Wifi laptop as gateway

[mc2fool]

I commented a while back that I have a backup broadband connection in the sense that my neighbour and I have each others' wifi credentials and have used them when one of our lines has broken.

Well, that's fine for the wifi devices, which are my laptop and phone, and the laptop being one means that I can get on with most things, browsing & email (IMAP) of course, and most file editing, etc, as all of my "user" files are on either cloud storage or LAN storage and so are accessible from both my desktop and laptop which, other than being W10Pro & W10Home respectively, are more or less clones of each other in most ways.

However, my ethernet connected desktop is dual headed, which is much preferable to the small laptop screen for any "serious" work, and my TV and YouView box are also connected to the router by ethernet (although the TV also has wifi).

So, I was wondering if there was some quick and easy way I could get the devices that are hardwired into my router to access the internet via wifi to the laptop and then on to my neighbour's wifi. I.e.

Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-wifi-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->

(FWIW, the wiring is slightly more complex than implied by the above, as there's a NAS, an all-but-retired XP box, and an ethernet hub involved too.)

[swill453]

Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-wifi-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->

Sorry I don't have an answer, though it sounds plausible.

However if it is possible, it seems to me you could simplify it by removing your laptop from the chain. If your router can connect to wifi, then it would/should be able to connect directly to your neighbour's wifi.

Scott.

[Itsallaguess]

However, my ethernet connected desktop is dual headed, which is much preferable to the small laptop screen for any "serious" work, and my TV and YouView box are also connected to the router by ethernet (although the TV also has wifi).

So, I was wondering if there was some quick and easy way I could get the devices that are hardwired into my router to access the internet via wifi to the laptop and then on to my neighbour's wifi. I.e.

Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-wifi-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->

(FWIW, the wiring is slightly more complex than implied by the above, as there's a NAS, an all-but-retired XP box, and an ethernet hub involved too.)

Wouldn't it be simpler to purchase a wifi dongle for the PC, programmed to connect to your neighbour's broadband connection, and only used when necessary, and then put a spare wifi range-extender with ethernet port behind the TV, and program that to connect to your neighbour's broadband too?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Extender-Broadband-Ethernet-TL-WA850RE/dp/B00AHXXJVW

Then just use your desktop wireless dongle when disaster strikes, and swap the ethernet cable at the back of the TV at the same time....If you need more than one ethernet connection off the range-extender, then just buy a cheap 5-port switch...

I suspect that any other more robust solution will still require a range-extender (to obtain an ethernet connection into your neighbour's wireless network) and then an extra router to deal with that 'rogue' (at that point...) ethernet connection, and even then your current router might not be able to then handle the layer-3 network processing that might be necessary to deal with two wired networks being used at once....

That feels like a lot of hard work for something that might be able to be solved with £40 worth of wireless-dongle and range-extender...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[mc2fool]

However if it is possible, it seems to me you could simplify it by removing your laptop from the chain. If your router can connect to wifi, then it would/should be able to connect directly to your neighbour's wifi.

That's an interesting idea but I don't see anything in the router's setup that looks like it'd enable me to do that. (It's a Huawei HG635)

Wouldn't it be simpler to purchase a wifi dongle for the PC

Not simpler than a quick & easy software solution I'd have thought -- if one exists that is.

I had considered a dongle, and indeed you can get one pretty cheaply, and I must admit it hadn't occurred to me that wifi range extenders with an ethernet port would actually be cheaper than simple wifi-ethernet adaptors! at least of the ones I found.

An extender isn't needed, per se; as I mentioned the TV (but not the YouView box) has wifi as well as ethernet and, while it's normally hardwired into my router, I can connect to my neighbour's wifi and watch iPlayer with it no problem. We're in adjacent flats and there's only one brick and two plasterboard walls between them.

Anyway, as I say, I was hoping for a quick & easy software solution, and I suspect (but am not sure) that I might be able to at least achieve a no extra hardware solution by unplugging my ethernet hub from the router and plugging it into the laptop instead. So:

1st choice: Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-wifi-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->
2nd choice: Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->

All depending on the possibility and faff factors with the software setup of course. Not sure how to do either....

[ReformedCharacter]

I commented a while back that I have a backup broadband connection in the sense that my neighbour and I have each others' wifi credentials and have used them when one of our lines has broken.

Well, that's fine for the wifi devices, which are my laptop and phone, and the laptop being one means that I can get on with most things, browsing & email (IMAP) of course, and most file editing, etc, as all of my "user" files are on either cloud storage or LAN storage and so are accessible from both my desktop and laptop which, other than being W10Pro & W10Home respectively, are more or less clones of each other in most ways.

However, my ethernet connected desktop is dual headed, which is much preferable to the small laptop screen for any "serious" work, and my TV and YouView box are also connected to the router by ethernet (although the TV also has wifi).

So, I was wondering if there was some quick and easy way I could get the devices that are hardwired into my router to access the internet via wifi to the laptop and then on to my neighbour's wifi. I.e.

Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-wifi-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->

(FWIW, the wiring is slightly more complex than implied by the above, as there's a NAS, an all-but-retired XP box, and an ethernet hub involved too.)

Provided that you get a decent signal between your router and your neighbour's router you should be able (I think) to set up your router in bridge mode (the manual for your router shows this option). This guide may be helpful, you would want 'method 2' for a wireless connection between the two routers:

https://www.wikihow.com/Connect-Two-Routers

In principle that should work but I'm unsure whether you would need to reconfigure your connected devices, DHCP for example. It might be worth a try to see if it works without too much hassle otherwise you might find Itsallaguess's option more practical.

RC

[mc2fool]

...you should be able (I think) to set up your router in bridge mode (the manual for your router shows this option)

Where did you find the manual for my router, please?

[ReformedCharacter]

...you should be able (I think) to set up your router in bridge mode (the manual for your router shows this option)

Where did you find the manual for my router, please?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... q7phdqULDZ

HTH

RC

[mc2fool]

Where did you find the manual for my router, please?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... q7phdqULDZ

Thanks, but that's for the HG658c, mine is an HG635 and the UI is quite different ... and that HG658c manual doesn't actually say how to set up a bridge on it anyway, just that the internet led will be off if it's in bridge mode! (And the examples are for Windows XP!!)

1st choice: Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-wifi-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->
2nd choice: Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->

The more I think about it the more I suspect that the stumbling block for choice 1 will be only being able to connect the laptop to one wifi network at a time (as it has only one wifi adaptor). I could, however, as well as choice 2 also have:

3: Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-ethernet-> Laptop <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN->

I get the feeling I should be able to do 2 and/or 3 with ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) but I can't figure out the correct setup from what I've read online.

[ReformedCharacter]

Thanks, but that's for the HG658c, mine is an HG635 and the UI is quite different ... and that HG658c manual doesn't actually say how to set up a bridge on it anyway, just that the internet led will be off if it's in bridge mode! (And the examples are for Windows XP!!)

Sorry, that's careless of me.

RC

[mc2fool]

Thanks, but that's for the HG658c, mine is an HG635 and the UI is quite different ... and that HG658c manual doesn't actually say how to set up a bridge on it anyway, just that the internet led will be off if it's in bridge mode! (And the examples are for Windows XP!!)

Sorry, that's careless of me.

No worries, effort gratefully received.

[UncleEbenezer]

What you're asking is nonstandard, and likely to call for some fairly serious hacking.

However, you mention having a 'phone that connects. I suggest tethering your computer to the 'phone via USB, which is a standard thing to do and supported by 'phones as standard.

[mc2fool]

However, you mention having a 'phone that connects. I suggest tethering your computer to the 'phone via USB, which is a standard thing to do and supported by 'phones as standard.

What, so:

Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-wifi-> Laptop <-USB-> Phone <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN-> ?

Wow, hadn't thought of that!

[UncleEbenezer]

However, you mention having a 'phone that connects. I suggest tethering your computer to the 'phone via USB, which is a standard thing to do and supported by 'phones as standard.

What, so:

Desktop/TV/YouView Box <-ethernet-> my router <-wifi-> Laptop <-USB-> Phone <-wifi-> neighbour's router <-WAN-> ?

Wow, hadn't thought of that!

Huh? Who said anything about involving your router and laptop? Doesn't the latter have its own wifi if you want to use that?
Maybe I misread what you were asking: I thought you just wanted to connect a wifi-less device through wifi?

[mc2fool]

Maybe I misread what you were asking: I thought you just wanted to connect a wifi-less device through wifi?

No, I want to connect all of my ethernet devices through wifi. Basically I want to connect my entire LAN to my neighbour's router.

[Braziers]

Unless I've misunderstood, this should be the solution

How to use a router as a repeater

https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/ne ... r-3633135/

Repeat the signal from the neighbours wifi, which will broadcast their signal around your house. I'm sure the ethernet plugged into your router will then distribute the signal too.

[Infrasonic]

A decent travel router might be able to do what you want, as the better ones are generally designed for multiple WAN (ISP) sources (Ethernet wired/WiFi/4G et al) to cope with the variable ISP availability options when travelling.

[mc2fool]

Well I got it half working by simply connecting the laptop to my neighbour's WiFi and to my LAN ethernet, and then in Network Connections selecting to Bridge Connections between the WiFi and ethernet adapters.

At that point I could see my neighbour's router from my ethernet-connected desktop and bring up its web interface. However, while I could get to the internet from my laptop, I couldn't do so from the desktop.

I tried with my router still on my LAN (but phone line disconnected) and without the router on the LAN and with and without static IPs on each and both of the adapters in (I think) all combinations, but no luck.

This article, https://www.windowscentral.com/how-set-and-manage-network-bridge-connection-windows-10, says that "the device connected to the bridge port should have access to the network and internet with the IP address information coming from the router, but the computer hosting the bridge won't be able to access the internet unless you have a third network adapter that is also connected to the network or a static IP address".

However I found exactly the opposite, the laptop (the computer hosting the bridge) could get to the internet without setting up a static IP address and the desktop couldn't no matter what I tried (but, as I say, could get to the neighbour's router).

I've run out of faffing time for today now, so that's where it's at ....

[ReformedCharacter]

Well I got it half working by simply connecting the laptop to my neighbour's WiFi and to my LAN ethernet, and then in Network Connections selecting to Bridge Connections between the WiFi and ethernet adapters.

At that point I could see my neighbour's router from my ethernet-connected desktop and bring up its web interface. However, while I could get to the internet from my laptop, I couldn't do so from the desktop.

I tried with my router still on my LAN (but phone line disconnected) and without the router on the LAN and with and without static IPs on each and both of the adapters in (I think) all combinations, but no luck.

This article, https://www.windowscentral.com/how-set-and-manage-network-bridge-connection-windows-10, says that "the device connected to the bridge port should have access to the network and internet with the IP address information coming from the router, but the computer hosting the bridge won't be able to access the internet unless you have a third network adapter that is also connected to the network or a static IP address".

However I found exactly the opposite, the laptop (the computer hosting the bridge) could get to the internet without setting up a static IP address and the desktop couldn't no matter what I tried (but, as I say, could get to the neighbour's router).

I've run out of faffing time for today now, so that's where it's at ....

Faffing is good

If you are using a laptop with a wireless and a cable connection that gives you 2 adaptors which should do what you want to do, the article says how to change the network settings to do that, however if I understand correctly your desktop (which I assume is connected to your LAN as usual) can see your neighbour's router but cannot access the Internet. I'm pretty sure that you would need to set the Gateway on your desktop's network settings to use the IP address of your neighbour's router in order to connect to the Internet. I think that is under 'Advanced' as shown as a button on one of the images in the article you refer to.

RC

[mc2fool]

however if I understand correctly your desktop (which I assume is connected to your LAN as usual) can see your neighbour's router but cannot access the Internet. I'm pretty sure that you would need to set the Gateway on your desktop's network settings to use the IP address of your neighbour's router in order to connect to the Internet.

Ah, an interesting suggestion. Yes, you understand correctly. I'd rather assumed that the bridge would propagate the gateway, DNS, etc, IPs across/through it, but we all know the problem with assumptions! I'll check it out first thing in my next round of faffing...