using WinXP box as a WAP?

Hi,

I have a WinXP box connected to the corporate LAN at work - it's a
laptop and I also have a WiFi card installed.

Here's the thing: I have a brand new PDA with built-in WiFi, but no WAP
anywhere near my office, so I'd like to use the WiFi card in my laptop
both for PDA-laptop sync, and to access the Internet from the PDA -
i.e., I'd like to use the laptop as a WAP.

As far as I can tell, Internet Connection Sharing is no help here - it
doesn't work with static IP addresses.

So... is there some other approach I can use to turn my WinXP box into
a simple NAT router that can support my PDA via ad hoc networking -
including providing DHCP and DNS?

Thanks much,

Miles

Fidelman.Miles

Hi

If it is an office situation, you should not do it on your own. By setting
a Wireless Connection that taps into your office Network, you might
jeopardize the security of the Network.

Jack (MVP-Networking).



"Fidelman.Miles" <> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
> Hi,
>
> I have a WinXP box connected to the corporate LAN at work - it's a
> laptop and I also have a WiFi card installed.
>
> Here's the thing: I have a brand new PDA with built-in WiFi, but no WAP
> anywhere near my office, so I'd like to use the WiFi card in my laptop
> both for PDA-laptop sync, and to access the Internet from the PDA -
> i.e., I'd like to use the laptop as a WAP.
>
> As far as I can tell, Internet Connection Sharing is no help here - it
> doesn't work with static IP addresses.
>
> So... is there some other approach I can use to turn my WinXP box into
> a simple NAT router that can support my PDA via ad hoc networking -
> including providing DHCP and DNS?
>
> Thanks much,
>
> Miles
>

Jack \(MVP-Networking\).

"Fidelman.Miles" <> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
> Hi,
>
> I have a WinXP box connected to the corporate LAN at work - it's a
> laptop and I also have a WiFi card installed.
>
> Here's the thing: I have a brand new PDA with built-in WiFi, but no WAP
> anywhere near my office, so I'd like to use the WiFi card in my laptop
> both for PDA-laptop sync, and to access the Internet from the PDA -
> i.e., I'd like to use the laptop as a WAP.
>
> As far as I can tell, Internet Connection Sharing is no help here - it
> doesn't work with static IP addresses.

Sorry but wrong. ICS *DOES* work with static IP addresses. Used it that way
for years before coughin up for a router. The reason I intentionally set ALL
my own network IPs static is that I cut the time it takes for the network to
become active to about 5 seconds or less.

>
> So... is there some other approach I can use to turn my WinXP box into
> a simple NAT router that can support my PDA via ad hoc networking -
> including providing DHCP and DNS?
>

You do it this way:

You share the connection via the icon that exists in your networking that
connects to your PDA (in my case, I share the Bluetooth connection when
doing it that way though recently I got a wi-fi card and now go through the
router) and I set the IP number for that device and share the connection.
You do NOT put a default gateway in when changing to ICS in this case. You
can also decide not to manually assign IP if you like.

Also, Activesync (if you are using that) to Sync with your computer and PDA
doesn't work over networking since version 3.8. That was a Microsoft
decision unfortunately. You can STILL, though, activesync via bluetooth and
then can use the wi-fi section to connect to a router (or to the computer
for ICS) to use Internet or connect to the computer on your LAN in order to
exchange files etc.

Diamontina Cocktail

"Jack (MVP-Networking)." <> wrote in message
news:%...
> Hi
>
> If it is an office situation, you should not do it on your own. By
> setting a Wireless Connection that taps into your office Network, you
> might jeopardize the security of the Network.
>

Even though it is relatively easy to defeat, a properly set up office will
have an access list set up to reject MACs that are not in the list so it
should not be able to connect at all, ideally.

Diamontina Cocktail

Diamontina Cocktail wrote:
> "Fidelman.Miles" <> wrote in message
> news: oups.com...
> > Hi,
> >
> > I have a WinXP box connected to the corporate LAN at work - it's a
> > laptop and I also have a WiFi card installed.
> >
> > Here's the thing: I have a brand new PDA with built-in WiFi, but no WAP
> > anywhere near my office, so I'd like to use the WiFi card in my laptop
> > both for PDA-laptop sync, and to access the Internet from the PDA -
> > i.e., I'd like to use the laptop as a WAP.
> >
> > As far as I can tell, Internet Connection Sharing is no help here - it
> > doesn't work with static IP addresses.
>
> Sorry but wrong. ICS *DOES* work with static IP addresses. Used it that way
> for years before coughin up for a router. The reason I intentionally set ALL
> my own network IPs static is that I cut the time it takes for the network to
> become active to about 5 seconds or less.
>
> >
> > So... is there some other approach I can use to turn my WinXP box into
> > a simple NAT router that can support my PDA via ad hoc networking -
> > including providing DHCP and DNS?
> >
>
> You do it this way:
>
> You share the connection via the icon that exists in your networking that
> connects to your PDA (in my case, I share the Bluetooth connection when
> doing it that way though recently I got a wi-fi card and now go through the
> router) and I set the IP number for that device and share the connection.
> You do NOT put a default gateway in when changing to ICS in this case. You
> can also decide not to manually assign IP if you like.
>
> Also, Activesync (if you are using that) to Sync with your computer and PDA
> doesn't work over networking since version 3.8. That was a Microsoft
> decision unfortunately. You can STILL, though, activesync via bluetooth and
> then can use the wi-fi section to connect to a router (or to the computer
> for ICS) to use Internet or connect to the computer on your LAN in order to
> exchange files etc.

Got it to work. Looks like the driver for my wireless card picks up a
weird IP address - not sure why. If I turn ICS off and back on, after
turning on the wireless card, then it picks up the proper 192.168.0.1
IP and everything works.

FYI: my PDA isn't a windows one - it's a Nokia 770 (Linux) - so syncing
is a completely different affair.

Thanks all,

Miles

Fidelman.Miles