| 1. | | Click Start, and then click Control Panel. |
| 2. | | Click Network and Internet Connections. |
| 3. | | Click Network Connections. |
| | | Right-click the connection that you use to connect to the Internet. For example, if you connect to the Internet by using a Sprint modem, right-click the modem that you want to use. |
| 4. | | Click Properties. |
| 5. | | Click the Advanced tab. |
| | | Under Internet Connection Sharing, select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection |
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If you don't see ICS under that tab turn off the firewall first.
Now, with your data card connected, your computer becomes a router with a IP of 192.168.0.1 and is the DHCP server. Any other router connected to your computer must have a different IP such as 192.168.0.2 or 3,4 etc. which it will have if you let other computers obtain their IP automatically.
Run a Ethernet cable from your computer to one of the numbered LAN ports on the router. Then open a web browser and go into the routers configuration page by typing its IP address. Your routers documentation will tell you what that is.
After the configuration page loads, go into the settings and turn off DHCP, save and exit.
Now shut down your computer, turn off the router, shut down any other computers and turn each one back on one at a time. The main computer (let it boot up and become stable), then the router, then anything else. You should now be sharing your EVDO both wirelessly and wired via the router you have connected.
click on image for larger view
The drawback to using ICS is lack of security and the fact the computer must remain on for anyone else to share the connection.
That said, it is NOT the way I have mine setup.
I configured ICS as above but I have the Cat5 cable going into the Internet/WAN port of my router and I did not turn off DHCP on it. Everything works just fine.
The main point here is your router must have a different IP address than what is feeding it, and the computers connected to the router need to have their own separate IP addresses:
One advantage, besides saving money, is that you can use your connection manager software with this setup. That gives you the benefit of checking your signal level and looking at the Debug screen all in real-time. You can't do this if your card is in a EVDO router. For example:
Here I have the manager, command prompt with ping test , and the debug screen all active while the router is sharing the connection with 3 other computers . No way can you do that with a EVDO router. With a dual monitor setup its kind of nice to have that info showing while you are running speed tests or surfing.
OK. So why buy a EVDO router? Several reasons:
You don't have to leave a computer on all the time
You can share files and printers on all computers connected
You can enable security and have a firewall on
You can take the router with you and have a portable hotspot
Its easy to configure..works right out of the box
You get tech support with it (other than me) :-)
I am so used to using the ##Debug screen, with all the info it gives you, that I prefer to use ICS with my router. You simply cannot get that information using a EVDO router.
On some routers there is a selection in the router configuration that makes this even simpler: Use as Access Point ....simply make this selection and all the configuration is done for you. Just follow the directions, run the ethernet cable, reboot. You're done.
Note: The IP address for the Host computer when running ICS is ALWAYS 192.168.0.1, and every other client device connected to it must have its own IP in the range of 192.168.0.2 - 254. If you are going to assign your client its IP, you must have it in that range. Its simpler to let it automatically obtain it.
Microsoft setup instructions, with video, for XP Here.
Microsoft trouble shooting guide here.
