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Once you’ve got your wireless network set up, I’ve no doubt that one of the first things you’ll want to do with it is share an Internet connection — after all, that’s why most home users put in a wireless network to begin with. Well, the good news is that Windows has Internet Connection Sharing built in. The bad news is that setting it up can sometimes be a little less than fun.

The problem is that the Internet Connection Sharing Wizards that come with Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows Me don’t work very well, and in some cases, can break your existing Internet Connection. The good news is that it’s not that hard to set up, as long as you do it properly.

How Internet Connection Sharing Works

When you set up Internet Connection Sharing, you set up one of your computers as a ‘gateway’ to the Internet, and then use this gateway to access the Internet with your other computers. Essentially, requests for data from the Internet are being sent out through the gateway, and the responses are being sent back across the network (’routed’) back to your computer. The gateway computer is still the only one that’s directly connected to the Internet.

If you have trouble visualising what’s happening, imagine for a second that the computers are people. Let’s call the computer-people Bob, Fred and Alice. They’re all in a bar together, but Bob is the only one with money for drinks (we could say he has a ‘connection’ to the bar). Fred and Alice can ask Bob to buy them a drink, and Bob can bring over the drinks, for them to have as they usually would. At no point, however, can Fred or Alice go and order a drink at the bar.

Setting It Up: The Gateway

Note: this guide assumes that you have already set up your wireless network, but you have not connected it to the Internet yet.

The computer with the modem connected to it is the one you need to set up first — as the gateway, it’s going to be providing Internet access to all your other computers. On this computer, go to the Control Panel, then click Network Connections. From here, you can run the Network Setup Wizard by clicking ‘Set up a home or small office network’.

Click next through the wizard until you get to a screen called ‘Select a connection method’. On this screen you need to select ‘This computer connects directly to the Internet. The other computers on my network connect to the Internet through this computer’. From here on, you should be able to click next again until you get to the finish. Say ‘yes’ to turn on file and printer sharing when you’re prompted.

Your computer is now ready to be a gateway to the Internet.

The Network

The next step is setting up the other computers on your network to make use of the gateway you just created. Run the Network Setup Wizard on each of these computers, but this time through choose ‘This computer connects to the Internet through another computer on my network or through a residential gateway’.

If the computer that will now be using a shared Internet connection was using a dial-up connection before, then there are a few things left to do — you need to change some settings in the web browser Open Internet Explorer, then go to the Options screen (in the Tools menu). Click the Connections tab. You should click ‘never dial a connection’, and untick three boxes: ‘automatically detect settings’, ‘use automatic configuration script’ and ‘use a proxy server’.

The Trouble With Internet Connection Sharing

To go back to our bar for a moment, imagine Bob leaves. Oh dear. Looks like Fred and Alice can’t get any more drinks, doesn’t it? The same thing applies to the computers on your network — if the gateway computer is switched off, they will lose all their access to the Internet.

That’s not the only problem, though. While Internet Connection Sharing works fine for the web and email, it can be more problematic when it comes to doing other things. Downloading files from filesharing networks, for example, or using videoconferencing, requires you to mess around with the gateway computer’s settings. After a while, it can get quite frustrating. If you’re in this position, you should really try a wireless router — see our article ‘Create Always-On Networks with a Wireless Router’.

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Many people are afraid to consider a wireless router because wireless routers are relatively new technology. But wireless routers can really simplify Internet access in your home, small business, or large company.

With a regular Windows Internet network you are easily able to access the Internet from any of your computers that are connected to the Network. Most small businesses are extremely happy with this type of set up. The problem that many businesses run into is that the modem has to be on before any of the other computers are able to get Internet.

For businesses that are use to turning off all their equipment in the evenings, remembering to turn the modem on in the mornings can become an ongoing issue.
Sometimes employees may even spend hours with technical support trying to figure out why their Internet is not working, when the problem is simply that the modem was never turned on. A wireless router can solve this dilemma very inexpensively.

With a wireless Internet router all your computers can have Internet accesses easily without worrying about the modem computer being turned on first. Plus employee laptops can easily access reports and other business material without first having to save information to a disk and transfer it to their office computer.

When looking for a wireless router you need to look for both price and quality. You definitely do not want to skimp on this piece of equipment. Look at the speed of the router as well as its range. You want to make sure that you choose a router that will be able to handle the Internet access for all your office computers, this means finding a router that has enough speed to comfortably keep all your employees connected to the Internet at the same time.

Residential customers and very small businesses are all finding the convenience of wireless Internet a great thing. The easy of use that a wireless router provides is perfect for almost any person or business. Plus you don’t have to be a technical genius to install a wireless router at home or in a business.

Most wireless routers simply get plugged into a hi-speed Internet line and you go through a basic step by step computer set up. Some computers don’t even need a set up process and they will automatically recognize the wireless router and connect to it.

After plugging in your wireless router you might need to have a brief conversation with your Internet provider to register your device and confirm your set up. But after that, you are really off and running. You can connect as many computers as you would like to your system and easily use laptops throughout the office. Plus you will no longer be wasting man hours trying to figure out why your Internet is not working, when the problems was simply that the main modem computer had not been turned on yet.

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Today’s internet is a great place to find useful information but most people are on dial up. If you are in an area that offers broadband, you should make the switch soon. One of the first differences you will notice is that you no longer need to dial in to get on the internet. The moment you turn on the computer, you are online. In fact, you are always online and that’s a big time saver. The next change you will notice is how fast web pages load, about 1 to 5 seconds. It takes 10 to 20 seconds to load an entire page on dial up.

Now, this may encourage you get broadband sooner. When it comes to downloading something on dial up, you have to wait a short while for small files and longer for larger files like software. With broadband, it takes 5 to 10 minutes for a music file, which takes about 30 minutes on dial up.

Another good reason to switch to broadband, is the missed phone calls you get on dial up. An extra phone is the only way to get calls that can’t be received due to the dial up connection. Broadband helps in more ways than you think. If you have two computers or more, why not share the internet with a home network. Now you can surf the web and let someone else surf too. You have the option of wired or wireless. Wireless is the way to go if you have another computer in another room far away in your home.

Having broadband can also help you download the Windows updates you must download to keep your computer safe. Downloading these files on dial up can take one full day. Broadband will download these file in half the time. But with broadband you are going to want to have a great firewall and virus protection since you are always online. You can get a virus at anytime, so get the most up to date software.

If you are an online gamer, then broadband is great for that too. You can play people in a lag free game. When you change to broadband, you will wonder why you have not tried it sooner. Your options for broadband are cable and DSL. Cable is supplied by your cable company. DSL is supplied by your phone company. If you have the option to get either, you should get DSL. It is faster than cable.

If you can’t get broadband in your area, there is another option. It is called satellite internet. It is basically the same as cable or DSL. The speed may not be as fast, but you will notice the difference when you get it. Another difference is the price, which includes equipment, installation fee, and service. It is worth it to be able to save time loading pages and downloading files. Now you know the benefits of having broadband, decide if you should try it.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Broadband
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