Internet Connection Sharing Tips

This post is long overdue and should have been posted a month and a half ago. For that, I apologize. But the important thing is I’m back! Alright, let’s try to pick up where we left off. Many of you who read my guide to sharing your 3G internet connection sharing on Windows XP over WiFi had encountered some issues with gaining internet access from the host PC. Here are some comments from the previous post:

• @GeoSpike said: I have an MSI Wind U100, Asus EEE PC 1000H and Sun Wireless Broadband Postpaid. I followed the steps and got both netbooks connected wirelessly….I can browse the Internet on the notebook directly connected to the Sun 3G modem. I can’t browse on the other notebook sharing the Internet connection wirelessly….I was able to browse the other netbook’s folders and open files (by enabling Folder Sharing) wirelessly….It’s only the Internet browsing on the other notebook that is not working.
• @Mavie said: I can connect to the adhoc with the other PC but not to the internet, please help. Thanks.
• @Francis Castell said: ….I then tried to connect my mobile phone and it was able to detect and connect to the ad hoc network, but cannot able to surf the internet….

Based on the aforementioned comments, almost everyone was able to create the ad hoc network, and their devices were able to detect the ad hoc network. The problem is, the devices could not access the internet even though the host PC can. And here is the solution that I found, based on my own experience:

1. After having set up your wireless network, and having connected to your 3G internet provider, verify your internet connection’s IP address.

2. Manually set the IP address of your wireless network to be similar to that of the 3G internet connection’s IP address

3. After setting the host PC’s IP address. Make sure that your guest devices are set to automatically obtain IP address.

There you have. Following these steps after setting up your ad hoc network should make your 3G internet connection available to guest devices.

On my Mac at home, I applied the above steps and every one around the house get to enjoy the internet connection that I share. My housemates’ PSP, Nokia 5800, and my iPod touch are all able to surf the internet using the Mac’s Internet Sharing.

I was also able to test this on my fiance’s XP laptop but that laptop is now gone. Hence, the delay in publishing this post. If you are still having problems with Internet Connection Sharing, some of these options might seem viable to you:

1. Sun Broadband’s Plan 1399 - already includes a wireless router
2. Smart Bro Share It Plan 999 - also includes a wireless router
3. Get a wired broadband service, buy a wireless router, and set it up
4. Get a Mac, use its Internet Sharing feature

But of course, if Internet Connection Sharing works for you, why bother fixing it?