2 laptops for the price of one on one hotel wifi
Discussion
I'm travelling next week with a colleague and we will both be using hotel wifi. Is there a cheap way we can buy one wifi connection and link both laptops to it?
My guess would be one person buys the connection and logs on and via a wifi router shares the connection to the other. I'm assuming our rooms will be close but not necessarily adjacent so wired is probably out.
What I'm after is being able to use Skype to save the cost of phone calls so providing the solution doesn't cost more than £30 it will be worth doing.
Leo
My guess would be one person buys the connection and logs on and via a wifi router shares the connection to the other. I'm assuming our rooms will be close but not necessarily adjacent so wired is probably out.
What I'm after is being able to use Skype to save the cost of phone calls so providing the solution doesn't cost more than £30 it will be worth doing.
Leo
You will still have to pay for the hotel wireless connections anyway so I can't really see how it can be viable by the time the additional hardware is purchased.
How much is wireless access per day? because if it will cost less than 30 in total then just using the two connections would be preferable.
Why not just set-up in one of the rooms or preferably the bar?
How much is wireless access per day? because if it will cost less than 30 in total then just using the two connections would be preferable.
Why not just set-up in one of the rooms or preferably the bar?
If your lappy has inbuilt wifi and you have a spare PCMIA wifi adaptor, its simple.
Just set up the lappy with two nic's using Windoze network connection wizard, and stipulate that this machine is connected to a router (pick other in the setup wizard as the options on the next page), so that this pc gets its wifi through the hotel router..
Now run the wizard again (using internet sharing) from the other pc and tell it that it gets its inernet connection from the first laptop.. but connect to it using the PCMCIA card.. job done.
You don't have to use PCMCIA you could use a USB dongle.
Just set up the lappy with two nic's using Windoze network connection wizard, and stipulate that this machine is connected to a router (pick other in the setup wizard as the options on the next page), so that this pc gets its wifi through the hotel router..
Now run the wizard again (using internet sharing) from the other pc and tell it that it gets its inernet connection from the first laptop.. but connect to it using the PCMCIA card.. job done.
You don't have to use PCMCIA you could use a USB dongle.
Plotloss said:
You could connect laptops to each other with wire and then bridge the wifi connection onto the wire connection in XP
But presumably if you each need to buy wifi time for work then work are paying, so it doesnt actually matter.
I'll take some string just in case we have adjacent rooms but it's unlikely. Work are not paying for the connections BTW.But presumably if you each need to buy wifi time for work then work are paying, so it doesnt actually matter.
If both laptops have ethernet ports then you could share the WiFi access.
Link the two laptops via an ethernet cross-over cable, establish the wireless connection. Then turn on Internet Connection Sharing on the WiFi enabled unit.
On the second laptop open it's network properties and set the laptop to pull an IP & DNS via DHCP (Windows calls it 'Automatically Assigned').
This *should* work for basic web and e-mail although anything complex like VPN's and your mileage will vary.
Of course if it's on the expense account, go get some hookers and blow... just make sure you get a reciept!
Link the two laptops via an ethernet cross-over cable, establish the wireless connection. Then turn on Internet Connection Sharing on the WiFi enabled unit.
On the second laptop open it's network properties and set the laptop to pull an IP & DNS via DHCP (Windows calls it 'Automatically Assigned').
This *should* work for basic web and e-mail although anything complex like VPN's and your mileage will vary.
Of course if it's on the expense account, go get some hookers and blow... just make sure you get a reciept!
ThePassenger said:
...Of course if it's on the expense account, go get some hookers and blow... just make sure you get a reciept!
Unfortunately those good old days of easy care-free expense accounts are long over. As said before I'll take wire but it won't be much use if we get rooms across the corridor! Unless we fancy clotheslining the maid. Not sure what that's a euphamism for but hay ho.SS HSV said:
If your lappy has inbuilt wifi and you have a spare PCMIA wifi adaptor, its simple.
Just set up the lappy with two nic's using Windoze network connection wizard, and stipulate that this machine is connected to a router (pick other in the setup wizard as the options on the next page), so that this pc gets its wifi through the hotel router..
Now run the wizard again (using internet sharing) from the other pc and tell it that it gets its inernet connection from the first laptop.. but connect to it using the PCMCIA card.. job done.
You don't have to use PCMCIA you could use a USB dongle.
Just set up the lappy with two nic's using Windoze network connection wizard, and stipulate that this machine is connected to a router (pick other in the setup wizard as the options on the next page), so that this pc gets its wifi through the hotel router..
Now run the wizard again (using internet sharing) from the other pc and tell it that it gets its inernet connection from the first laptop.. but connect to it using the PCMCIA card.. job done.
You don't have to use PCMCIA you could use a USB dongle.
As mentioned, you need to set up an ad-hoc wireless link between your laptops, then one of the laptops requires a second WiFi connection to the hotel AP which you share across the adhoc link.
Don't forget to run your adhoc link on a different channel to the hotel AP. Also with this method it would make sense to get your adhoc connection going before you set off and determine just how far the link will operate. Wireless hardware in laptops is not renown for having good antennas and doesn't tend to work too well through lots of walls or over long distances.
ThePassenger said:
leorest said:
Well that's nadgered that one. Just got an email from said colleague and he's killed his laptop. Thanks for the ideas I'll bear it in mind for the future.
Get him an account on PH we *might* be able to get it going for him again lol. PH: Computers matter
Simon said:
Sorry, but I totally trashed my laptop. Ended up looking like I'd thrown it from a great height.
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