Sharing Internet connection between two laptops connected through wireless (without router, In Windows Vista).

We got Internet connection in our room. We wanted Airtel Broadband, but they don’t provide in our area.

So, it is Hathway’s connection.

My roommate (Dipto) and I wanted to share the same connection with our laptops. Both of them have Windows Vista. Mine is Windows Vista Home Premium and in Dipto’s it is Windows Vista Ultimate. Both of the laptops have wireless adapter and can connect to each other through an ad hoc network. I asked the Hathway people how can we share the Internet connection. The person who came to install the connection told that this is not possible without a router. I called the customer care at Hathway and got the same reply. One wireless router costs around Rs. 2500/- to Rs.3000/-. Why to pay that If don’t need it?

I asked them that if the two laptops can see each other through wireless and one can connect to the Internet, then why they cannot share the Internet. Their answer was, in paraphrase, “Please buy one wireless router, if you want to share the connection.”

I searched the net on ICS and tried to share the Internet but failed few times. But finally I was able to set it up. I connected the broadband connection in my laptop and enabled ICS on that connection. Then I created an ad hoc network between the laptops. In detail:-

First I connected my laptop to the Hathway’s Internet connection. Let’s call it Connetion_Internet. I can connect to the Internet from my laptop now. Then I shared the internet connection (by enabling ICS) on Connection_Internet. You can enable ICS on a network connection by:-

· Open the connection properties by right clicking on it.

· Go to the sharing tab. Check the Allow other users to connect through this computer’s network connection.

· Click OK.

You can get error while enabling ICS on a network connection. You need to start the Internet Connection Sharing service, if it is not already started. You can do this by doing the following:-

· From start menu (or press windows logo+R ) open ‘Run’. Type services.msc and press enter.

· Look for the service named ‘Internet Connection Sharing’.

· Right click and start it.

Change the Startup Type to Automatic (This will start ICS automatically after booting).

Create the ad hoc network between the laptops.

Then create an ad hoc network in the host computer. I used the type WEP Encryption Type.

Connect the client computer to wireless network. After some time the network map will show something like this:-

Here in this stage, may be you are unable to connect to the internet from the client computer. I faced this few times. I restarted the host computer (I don’t know why, I’ll find what is the actual service that needed the restart) and set up the wireless connections again. After this the client computer was able to connect to the Internet.

Finally after everything is all set up, the network map in my laptop :-

Network 3 is the Internet con.nection (Connection_internet). And ‘vbn’ is the name of the wireless network that I’ve set up between the two laptops.