College network woes...can two computers share one internet connection??

[ceruleanventure]

I've been searching the board for another thread that could help me with my problem, but I haven't found one yet

I recently moved into a dorm room and discovered that there is only one ethernet port for my two macs to use. One is an iMac, the other is a G3 ibook. Like at most colleges, I have to log into the college's network in order to use the internet. The iMac is the intel version running Tiger and the ibook is running panther (both have airport cards too). Presently I have the iMac plugged into the ethernet socket. All I want to do is have both macs online at the same time. I've tried enabling internet sharing on both machines, I've also made sure the iMac is sending out the internet connection via airport.

However, I've been trying for hours and I cannot get the ibook to connect. When I click on the airport's menu is says "you are connected to the internet via Fred the Second" (the name of the iMac ) However when I open Safari I keep getting "Unable to connect to server" errors. Both machines have file sharing on as well. Additionally, the iMac sees the ibook (Shasha) on it's network and can mount the hard drive. However, the ibook sees the iMac (Fred the Second) but cannot log into it.

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong? Can someone give me like step by step instructions? I really would appreciate the help since I desperately need both machines online for multitasking with applications and sharing data. Thanks

 

[Daveway]

I would just go out and purchase a wireless router. You can find really good deals on them. The benefit here is that your connection speed won't suffer as much due to the config but also that you can use either computer without the other being turned on.

 

[dreamreaver]

really appreciate it if someone can direct me to a link on getting the internet sharing to work. i have an imac (g5), a Ti PB (800mhz) and a black MacBook at home with just an ADSL connection. would appreciate if i can share the internet so that i dont have to "pass the ethernet cable around".

i bought a linksys wireless router but the thing requires a Windows system to set up. =(

 

[ceruleanventure]

Same goes for me, when I bought a Netgear router for my parents, I couldn't use either of my macs to set it up, it needed Windows XP...

I do boot to XP on the Intel iMac, do you think I set up a non Apple Router doing this? Also, would it work when the computer is running Tiger (since I seldom use Windows)?

 

[vv-tim]

Since when do you need -any- operating system to setup a wireless router?
Most of them use web interfaces to begin with... and the ones I've used required no setup at all... unless you want to secure the connection or whatever.

 

[Aperture]

Since when do you need -any- operating system to setup a wireless router?
Most of them use web interfaces to begin with... and the ones I've used required no setup at all... unless you want to secure the connection or whatever.

True. My Linksys router has a web interface. If it is software basedeek: ), how much configuration does it really need? Set it up on Windows, and then plug it into your Mac and just try setting it up in System Prefs.

 

[EHUnlucky7x9@ao]

All routers have their own IP address. If you go to Safari and type in 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 you will be able to access your router. Then you would just need to know the user name and the password (please check your router's manual or online manual) and find out what they are.

Then you can set the router up in a breeze. There is no special configurations really. Just set everything to automatic. Each computer just needs to be assigned their own IP address.

 

[ceruleanventure]

Thanks EHUnlucky7x9@ao, I appreciate the help. I'm going to go down to Staples and buy a router.

 

[gauchogolfer]

Thanks EHUnlucky7x9@ao, I appreciate the help. I'm going to go down to Staples and buy a router.

Have you checked with your university to make sure that they'll allow you to use a router in a dorm room? Some will, and some won't, since they give out unsecured IP addresses outside of the campus IT control. Just something to check before you spend your money.

 

[Eidorian]

Have you checked with your university to make sure that they'll allow you to use a router in a dorm room? Some will, and some won't, since they give out unsecured IP addresses outside of the campus IT control. Just something to check before you spend your money.

Clone your Mac's MAC address? That's what I did...

I'd go with wired over wireless though. I need the speed.

 

[macg4]

clone the mac or get a router

 

[ergle2]

i bought a linksys wireless router but the thing requires a Windows system to set up. =(

Which model?

My WRT54G (Linksys) had instructions to use Windows for the setup but pointing a browser at the default gateway address (192.168.0.1, IIRC) gave me all the config stuff required. The CD is just a "Wizard", I think.

This was all done on a FreeBSD system, not a Mac, but since the client is a browser, "a browser's a browser".

This, of course, may differ on other models...

 

[wwooden]

What if you shared the iMac's internet from the ethernet through the airport and connected to that with the iBook? that is possible in the Sharing section of your system prefs. It would be just like buying a wireless router. I don't see why this wouldn't work.

 

[bobber205]

Instead of the IP address, type in "home" in your browser. Does the same thing.

 

[ceruleanventure]

How do I clone a MAC address?

 

[mrichmon]

I've been searching the board for another thread that could help me with my problem, but I haven't found one yet

I've tried enabling internet sharing on both machines, I've also made sure the iMac is sending out the internet connection via airport.

Additionally, the iMac sees the ibook (Shasha) on it's network and can mount the hard drive. However, the ibook sees the iMac (Fred the Second) but cannot log into it.

Does anyone know what I am doing wrong? Can someone give me like step by step instructions? I really would appreciate the help since I desperately need both machines online for multitasking with applications and sharing data. Thanks

It sounds like you have turned on the firewall on the iMac. At the very least you will need to poke some holes in the firewall to enable http traffic to pass through the iMac onto the campus network.

Also, you should only have internet sharing turned on on the iMac and do not turn on internet sharing on the ibook.

As others have said, the easiest way to get this kind of setup working is to use a wireless router that does Network Address Translation (NAT) in hardware. Using a wireless router, you would simply hook up the WAN port of the router to your campus ethernet (your ethernet port replaces the DSL modem in the configuration diagrams).

 

[dreamreaver]

i tried the web interface for the Linksys Router. But when i try to connect a 2nd computer (PB or MB) to the router via Ethernet, it would fail to connect successfully. The error message is that the IP address is already taken. i.e. Even though, i have DHCP on, the 2nd computer will keep trying to have the same IP as the 1st computer.

does anyone know of any good tutorial online to share internet? I cant seem to get Internet Sharing or the router to work. thanks.

 

[mrichmon]

i tried the web interface for the Linksys Router. But when i try to connect a 2nd computer (PB or MB) to the router via Ethernet, it would fail to connect successfully. The error message is that the IP address is already taken. i.e. Even though, i have DHCP on, the 2nd computer will keep trying to have the same IP as the 1st computer.

does anyone know of any good tutorial online to share internet? I cant seem to get Internet Sharing or the router to work. thanks.

A google search using the keywords "configure linksys router" turns up several good tutorials.

Here is a quick overview to get you setup:

• Turn off airport on your MacBook.
• Turn off your ADSL modem and your linksys router.
• Set your iMac Networking settings to use DHCP.
• Connect an ethernet cable from your ADSL modem to the "WAN" port on your linksys.
• Connect an ethernet cable from your iMac to one of the "LAN" ports on the linksys.
• Turn on the linksys.
• Press and hold the small reset button on the back of the linksys. You should hold down the button for about 10 sec -- the linksys should flash all the status lights during this time. (This resets the router to the factory settings.)
• Turn on your ADSL modem.
• Using the iMac, navigate to the router configuration page - http://192.168.1.1
• Check the router status page to see if the router has been assigned an IP by your DSL provider. If it has not been assigned an IP you need to go to the "Basic Setup" page and configure the username, password and connection type (PPPoE, dynamic IP, static IP) for your DSL service.
• Once you establish the right account settings for your DSL service the router will be assigned an IP which will be shown in the router status page.
• When your router is assigned an IP you should be able to use the iMac to surf the net.
• Set the MacBook Networking settings to use DHCP.
• Connect an ethernet cable between the MacBook and one of the "LAN" ports on the router.
• You now should be able to surf the ent from both iMac and MacBook.

Once you get wired networking functioning you might want to follow one of the many guide online to setup wireless networking for your MacBook.

 

[twentyone]

I've had a 5-port switch running in my dorm room.

If your network requires you to register computers a router may or may not work.

Check to see if the college allows you to run wireless. If you do do a wireless even if it's not allowed, make sure you've secured it so that only you can access it because if I sit outside your dorm room and download my illegal music on your connection, you get in trouble with the school. Your computer use policy says so.