networking - How do I configure my wired router to get its internet connection from another computer?

06
2014-04
  • CheeseConQueso

    I'm connected to the internet wirelessly (via xfinitywifi) on one laptop and I want to share that internet connection via a Linksys BEFSR41 wired router.

    So far, I've tried to connect the ethernet cable coming from the laptop with internet access to the "internet" port on the Linksys BEFSR41. I then connected another laptop's ethernet cable to 1 of the 4 ports on the router. This didn't do the job.

    I also tried the same setup but with DHCP disabled. This also didn't work.

    I tried to connect both ethernet cables to one of the four ports on the Linksys BEFSR41, and still no luck.

    On the computer with internet access, I bridged the wireless adapter that has internet access with the wired adapter as well and did not catch any internet waves on the other computer this way either.

    EDIT I just tried enabling Internet Connection Sharing on the wired ethernet adapter of the computer that has a connection to the internet, but it also didn't work. It actually booted me from the working wireless connection that I was and and still am using. I'm guessing that this option is if you don't use a router but just connect two computers directly via an ethernet cable.


    I know that I have to change some settings on the Linksys BEFSR41 and supply the ipconfig values on the computer connected to the internet somewhere in the router setup page to get my desired results. I have looked around on this site and others for what I suspect should be a simple setup, but I can't find the right guide on setting the router up so that it get's it's internet connection from the one computer that already has a connection.

    Can someone walk me through setting up the router and the two computers so that the internet connection is shared via the Linksys BEFSR41 wired router?

    I have access to, and can edit, the settings of both computers' adapters and the router's settings as well. I just can't get it working right.

    Thanks in advance!

  • Answers
  • CheeseConQueso

    I finally figured it out.

    Here's the hardware/equipment I used - keep in mind that some specific details are not crucial to the success of this solution, I am just listing my setup exactly the way as it was tested and the way that it worked for me:

    1. A computer with a "Local Area Connection" and a "Wireless Network Connection" adapter that has an active, working internet connection.
    2. A wired router with one "Internet" port and four "ethernet" ports. In this case, I used a Linksys BEFSR41.
    3. A computer with a "Local Area Connection" that is not connected to the internet.

    Here's the step-by-step process that gave the computer with no internet access its connection:

    1. Make sure your router is plugged in and connect the "Internet" port to the ethernet port of your computer that has internet access.
    2. Use an ethernet cable to connect the computer with no internet connection to one of the four ethernet ports on the router.
    3. Make sure that the "Power" light, the "Ethernet" light, and the "Internet" light are all lit up. (This step most likely varies slightly from router to router - like I mentioned before, I was using a Linksys BEFSR41)
    4. Open up the "Network Connections" screen on the computer that is connected to the internet wirelessly.
    5. Right click on the "Wireless Network Connection" that is connected to the internet.
    6. Click "Properties"
    7. Click the "Sharing" tab.
    8. Check the first box that says "Allow other users to connect throuh this computer's Internet connection".
    9. Click "OK"
    10. Wax your surfboard

  • Related Question

    networking - Why can't my router handle heavy traffic from even just one computer?
  • tgecho

    Whenever I do anything much more demanding then web browsing over my internet connection (via a router), the latency goes from around 20ms to over a thousand. This makes streaming video and gaming a bit painful. If I plug my computer directly into the cable modem everything is rock solid.

    I have a desktop wired into the router plus a laptop and cellphone that connect wirelessly (secured with WPA), so it's not an industrial weight LAN. I'm not doing filesharing or anything else in the background when this happens.

    Thinking the router was bad (a Linksys WRT54GS2), I bought the cheapest D-Link at the nearest store (a DIR-615). Everything was fine for a week or two, then the problem returned.

    I'm not really sure where to go from here. Anything else I should be checking? Or are cheap routers so pitiful that they can't be expected to reliably handle a 480p Hulu movie?


  • Related Answers
  • Aaaaaaaaaha ERLEBNIS

    Reset your router and disable features as UPnP. Configure basic settings and have wireless internet set to just one mode (B,G,A or N) Now download a torrent and see where that will take you. It should be able to do so, otherwise return the router... :)

  • Dave Webb

    What security are you using on your wireless network? I'm wondering if someone else is "sharing" your connection without asking.

    There should be a page in the routers admin interface to show you what is connected.

  • mpeterson

    If plugging into the LAN physically works fine, then the problem is probably related to the wireless. The two routers might have a problem at your residence because of interference. You can try switching channels within the router interface to see if that helps at all.

    Also, can you try another wireless device, such as a friend's laptop to see if it works any better?

  • Broam

    If you have a WRT54G, you could try putting OpenWRT on it. It's pretty easy to do so (the biggest challenge will be figuring out WHICH firmware image you want; respond with a comment if you want some guidance, I check responses).

    OpenWRT really improved the performance of my router, even before I started tweaking it.

    The stock firmware from Linksys probably has had a few updates, if you're afraid of using third-party software. Try updating the Linksys firmware first. Now that you have two routers, you can take one out of service and experiment.

  • AnonJr

    Are you sure its not just your ISP? Try connecting directly and see if you have the same problem. If you do, then its your ISP. If you don't, then we can start looking at other things.