't the file sharing | stop working once they get cablemodem service and I switch the | DHCP setting back? Or is that another issue entirely which | hasn't been addressed yet?

No. Filesharing should not be affected since it is handled via TCP/IP stack rather than the router. One more thing, you might need to make sure the IP address that is assigned to the router has a subnet that matches what your ICS is using ... though, it's been a while since I set up a network this way, so I could be wrong.

The problem you were likely having was the outer was assigning an IP to your wireless client that was on a different node/subnet than what ICS would be giving it.

Er, why would the ICS be affecting the filesharing? Shouldn't that be a separate issue?

Taking a moment's reflection, Dan Day mused: | | Er, why would the ICS be affecting the filesharing? Shouldn't that be | a separate issue?

Yes, and I didn't say it was. I did, however, run two ideas together in the same paragraph. ;-) It should have read: