Arch Linux

Blender

Member

Registered: 2011-05-11

Posts: 36

Sharing internet to wireless router

I am using a desktop computer to connect to a public wifi source in my area (don't worry, it's provided by the city). Is there any way that I could share the internet with a wireless router and create my own network which is indirectly hooked up to the internet?

I've successfully done this with two computers directly linked via a crossover cable, but I can't figure out how to adapt the Arch Wiki article to work for a router...

Has anyone been able to do this before? I remember stumbling upon a thread here which described a similar problem, but the author didn't give any solution.

Thanks!

Last edited by Blender (2011-06-28 17:37:18)

hexanol

Member

From: Canaduh

Registered: 2009-08-04

Posts: 95

Re: Sharing internet to wireless router

It seems possible, although I have not done it personally.

If I understand correctly, you want your desktop computer to connect to two different AP, those two AP being on separated wireless networks (i.e. different ESSID). If you have only one wireless NIC, you'll have to some way, I don't know if it's possible on Linux and on every wireless NIC, create two logical wireless NIC that use the same physical NIC and make them connect to the two AP. This is the hard part.

Once this is done, you'll want to configure your private wireless network so that every host on it use your desktop computer as the default gateway. Next, you'll want to masquerade the traffic coming from your private wireless network out to the internet / public wireless network.

The biggest problem with this setup is that you'll need your desktop computer to be always on so that the private wireless network can actually have access to the internet.

lifeafter2am

Member

From: 127.0.0.1

Registered: 2009-06-10

Posts: 1,332

Re: Sharing internet to wireless router

You should be able to follow this exactly, except substitute the other computer for the router (connecting to the WAN port) and the cross-over cable for a patch.  The router should handle everything else, thats what it's supposed to do; you only need to tell your computer what to do with the traffic.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Internet_Share

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Blender

Member

Registered: 2011-05-11

Posts: 36

Re: Sharing internet to wireless router

@lifeafter2am, thanks for the tip. I did what you said, and I've managed to connect my laptop to my internet-enabled PC's webserver (Lighty) through the wireless router. I have no internet access from that network, so that's a WIP...