FREE my LapTop please!

[SciFiSi]

The diagram below shows my current setup. I have one PC connected to the net with ICS enabled and the other PC's share the internet connection. The laptop is connected to the network via a network cable, which makes it not so mobile! The laptop is wireless enabled and I also have a wireless network card, but I'm unsure of where to put it in the system? I tried some time ago to put it in the PC connected to the USB modem and enable ICS but it would only allow me to enable ICS on one network card or the other.
Is there a way I can get rid of that wired connection to the laptop and still allow all the PC's and the LapTop to share the internet connection and mapped network drives?

Thanks in advance.
Simon.

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ------------
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |USB Modem |
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ------------
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|
` ` ` ` ` ` `--------------------
` ` ` ` ` ` `| PC1 with network |
` ` ` ` ` ` `|card. ICS enabled |
` ` ` ` ` ` `--------------------
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` -------
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |`HUB`|
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` -------
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `/`|`\
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` /``|``\
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `/```|```\
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` /````|````\
` ` ` ` ` ` ` `/`````|`````\
` ` ` ` `____/_``___|___``_\________
` ` ` ` `| PC2 |``| PC3 |``| LapTop |
` ` ` ` `--------``--------``------------

 

[BOKA]

If either PC2 or PC3 running WinXP, you can try setting up "network bridge". You could install that wireless card into one of them, setup bridging between wireless and wired cards and create ad-hoc network between wireless card on PC and on your laptop. This will, however, degrade performance.

I would go for a wireless router instead, that is, if your modem has an RJ-45 port. I have heard of some routers that have ethernet USB port, but have not actually seen one.

Good luck.

 

[PeterHurst]

In my Opinion you'd be better ditching the lot and going for a Router.

The PC on the end of the USB Modem is directly connected to the internet and susceptible to attack no matter how good the firewall/AV is. Having a NATing router with Wireless will make this as secure if not more so and will relieve the load on the gateway PC.

In addition you will remove complexity from the network and remove the reliance on the main PC being up to get access.

Furthermore you'll simplify the wireless setup and get better performance than the bridging option above (although a perfectly sound solution) as ad-hoc wireless card to card tends to be more unstable and lower range in my experience to using a router/ wireless network point.

 

[SciFiSi]

Thanks Boka & Peter Hurst for your replies.

I'll give you some more information....
All the PC's except the laptop are running windows 2000, the lap top has XP.
I saw the bridge network thingy whilst messing around with the laptop but there dosn't appear to be that feature on windows 2000.
The PC's are not very powerfull, hence windows 2000.
I need the one PC connected directly to the net as I run a QuakeIII server and need the IP address.
Since the 1st post I have installed the wireless card in PC1 with limited sucess. The LAN card (PC1) was set to 192.168.0.1 so I set the wireless card (PC1) to 192.168.5.1

I unplugged the LAN connection to the laptop and set the wireless card on the laptop to 192.168.5.5 and it connected!

From the laptop I was able to access the network drives that were mapped to pc1 but not to any others. I also couldn't get on the net.

The more I think and type the more I'm beginnning to understand that I need that bridge thingy on PC1, which I cant do cause it's running 2000.

any more suggestions? Is there a software solution to the network bridge?

Thanks in advance.