DIYers IT Zone

My friend CF Lee ask me how to do wireless home networking. Actually it can be done even without any router or stand alone wireless access point. This is what we call ad hoc wireless network.

Building an ad hoc wireless just take a few minutes, because window already powered by wireless zero configuration. You do not need to add any cables around your house. Add internet connection sharing on the host computer and all computer will be surfing the net wirelessly.

First we will start with a single computer that already have a wired erthernet broadband connection to the internet. For here we’ll only need 3 steps to build ad hoc wireless networks.

1. Install an 802.11b/g wireless card in the main computer & configure it as a computer to computer ( ad hoc ) wireless connection.

2. Then install a wireless card in a second computer.

3. Enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on the host to complete the network & provide connectivity to the internet.

Configuring host computer

Install driver for your wireless adapter. Then go to your wireless network connection properties.

Next, click the Advanced tab at the top of the window. Select Computer to computer (ad hoc) networks only and clear the Automatically connect to non-preferred networks box if it is selected. This setting, along with removing preferred networks, ensures connection to the ad hoc network only.

Click the Wireless Networks tab again. Under Preferred Networks, click Add, as shown in Figure 1. In the Wireless Network Properties dialog box, specify a Network name (SSID). Use any name desired, but be sure to use it to configure all computers. Note that the network type is already marked as a computer-to-computer network and that this cannot be changed since it has already been specified that a connection should be made to only ad hoc networks.

After configuring the SSID, the new ad hoc network will be displayed with a PC card icon to designate that this is a computer to computer network.

Note the red X. When a second computer is in range and the new ad hoc network is connected, the display changes to show a working computer-to-computer network without the X.

Configuring client computer

Like the host computer, you also need to install a network adapter in your client computer in order to communicate with host computer wirelessly, unless you are using laptop which powered with wireless. After installing, the wireless network tab display a list of in range wireless network ( if available ) or ad hoc wireless networking.

The new ad hoc network aloha4321 is listed (and is identified by the PC Card icon). Highlight the network name, and then click Configure.

Sharing the connection

After created ad hoc network, we’ll setup internet connection sharing.
1. Open Network Connections on the host computer. (Click Start, click Control Panel, click Switch to classic view, and then click Network Connections.

2. Click the connection to be shared, and under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection.

3. On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection check box.

4. If you are not using a third party firewall and have not already set up the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), be sure to check the box enabling this feature.

5. Finally, optionally enable the setting to let other users control or enable this connection.

The client computer(s) should now receive a private class, non-routable IP address in the 192.168.0.* address range via DHCP from the host computer and should have full Internet connectivity.

* For CF Lee: To remotely use your printer attached at your host computer, u just need to setup a network printer on your laptop.