In this guide I would like to explain how to connect 2 laptops together, without using crossed cables and without having a wireless router, for transferring files from one laptop to another and to share the internet connection of one of the two so that they can surf the Internet.
The typical situation can be this:
I have a laptop connected directly to the Internet using an ADSL modem and equipped with a wireless network card for wireless connections.
My brother bought a new laptop and he wants to use the Internet too.
The ideal solution is, instead of spending money and buying a wireless broadband router, we use one of the two PCs as if it were a router.
If you have a desktop computer without a wireless adapter, you can buy a wireless USB adapter for less than 10 euros and it is much cheaper than a router.
Here's how to share the Internet connection from a laptop or desktop computer that is equipped with a wireless adapter and create a real network of PCs that can surf the internet together.
In another article we had seen how to connect two PCs with wifi without internet connection just for exchanging files.
With Windows Vista and Windows 7 it's really easy to connect 2 or more PCs together using the wireless network.
So, in case you need to connect a Windows XP and a Vista pc, it is definitely worth configuring Vista as a server or as a computer connected to the network that shares its connection, while XP is the client that connects to the network via the Vista pc.
If you want to connect multiple PCs together that share the same connection and the files, one that has Vista can act as Host while all the others become clients that take advantage of the shared connection.
HOST means that the computer is directly connected to the Internet via ADSL modem and it will be that network that will have to be shared.
To configure the computer with Windows Vista operating system that will act as a wireless access point, you can follow the following steps :
1) Press the right mouse button on the small icon indicating the 2 small computers connected, at the bottom right of the desktop, and select the last item, the network and sharing center.
2) On the right side click on the item Setting up a connection or network.
3) Choose "Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network connection" and click Next.
4) A window appears saying something like: "An ad hoc network (computer-to-computer network) is a temporary network used for sharing files, presentations, or an Internet connection between multiple computers and devices. Computers and devices in ad hoc networks must be within 30 meters of each other. If the PC is connected to a wireless network, it may be disconnected when setting up this type of network ".
Click on Next.
5) Now enter any network name, select the type of security and enter a password. (For example, I write pom-network as a name, WEP as a security protocol and as a password 12345) and click Next.
At this point you can decide whether to save the configuration to reuse it later or not; if you don't save it, at reboot you will have to reconfigure it from the beginning.
6) Once the configuration is complete, Vista will say that the network is ready for use and, in the lower part of the window, you can activate the sharing of the internet connection.
At this point the setting phase of the server is finished, that is, the PC that shares the connection will allow others to go on the internet acting as a link.
As you can see, the wizard is very easy, so now let's see how to connect another laptop with Windows XP or Vista.
From any PC equipped with a wireless network card, by scanning the available networks, the previously created ad-hoc connection should appear.
Then select the network created before (the pom-network) and click Connect.
If the network you are trying to access is an unsecured network, simply select "Connect anyway" otherwise enter the password (12345) and click on "Connect"
You should then see a message notifying you that the connection was successful .
At this point, you can start surfing the Internet and accessing the shared files on the other computers connected to the ad-hoc network, always remembering that the Host computer must be about 9 meters from the PCs to which it shares the connection otherwise everything will fall!
If the host server should be a Windows XP PC, the procedure is described in the article Sharing the Internet ADSL at home wirelessly on PCs and mobiles with Wifi.
If instead it is Windows 7, you can create a hotspot with your computer with a really simple simple method that does not require ad hoc connection.
In another article, there are 10 tips for solving network configuration and internet sharing problems and errors.
The typical situation can be this:
I have a laptop connected directly to the Internet using an ADSL modem and equipped with a wireless network card for wireless connections.
My brother bought a new laptop and he wants to use the Internet too.
The ideal solution is, instead of spending money and buying a wireless broadband router, we use one of the two PCs as if it were a router.
If you have a desktop computer without a wireless adapter, you can buy a wireless USB adapter for less than 10 euros and it is much cheaper than a router.
Here's how to share the Internet connection from a laptop or desktop computer that is equipped with a wireless adapter and create a real network of PCs that can surf the internet together.
In another article we had seen how to connect two PCs with wifi without internet connection just for exchanging files.
With Windows Vista and Windows 7 it's really easy to connect 2 or more PCs together using the wireless network.
So, in case you need to connect a Windows XP and a Vista pc, it is definitely worth configuring Vista as a server or as a computer connected to the network that shares its connection, while XP is the client that connects to the network via the Vista pc.
If you want to connect multiple PCs together that share the same connection and the files, one that has Vista can act as Host while all the others become clients that take advantage of the shared connection.
HOST means that the computer is directly connected to the Internet via ADSL modem and it will be that network that will have to be shared.
To configure the computer with Windows Vista operating system that will act as a wireless access point, you can follow the following steps :
1) Press the right mouse button on the small icon indicating the 2 small computers connected, at the bottom right of the desktop, and select the last item, the network and sharing center.
2) On the right side click on the item Setting up a connection or network.
3) Choose "Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network connection" and click Next.
4) A window appears saying something like: "An ad hoc network (computer-to-computer network) is a temporary network used for sharing files, presentations, or an Internet connection between multiple computers and devices. Computers and devices in ad hoc networks must be within 30 meters of each other. If the PC is connected to a wireless network, it may be disconnected when setting up this type of network ".
Click on Next.
5) Now enter any network name, select the type of security and enter a password. (For example, I write pom-network as a name, WEP as a security protocol and as a password 12345) and click Next.
At this point you can decide whether to save the configuration to reuse it later or not; if you don't save it, at reboot you will have to reconfigure it from the beginning.
6) Once the configuration is complete, Vista will say that the network is ready for use and, in the lower part of the window, you can activate the sharing of the internet connection.
At this point the setting phase of the server is finished, that is, the PC that shares the connection will allow others to go on the internet acting as a link.
As you can see, the wizard is very easy, so now let's see how to connect another laptop with Windows XP or Vista.
From any PC equipped with a wireless network card, by scanning the available networks, the previously created ad-hoc connection should appear.
Then select the network created before (the pom-network) and click Connect.
If the network you are trying to access is an unsecured network, simply select "Connect anyway" otherwise enter the password (12345) and click on "Connect"
You should then see a message notifying you that the connection was successful .
At this point, you can start surfing the Internet and accessing the shared files on the other computers connected to the ad-hoc network, always remembering that the Host computer must be about 9 meters from the PCs to which it shares the connection otherwise everything will fall!
If the host server should be a Windows XP PC, the procedure is described in the article Sharing the Internet ADSL at home wirelessly on PCs and mobiles with Wifi.
If instead it is Windows 7, you can create a hotspot with your computer with a really simple simple method that does not require ad hoc connection.
In another article, there are 10 tips for solving network configuration and internet sharing problems and errors.
