Anyone used ICS over WiFi

[offline]

It's been years since I've set up ICS over a network (and I recall the hair pulling) but I need to replace part of my old network so I thought I try a G or 108Mbs wireless setup.

Advice please (I'm a newbie at heart)

I want to connect 1 box to 2 wireless laptops. The Box must use XP.
The box is connected by 1G ethernet direct to a motorola 10mbs cable
modem (no router)** The House is a semi detached Victorian (triple
brick outside/ double brick inside + plaster) which is long but narrow.
All rooms serviced by a long corridor. The roof is iron.

Wireless laptop A is 30 meters way (home theatre pc, IBM Thinkpad, XP)
and laptop B is mobile (Toshiba Portege 3480ct, WIN 2000) and
will be up to 45 meters away. File access & internet are the only
shared items. Printers, scanner etc are on another network.

All machines to surf the web, all machines for file transfer, Laptop A
for multimedia streams.

Suggestions?

Do I need a WAP or can I get away with 1 PCI and two pcmcia
wireless ethernet cards in a simple peer to peer workgroup with ICS?
Same Q with the router. I don't want the net slowed on the Box.
What protcol? .11g ok or is 108mbs worth looking at? Might a
repeater help? or perhaps an external arial?

[Soopafresh]

I'd get a wireless router, especially since they're so dirt cheap these days.
11g is fine, unless you plan on doing a bunch of large file transfers between the machines . For streaming media, it should be fine, as long as the signal is strong. Assume the router will sit close to the DSL modem, unless you're willing to run a long patch cable, which defeats the purpose in the first place.

As far as distance is concerned, line of sight is always favorable. So many factors will influence your signal strength that it is almost impossible to know how things will work until you hook it all up. You can always add a repeater if the signal is weak. Just start with the WAP/Router and see if it works well on its own.

Setting it all up will be easy. There isn't any huge differentiation between brands of wireless products (no flames please, that's just one man's opinion), so anything from NetGear, D-Link, Linksys, etc will generally be fine. Some of the products are optimized to work with their own brand of NIC card and router (and especially repeater), so consider this when purchasing the hardware. D-Link and Linksys come to mind.

[offline]

Thanks, however...
I run VPN, I can't have SP1, LISTS nor do I want
a hard firewall. I also have a HEARTBEAT so
can't use a generic login. I also need about 25Mbs
at approx 70% according to my RF test and channel
bonding is out of the question where I'm at.

Again, any one done wireless ICS over a p2p workgroup at .11g
or 108?

[banger298]

semi detached Victorian (triple brick outside/ double brick inside + plaster.
round where i live they would tell you to us wires m8 because there is somthing in the brick or Density that stops the signal and Victorian bricks are a lot better than modern one for stopping the signal, can you get a sigal on a mobile phone if a weak one your very lucky the house's round me forget it

[offline]

It has original hawthorn bricks but suprisingly I get
full strength on the mobile, wireless doobell system
and cordless phone. I have an infra red remote radio
camera system and it works perfectly as well.

When I lived in a modern steel and brick house
with a steel roof and painted plaster board walls
and floor to ceiling windows I could never get a proper signal from anything.
Weird

-edit-

I've tested at 1.8-2.4Ghz and get 70% at worst. I should get around
20Mbs or higher but am not sure which way to go - PEER, WAP or ROUTER.

[devinemi83]

Yeah I would go wireless router. I just got one and couldnt be happier. I have it hooked through my cable modem, wired to my desktop and wireless G54Mbps to my laptop.


At walmart the WRT54 is like 65.00 now. It is EASY to install and configure as well. Avoid the motorola wireless routers, mine crapped out right out of the box as did all those of folks I know at school.

[offline]

Thanks for all your advice

It look like I'm routed (silly joke)
so now I'm chasing models and brands.

[Faustus]

Thats what I do. ICS over Wireless.

I set the router so that it doesn't do DHCP, you want it to be a wireless hub not a router. Now turn on ICS and that machine will handle handle the DHCP.

Easy stuff.

[vitualis]

Yes, ICS over Wi-Fi works fine. It works just like any other ethernet connection.

Having used ICS in its original incarnation on Win98SE, it works much better on Windows XP.

Regards.

[ofbarea]

If you guys still have the WRT54G please check this post: https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1420577&highlight=#1420577

[offline]

Just an update.

I installed a Netgear WGT624 108Mbs and two WG11T 108mbs pcima's. After returning the original router for a replacement, everything works fine after some tweaking with Atheros drivers etc. ( I decided to use the router direct to the cable modem, then to the server/hub linked to the XP box by giganet - so no ICS )

I'm getting a real world throughput of 39Mbs at 60db (with WPA) through out the main rooms, which I'm very happy with.

Thanks guys

[lambonut]

Thanks, however...
I run VPN, I can't have SP1, LISTS nor do I want
a hard firewall. I also have a HEARTBEAT so
can't use a generic login. I also need about 25Mbs
at approx 70% according to my RF test and channel
bonding is out of the question where I'm at.

Again, any one done wireless ICS over a p2p workgroup at .11g
or 108?

Yes, I have done it. I have only done it on XP so if you don't have XP I don't think I can help you.

You must use PPTP VPN connection.
Your IP scheme must be 192.168.0.*
Your Pc that is going to be sharing connection must have IP of 192.168.0.1
Your Default gateway must be the routers IP address
Your router must have DHCP disabled

Right-click on the VPN connection go to properties
Click on Advanced tab
Click on Allow other network users to connect through this computers internet connection.
Click on OK
Now your wireless computers will get their IP address from your PC, and share its connection as long as you are connected to the vpn.

Hope this makes sense.