networking - Setting up Home network on Windows 7 Home with 3G modem internet connection

08
2014-07
  • Pieter Müller

    I am having a hard time setting up a home network on two Windows 7 machines. The situation is complicated by the fact that the internet access is via a USB 3G Modem device on the one machine.

    The setup is two Windows 7 Home machines, one Desktop PC and one Laptop. The two are connected via ethernet cable to a router. There are not other devices on the router. See the image below:

    ( Bummer, not enough Rep to post the image - here is an ASCII alternative: )

    [3G Modem]<---USB--->[DesktopPC]<---CAT5--->[EthernetRouter]<---CAT5--->[Laptop]

    I've managed to share the desktop's internet connection with the laptop. I've also got some file sharing and network discovery active. I've even convinced the laptop that this is a Home Network. However, the Desktop sees 3G Modem connection as a Home network, and the ethernet connection as "Unidentified Network". Win7 Home gives no access to SecPol so I can't change this manually.

    The complication comes from the fact that the Router is not the default gateway. Had my internet connection been through an ADSL line connected to the Router, or had the Router been able to dial out the 3G, then I could set the Router as default gateway, and both PCs would recognise the network and be happy. However, I can't get the same result with the setup I have.

    Please advise (in detail) on how to setup internet sharing, IP addresses, gateways and DNS servers to get this to work. I know HOW to set those things, I just don't know what to set them to.

    If there is a better place online for me to ask this question, please also advise. This kind of setup is quite common in the 3rd world (I'm in Namibia) where most internet is via 3G, and I don't think it's unreasonable.

    Regards

    • Answers
  • Paul

    This has been asked so many times. Please read here:

    http://geekyfaust.info/tips-and-tricks/sharing-3g-internet-connection-thru-lan-in-windows-7/

    Searching google always helps.


    • Related Question

    networking - losing internet connection via router
  • Jaime

    I have been experiencing a weird behavior regarding my home network setup that started about 3 days ago. I have a this particular setup for over a year now and never had any problems.

    My main router is a SMC7004VBR Barricade that is connected with my PC with Vista Home Premium and a D-Link DIR-628 Wireless router.

    Whenever I unplug the WAN connection in my SMC router, I am able to log into both routers. But as soon as I connect the cable from my DSL-modem to the SMC WAN port, not only do I not get any access to the internet but I can't even login to my routers anymore.

    I have tried changing the cable between the modem and the SMC router to no avail. I tried doing a reset on the SMC router but no luck there either. The only way I can get internet access is if I directly plug my PC into the modem.

    I also tried to do a system restore to about a week ago thinking that a Windows update might be the culprit. But I still get no access to the internet via my home network.

    Now I do not have a wireless connection available plus I have no barrier between the internet and my PC.

    Can somebody point me in the right direction on where to look or what might be the cause of this behavior?

    Thanks in advance!


    • Related Answers
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

    OK, Seems to me you need to setup your wireless router AS Access point, not AS router. At this point your wireless router get IP address from main router.

    Try to reset both of your router to factory default setting and start from scratches:)

    If you plug the the cable from the primary router to the LAN port (and not internet port) of the secondary 625 and disable the DHCP server (and firewall) on the same secondary router, clients connected through the secondary router (wired or wireless) will receive IP addresses from the DHCP pool of the primary router. When setup the way just described, the second 625 will effectively bridge clients to the primary router without any NAT on the second router. Its LAN ports will act like a switch and its wirelss will act like a WAP, but only if cable runs LAN to LAN port (and DHCP is disabled). This is true for any router because there is not NAT only bridging and switching. Also to make your life easier, change the LAN IP addresses of all gateways, routers and switches so that they are all on the same subnet - this will make switch/router management much easier. At least the twp 625's should be on the same subnet (the DSL modem does not really matter because you really never touch).