Windows Vista Internet Connection Sharing

Windows vista and XP internet connection sharing.

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) enables a Windows computer to share its Internet connection with computers on local area networks. It's been around since Windows 98 SE, and with the launch of Windows XP, it's only gotten better.

Windows Vista or XP ICS has some notable advantages over the versions of ICS in Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows Me:
It's easier to set up. There's no software to install, and it doesn't add any network components or protocols. 
It's much more reliable and much less likely to cause network problems.
You can create a Network Bridge connecting two or more local area networks and share the Internet connection with the computers on all of them. This is especially useful if your XP computer is connected to both a wired and wireless network.
ICS client computers can use XP's Internet Gateway to monitor and control the server computer's Internet connection. If you have a dial-up connection, you can connect and disconnect when deciding whether to enable ICS.

However, XP ICS is missing some features of those earlier versions. You can't disable the DHCP server, change the server computer's IP address, or change the range of addresses allocated by the DHCP server. 

Consider these points when deciding whether to enable ICS.

WARNING #1: When you enable ICS, the network adapter connected to the local area network is assigned a static IP address of 192.168.0.1. The client computers are assigned other IP addresses in the 192.168.0.x range. These addresses may not be compatible with an existing network

WARNING #2: Don't enable ICS if any computer in your network is configured as a domain controller, DHCP server, or DNS server. Don't enable it if another computer is running ICS or Network Address Translation (NAT).

WARNING #3: To enable ICS, you must be logged on as a user that is a member of the Administrators group.

WARNING #4: If you establish a Virtual Private Networking (VPN) connection while sharing a different connection, the client computers won't be able to access the Internet until the VPN connection is ended.
Preparing for ICS 

The ICS server computer must have two network connections: one for the Internet, and one for the local area network. The Internet connection may be a dial-up (PPP or ISDN), cable modem, DSL, or other broadband Ethernet connection. The LAN connection may be a wired, wireless, or even a USB Ethernet connection. Before enabling ICS:
Set up your Internet connection and test it so that you know you can connect to the Internet.
Decide whether to allow client computers to control the server's Internet connection using the Internet Gateway. This feature is automatically available on clients running Windows XP. On clients running Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows Me, you must run XP's Network Setup Wizard to enable the gateway. If you have a Windows XP CD-ROM, you can run the Wizard from it. Otherwise, create a network setup disk containing the Wizard files.
Enabling ICS on the Server Computer

You can enable ICS either manually or by using XP's Network Setup Wizard. 

To use the Wizard, see our page on Server Setup Using the Network Setup Wizard. You must use this method if you need to create a network setup disk.

You can also enable ICS manually for a dial-up Internet connection or enable ICS manually for a broadband Internet connection.
Configuring ICS Client Computers

Now configure the other networked computers as ICS clients. Follow these links for computers running Windows 95 or Windows 2000 Professional. For Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, or Windows XP, stay with these instructions for XP Client Wizard.

How to enable Internet Connection Sharing?

Setup procedures

To enable Internet Connection Sharing on a network connection, follow theses steps: 

1.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Connections.

2.Click the local area network (LAN) connection or click the dial-up networking connection that you want to share (that is, the one that connects to the Internet), and then under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection.

3.On the Advanced tab, click to select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection check box.

4.If this is a dial-up networking connection, and you want the connection to be automatically dialed when another computer on your network tries to connect to the Internet, click to select the Establish a dial-up connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet check box.

5.If you want to permit other network users to enable or to disable the shared Internet connection, click to select the Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection check box.

6.Under Internet Connection Sharing in Home networking connection, select the connection that connects the computer that is sharing its Internet connection to the other computers on your network.


Note that to enable Internet Connection Sharing in Windows XP, you must have administrative rights.

Important: When you enable Internet Connection Sharing, the network adapter that is connected to the home network or to the small-office network receives a new static IP address of 192.168.0.1, with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. Existing TCP/IP connections on the network may be lost and must be reestablished.

Make your windows as a wireless router

Set up a wireless network without a router

Wireless networks are helpful because they let you use your computer and connect to the Internet anywhere in your home or office. However, most wireless networks use a wireless router, which can be expensive. If you have more than one computer, you can set up a wireless network without buying a wireless router and save yourself some money.

In a traditional wireless network, a wireless router acts as a base station, much like the base station for cordless phones. All wireless communications go through the wireless router, allowing nearby computers to connect to the Internet or to each other.

Ad hoc wireless networks work more like walkie-talkies, because the computers communicate directly with each other. By enabling Internet Connection Sharing on one of the computers, you can share Internet access.

Ad hoc networking might seem like a much smarter alternative to using a wireless router, but it does have a couple of disadvantages:• 
If the computer connected to the Internet is shut down, all computers that are part of the ad hoc network lose their Internet access.

To connect to the Internet, one computer always needs a wired network connection.

To connect your computers to the Internet using an ad hoc wireless network, follow these steps 

1.Enable Internet Connection Sharing on the Internet-connected computer. You can skip this step if you don't need to access the Web.

2.Set up the ad hoc wireless network on the Internet-connected computer.

3.Add your other computers to the wireless network.

How to enable Internet Connection Sharing?

On networks with wireless routers, the router has the important job of forwarding communications from the computers on your home network to the Internet. On ad hoc networks, you must designate one computer to serve this role. The computer you choose must have a wired connection to the Internet, and it should be left on whenever you want to be able to use your other computers.


How to set up the first computer?

To set up an ad hoc wireless network that allows computers to share an Internet connection without a router

1.Make sure you have a wireless network adapter.
2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
3. Under Pick a category, click Network and Internet Connections.

4. Under or pick a Control Panel icon, click Network Connections.5. Right-click your wireless network connection, and then click Properties.

6. In the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box, click the Wireless Networks tab.

7. On the Wireless Networks tab, under Preferred networks, click Add.

8. In the Wireless network properties dialog box, on the Association tab, type the name of your ad hoc wireless network in Network name (SSID) box (shown in step 10). For example, you could name your wireless network MyHomeNetwork.

9. Clear the The key is provided for me automatically check box and select the This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network check box.

10. Create a 13-digit password and type it in both the Network key and Confirm network key boxes. For the best security, include letters, numbers, and punctuation. Then click OK.

11. Click OK again to save your changes.

NOTE: Please make sure that you have a wireless network adapter in the computer you want to make as a router to share internet connections. and also make sure it has another network adapter for its internet connection source.. refer to the first image diagram above..