advanced internet sharing
May 30, 2010 12:10 PM Subscribe
Advanced internet sharing: I want to share my MacBook's wireless internet connection via ethernet to a Netgear router, which will then act as a wireless access point for other computers.
I'm temporarily without an internet connection but my MacBook can access an open wireless network fairly reliably, but only in one place in a somewhat inconvenient location in the living room. I can't reliably access open wireless networks elsewhere in the apartment nor with my netbook at all. The MacBook (Snow Leopard) can share its internet connection via ethernet. This works if I hook my netbook up to the MacBook via an ethernet cable but I've been unable to share the MacBook's connection with my router, a Netgear WGR614v7, to create a secondary wireless network piggybacking on the MacBook.
When I hook up the ethernet cable to the router, with internet sharing turned on, the MacBook still seems to think its looking for a connection on the ethernet port instead of giving the connection. The ethernet on the MB ends up saying "self-assigned ip" and an orange light on the router just blinks. I've got DHCP turned on both devices. I don't know if that's a problem, if there's some DNS problems, or something else. I've connected the MacBook to the Netgear's port labeled "Internet", where the router would ordinarily be connected to something like a cable/DSL modem.
It seems like it should be doable because I can successfully share the connection via ethernet with my netbook. Do I need to manually configure IP addresses? How do I make the MacBook be in charge?
I know there are routers that can act as wireless bridges to create a second LAN but my router doesn't have that feature and the v7 version of the model isn't supported by any aftermarket firmware so there's no adding functionality. I'm also not interested in buying another router or anything like a wireless extender. It's just a temporary situation as I was sharing internet with neighbors who moved out over the weekend. It may be up to a week before I can have a connection installed here.
I'd love to be able to leave the MacBook in the living room hooked up to the wireless router and surf in my bedroom on my netbook.
I'm temporarily without an internet connection but my MacBook can access an open wireless network fairly reliably, but only in one place in a somewhat inconvenient location in the living room. I can't reliably access open wireless networks elsewhere in the apartment nor with my netbook at all. The MacBook (Snow Leopard) can share its internet connection via ethernet. This works if I hook my netbook up to the MacBook via an ethernet cable but I've been unable to share the MacBook's connection with my router, a Netgear WGR614v7, to create a secondary wireless network piggybacking on the MacBook.
When I hook up the ethernet cable to the router, with internet sharing turned on, the MacBook still seems to think its looking for a connection on the ethernet port instead of giving the connection. The ethernet on the MB ends up saying "self-assigned ip" and an orange light on the router just blinks. I've got DHCP turned on both devices. I don't know if that's a problem, if there's some DNS problems, or something else. I've connected the MacBook to the Netgear's port labeled "Internet", where the router would ordinarily be connected to something like a cable/DSL modem.
It seems like it should be doable because I can successfully share the connection via ethernet with my netbook. Do I need to manually configure IP addresses? How do I make the MacBook be in charge?
I know there are routers that can act as wireless bridges to create a second LAN but my router doesn't have that feature and the v7 version of the model isn't supported by any aftermarket firmware so there's no adding functionality. I'm also not interested in buying another router or anything like a wireless extender. It's just a temporary situation as I was sharing internet with neighbors who moved out over the weekend. It may be up to a week before I can have a connection installed here.
I'd love to be able to leave the MacBook in the living room hooked up to the wireless router and surf in my bedroom on my netbook.
Response by poster: That's exactly how I'm doing it and it works for my netbook but not the router.
posted by 6550 at 1:00 PM on May 30, 2010
posted by 6550 at 1:00 PM on May 30, 2010
It should Just Work(TM) if you connect the Mac's Ethernet to the WAN port on the router. Turn on Internet Connection Sharing on the Mac: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8156.html
Turning on ICS will cause the Mac to behave as a server, assigning itself an IP address and assigning DHCP leases to clients (the router, in this case) connecting to it.
The router should then treat this as any other Internet connection.
What IP address is the Mac getting on the Ethernet port? 169.254.x.x, 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x or something else?
posted by Rendus at 1:00 PM on May 30, 2010
Turning on ICS will cause the Mac to behave as a server, assigning itself an IP address and assigning DHCP leases to clients (the router, in this case) connecting to it.
The router should then treat this as any other Internet connection.
What IP address is the Mac getting on the Ethernet port? 169.254.x.x, 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x or something else?
posted by Rendus at 1:00 PM on May 30, 2010
Response by poster: The IP address on the ethernet port is 169.254.159.25.
posted by 6550 at 1:30 PM on May 30, 2010
posted by 6550 at 1:30 PM on May 30, 2010
Best answer: No need to triple NAT things. The wireless connection you are trying to use is almost certainy behind a NATed firewall, and your Mac will create one too when you turn on Internet sharing. Turn on Internet sharing on the Mac, turn off DHCP on the router and plug the Mac in to one of the LAN (not WAN) ports on the router.
posted by Good Brain at 1:49 PM on May 30, 2010
posted by Good Brain at 1:49 PM on May 30, 2010
Response by poster: Trying a LAN port but the router doesn't seem to like it and says no internet connection detected.
posted by 6550 at 2:02 PM on May 30, 2010
posted by 6550 at 2:02 PM on May 30, 2010
Response by poster: Ran the router's setup wizard and it thinks the internet connection has a static ip. Assigned it an ip one number higher than the Macbook's self assigned ip address. Blinking orange light changed to solid green but there's no internet connection yet so I'm not sure that's the right direction.
posted by 6550 at 3:26 PM on May 30, 2010
posted by 6550 at 3:26 PM on May 30, 2010
Best answer: the router will not detect an internet connection. Just have it run the wireless radio, and turn off DHCP, your Mac will assign an address.
posted by defcom1 at 4:32 PM on May 30, 2010
posted by defcom1 at 4:32 PM on May 30, 2010
(oh, and plug it into the LAN port. You don't want the router part of the wireless / router doing it's thing. you just want a switch)
posted by defcom1 at 4:33 PM on May 30, 2010
posted by defcom1 at 4:33 PM on May 30, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks, Good Brain and defcom1! It took me awhile to understand what you were saying but I figured it out. Disabled dhcp on the router, connected the MacBook to lan, enabled internet sharing, and I've got wireless internets on my netbook. Yay!
posted by 6550 at 7:02 PM on May 30, 2010
posted by 6550 at 7:02 PM on May 30, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
FYI, this works to share the connection with my PC even when DHCP is enabled for both Ethernet and the Airport, though I haven't tested it to broadcast the connection back through a router.
posted by limeonaire at 12:43 PM on May 30, 2010