Internet forwarding?

[Malancaiwen]

Hi everyone,


I'm currently living on a school campus and I get the internet through a RJ45 cable that comes through the window. I just plug it on and get internet access. The modem is in the main office.


My problem now is that I have 2 laptops (mine and my husband's). My laptop could emmit a wireless signal very easily to share it but I'd rather not have my laptop constantly turned on.


What device should I get to do this?
I though about a routeur but routeur needs to connect itself to the internet to then emmit right? I would also need a device that could work with both windows and mac.


Thank you all for your advice!

[Kiwi]

The router should work with the cable you already have coming in. That cable goes into your router, and then your laptops connect to the router (either hardwired or wireless). You'd have to ask someone to ensure it works with both Win and Mac - but there shouldn't be a problem, so long as the computers can read an internet connection.

[kaoskat]

Yeah I think a router should work fine too.

[RAMChYLD]

Basically, it depends on if the network allows both laptops into the network at the same time.

In your current case, your laptop is acting as a NAT router for your husband's laptop. All connection going into the internet will appear to only be coming from your laptop.

There are two ways to solve this issue: Either a Wireless router, or an Access Point base station.

By using a base station, both laptops will appear on the network- the base station only converts ethernet to wireless and acts as a wireless switch and allows the main router in the school network to do the NATting. The upshot of this is that your husband's laptop is directly on the network and he can host services on his laptop if he so wishes. The only downside to this method is that it requires that both laptop are authorized to connect to the network at the same time, and it will use up three IP address slots from the network (two for your husband's and your laptop, and one for itself).

On the other hand, using a wireless router would be much like what you're doing now, except that now, both your and your husband's laptops are behind the router. The router takes over NAT duties. The upside of this is that only one IP address slot from the school's network is used. The downside is that to host services on the network, you now have to take the extra steps to configure the router to allow it before doing so.

I would suggest the router route if possble. Routers tend to cost as much as an access point base station, is much more secure, and well, it only uses one IP address, allowing two extra students to connect to the network. And some routers can be converted to regular base stations as well by just changing some settings.

[Malancaiwen]

Ah! Totally forgot to reply! *prepares for fakie shower*

Thanks a lot for all your advices
And thanks a lot RAMChYLD for all this info