Say I wanted to share my internet...

...wirelessly.

Shortly I am going to be visiting Jamaica and would like to provide internet access to everyone in my family, across 2 hotel rooms. 2 people are staying in each room, and we all have our own laptops.

However, the internet connection we will pay for is wireless, and only one computer can get access to it. (It's some stupid system that has nothing to do with passwords, I don't remember the details).

I know that you can only use your wireless card in your laptop to either send or receive a wireless signal, i.e. getting internet or distributing it. This is why I'm thinking I could receive the wireless on one computer, share the internet over an ethernet cable to another computer which then sends the wireless signal out to the other room, giving everybody internet.

How I'm thinking is illustrated here:



My question is: Will this even work?? I'm leaving in 2 days so I need input! If not I'm just going to wing it! Thanks.

I've got a perfect solution for you:

http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/76610-connectify-internet-sharing-made-easy.html

The software allows you to share a wireless connection via that same wireless device. It also allows you to secure that network. Even better, it's not recognized as an "Ad-Hoc" network, but as a regular wireless hotspot.

Haha, already went the Connectify route. Turns out my old-ass laptop's wireless card isn't on the list of supported cards.

Any way I can accomplish this the way I laid out?

Yes, using an Ad-Hoc network. You'll need to set up network sharing via both computers. One to share the wireless connection it's receving via ethernet and the other to share the ethernet connection it's receiving via wireless. You may or may not need an ethernet crossover cable.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/76617-internet-connection-sharing-enable.html?filter

The MSN Tutorial: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Using-ICS-Internet-Connection-Sharing

I am having monumental problems accomplishing this.

I set up a computer with wired internet in and ad-hoc sharing out just to test it. I set up ICS on the wireless connection (though I tested it on the wired connection as well and no dice), and connected to the ad-hoc network on the wireless connection that I created.

The computers I have tried to connect with have connected to the network after a while of displaying "Acquiring network address", but I get no internet on any of the computers I've tried. Is there some crucial step I'm missing in all of this? Here's what I did:

Wired connection in -> Wireless ICS enabled -> Ad-hoc network created -> Other computers connect to the network -> No internet!

Please help.