Wireless sharing of DUN? Ideas?

[Amanita]

Hi guys. I'm not looking foreward to this. Here's the situation:

My brother-in-law 1500 miles distant wants to network his 2 'puters. He is mainly looking to share DUN - he's out in the boonies and this is all that's available. Problem: One 'puter is in his shop and one is in his house separated by about 150 feet.

He is an electrician so there is no problem with running Cat5e (of which he has 1000' spools) except the effort.

Is it possible to do this wireless and cheaply? I was thinking 2 wireless NICs peer-to-peer and then using the home computer's WinXP ICS. Is this possible? Are there any wireless NICs with enough transmit power to get through about 3 conventional walls and the 150' clear air separation?

Other problems/info:

He's on some sort of WalMart ISP so I have to believe he doesn't hook up through straight DUN but uses a connection program.
The computer in his shop is running WinME, the one in the home is running WinXP. The one in the home would be the 'server'.
Internet transfer rates are not his big worry since they (he and my sister) just surf and email... no kids. IOW he realises that performnce will suffer and accepts it.

In any event, if you guys and gals could offer suggestions I'd appreciate it. I am leaning to just telling him to dig the trench and run the Cat5. It will be easier on me trying to guide him in setting up his network this way and I have an old spare SMC 4-port hub I can send him.

Networking is one of my (many) weak points having only set up a couple home LANs in the past, so it will be the blind leading the blind.

Thanks

Amanita

[glc]

I was thinking 2 wireless NICs peer-to-peer and then using the home computer's WinXP ICS. Is this possible?

Yep.

Are there any wireless NICs with enough transmit power to get through about 3 conventional walls and the 150' clear air separation?

You won't know till you try. You may have to get replacement antennas. I'd advise him to start digging.

He's on some sort of WalMart ISP so I have to believe he doesn't hook up through straight DUN but uses a connection program.

Sharing does work, but only under the following conditions - the connection must be established manually first on the host, and the client can only use standard Internet apps (IE, etc.) and cannot use the Walmart software (because it's really AOL). Dial on demand from the client to the host will not work.

[Amanita]

Thanks GLC.

"I'd advise him to start digging."
LOL. I'd have to agree.

I thought he'd have to have the host online before he could surf with the client. As you say, "Dial on demand from the client to the host will not work." I do have a question though. Once his network is set up, can the client start the program on the host to then establish a connection?

Didn't know WalMart was AOL. He should dump it for a standard local ISP and DUN.

What about HomePlug Powerline? Would a couple GigaFast PE903s be a viable solution?

Thanks, and it looks like it's getting close to trencher time.

[glc]

can the client start the program on the host to then establish a connection?

Nope, unless he wants to play with VNC or another remote desktop app to remotely control the host from the client. The host must manually connect using the WallymartAOHell software before the client can access the Internet (i.e. someone must be sitting at the host to do this), and the client cannot open its own instance of the software. The only way dial on demand works is with standard DUN, which this definitely is not.

Phoneline or powerline networking is of course an option.

[Amanita]

Originally Posted by glc Nope, unless he wants to play with VNC or another remote desktop app ... The only way dial on demand works is with standard DUN, which this definitely is not.

Thought so. Nope, don't want to play around with VNC. My last experience was with PC Anywhere on an NT box. Too much for him (and me via long distance)

Phoneline or powerline networking is of course an option.

I'll give him that option, but I still like the concept of standard wired LAN.

So, in the end, my suggustions to him will be:

"1) Get the trencher out and use up some of your CAT5 and conduit.

2) Dump WallyAOL and get real DUN internet."

Thanks glc for getting us started on the correct path at least.

[glc]

Other than local ISP's, the best standard DUN ISP in my opinion is Earthlink. They WANT you to install their software, but it's not necessary.

There is a slick option if you do have a standard DUN ISP - a 56k router. This will eliminate the need for host/client ICS. You can even stick a WAP into it.

http://www.actiontec.com/products/br...odem/index.php

[Amanita]

Other than local ISP's, the best standard DUN ISP in my opinion is Earthlink. They WANT you to install their software, but it's not necessary.

Funny you should mention that. He said he *could* get Earthlink in his area. I didn't know they allowed standard DUNning - I can do that. This may be the solution depending on what terms he agreed to when he signed up with WalMart. I hope they gave him a 30 day cancel option.

There is a slick option if you do have a standard DUN ISP - a 56k router. This will eliminate the need for host/client ICS. You can even stick a WAP into it. http://www.actiontec.com/products/br...odem/index.php

Thanks glc, as usual a wealth of ideas and knowledge.
I think I'll still go with ICS and standard DUN so he can get dial-on-demand and keep the $$ down. I have to believe that the cable company will eventually get out to them and then all dial-up hardware will become dust collectors.

At the rate they go through computers everything will change in a year. I keep telling them to let me build them one but they keep buying eMach****. I guess it hasn't sunk in that I still have my 1999 homebuilt (built largely with guidance from the Mech) and it is still running like a champ = bulletproof; as are all the others my brother and I have built.

Reliability. Score one for the homebuilt. Which reminds me, I may as well send them my spare USR external hardware modem along with the hub since I'm sure the PCI winmodem in her eMach**** is of superior quality .

Thanks glc, helpful as always.

[glc]

Connecting to the Internet from EITHER computer is simple and easy. Just open a web page and your Dual PC Modem will initiate the Internet dialing process. If someone else is already online, your Dual PC Modem will allow you to share the active Internet session.

Plus, the Dual PC Modem can disconnect you from the Internet after you have been idle for a specified time, just in case you or a family member forgot to log off!

That looks like dial on demand and auto disconnect to me...........

To standard DUN Earthlink, all you have to do is activate the account online and get your username and password, and a local access number.

That thing is only $70 direct, and I bet it can be found cheaper.

[Amanita]

Yeah, I read that. Neat.

But it still costs ~$70 and I think ICS will be satisfactory even though it's a software solution. With Earthlink he can get dial-on-demand which is important since he won't understand having to go into the house to establish an internet connection. I can hear it now: "What good is a computer network if you have to do all this walking? I thought these things were to make your life easier and more productive ...". A pretty good example of the standard nontech home computer user. It is an appliance to him.

Haven't set up ICS on an XP box, but my understanding is that in XP they've made it pretty painless/reliable.

Will probably end up with something like this:

Shop computer: add a NIC and run the CAT5 to house

House computer: Disable/uninstall PCI winmodem and install USR hardware modem. Get him connected to Earthlink via DUN. Plug both into Hub. Set up LAN and enable/setup ICS. Set for WOL.

That should get him networked and internet sharing from his shop. He'll only need to buy a NIC for his shop computer and run the cable. With the hub we won't have to get into crossover cables and he can add his next junker to the network rather than disposing it... just needs to run some more wire and he's used to crawling on his belly like a reptile.

He should like this solution ... cheap and relatively easy. Like I said, he considers computers as appliances, the less technical and costly, the better.

Thanks again, and if the above plan has major errors that I'm missing, please shout out.