Laptop as a Wireless Router

September 25, 2008 · Posted in Miscellaneous Geekery 

You may some day come across the rare situation of temporarily needing an extra wireless router.  I can’t really think of a good example, but I know that I encountered such a situation yesterday.  I decided I would write up an article as it may prove useful to others that may find themselves in a similar situation some day.

I had a PC lying around that was still quite usable, but I only had one monitor. Eventually I decided it would be worthwhile to purchase a second monitor so that my wife could make use of the computer. We also decided we would put it into a separate room, so it would not be located adjacent to the other computer and Internet connection. In addition to the monitor, I also ordered a wireless router, wireless keyboard, and a wireless mouse to use with the machine.

Well, as it so happened, the monitor arrived in a separate shipment before the router and peripherals did. After I had nearly completed hooking everything up, my wife informed me that she wanted to get online with it to buy some music for her iPod. Of course, this PC was the home machine for the iPod. I really didn’t feel like moving everything back to the office, hook it all up so she could get online and get her music, then move it back to the permanent home. I then had a revelation and realized I could use my laptop as a wireless router.

Diagram for Laptop as a Router

Here are the basic requirements for using your laptop as a wireless router:

  • A laptop with a wireless network device as well as an ethernet device (duh!)
  • A wireless router that is hard-wired to your Internet connection
  • A hub or router for connecting to the laptop and other machines (alternatively, you could use a crossover cable)
  • At least two ethernet cables, one for the laptop and one for other machines

I was fortunate I had an old hub stashed away within the depths of my gadget closet and had plenty of unused ethernet cables lying around.  Basically all you need to do is:

  1. Connect the laptop to the hub via one of the ethernet cables
  2. Connect the computer(s) to the hub via the other ethernet cable(s)

    3. If you use a crossover cable instead of a hub, you would connect the ethernet port on the computer directly to the one on the laptop.

  3. Connect the laptop to the wireless hub with the laptop’s wireless device (you are probably already doing this)
  4. Set up Internet connection sharing on the laptop to share the wireless device
    5. Network Connections Window

    Network Connections Window

    Internet Connection Sharing

    Internet Connection Sharing

    If you are using Windows XP:

  5. Launch the control panel
  6. Go to your network connections
  7. Right-click on the wireless device and go to properties
  8. Click the Advanced tab
  9. In the Internet Connection Sharing section, click the check box that says Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection
  10. Click OK

That’s all there is to it! This will also work fine with a Mac or Vista laptop. I don’t have either, so I’m not at liberty to provide step-by-step instructions and screen shots. The physical setup would be exactly the same. You would just have to take different steps to set up Internet connection sharing. Just be sure that you set it up to share the connection on the wireless device.

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Comments

  • nothingcanbedone
    in the advanced tab there is windows firewall but there is not internet connection sharing please help me what to do?
  • If you don't see Internet connection sharing, it's because you only have one network adapter. For this to work, the laptop needs both an Ethernet adapter and wireless adapter.
  • Wesley
    On Windows Vista you would access "Wireless Internet Connection Properties" by Opening control panel, selecting "Network and Internet" and then "Manage Wireless Networks." Above all of the available wireless networks is a button that says "Adapter Properties." After that its basically the same.

    J.W.Kent PhD
  • Cog
    If you use a crossover ethernet cable directly between the wireless laptop and computer you can don't need the hub
  • That's a very good point, thanks! I'll update the post and mention that.
  • OMG.... i just though this morning if my laptop can be wireless sharing with laptop. its really late for me to know this but im happy that i know my laptop can share it with other. thanks for the information ^^, i'll come often so i'll will not miss anything again.
  • Wow.. very interesting.. i m impressed.
  • dominik
    You probably ment, you ordered a wireless network card? Why else would u use a laptop as a router. If you already had one, right?


    (and thanx for this article. I had a lan party down in the basement yesterday. So I brought down my asus eee, connected to my wireless router and viola. Thank you.
  • No I had ordered a wireless router that I was going to install DD-WRT onto to use as a wireless bridge. Essentially, I was going to use it in the same manner as one would use a wireless network card. If you're curious as to what I did exactly, you can check out a MakeUseOf tutorial I wrote on turning an old router into a wireless bridge.
  • Sí, es posible. La computadora con el módem de 56k también necesita una conexión de network para conectar con el wireless router. Compartas la conexión del Internet en el módem de 56k con el network. Conecta la tarjeta de network en la conexión de Internet (enlace ascendente) del router. Todo lo demás en la configuración sería la misma.
  • alvaro
    hola saludos me podrias decir si esto funciona con un modem de 56k
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