Cheapest way to connect to existing broadband link in same house.

sgould

sgould

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Brother-in Law has just upgraded from dial-up to broadband. The broadband ISP has supplied a "free connection kit" of one USB wired modem and one phone line filter. He uses a Packard Bell (Windows) computer (from PC World - UK) running XP.

I only visit half a dozen times a year, usually for a weekend, and would like to share the link with my iBook. Up to now I have found a neighbour's unprotected wi-fi link, but this no longer works :( . I will be in a different room to his computer and link.

Can someone confirm that the only (and cheapest way) for me to connect is to replace his USB modem with a wi-fi router?

There is a phone socket in the room I use, but I assume that I can't connect two modems to one b/band line, whether I use filters or not.
 
You could add a wireless access point to the existing modem. You would have to configure the new wireless router for the DSL connection (username/password, etc) and then plug the PC into one of the LAN ports on the access point. This configuration assumes that the PC has an Ethernet adapater. Otherwise you could run an ethernet patch cable to the PC and use Internet connection sharing.

-ken
 
It's not the only way, or the cheapest, but if you had your own Airport Express and carried it with your kit, you could connect to his machine by ethernet with internet sharing on.

I carry my Express with me and it makes life easy. An it usually wows the hosts to see their USB printer get shared and wireless tunes if they have a decent sound system.
 
Thanks!

I like the idea of the Airport Express that I could take anywhere.

I was thinking that I would have to buy a wireless router for him. I started to worry when I said I could change his USB modem for an ethernet box, and he said "What's ethernet?"
 
NP
You'll probably want to make yourself familiar with the process of sharing a connection in XP. On the Mac, it's simple. On the PC - it's simple too, just not obvious.
 
Any tips on where to look?

I have managed to transfer files between my Mac and an IBM ThinkPad before, but never shared a connection through a computer. Only shared at the router.

I'd hate to set something up that causes problems when I connect/disconnect or after I've left and come home. Brother-in-law is 150 miles away!!
 
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