Using 2 computers from one wifi signal

TonyS

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Go to www.connectify.me and download their free lite version. I have been using it for 4 years and it does what it says without any hassle. Should work with any wifi antenna, so no need to buy anything.

I have just installed this on my vista laptop. However, it uses jargon that I don't understand.
I am just trying it when connected to my home network by wifi and was hoping it would enable a hotspot with a different name that I could test with my iPhone.
Instead I get "Could not stop/start Hotspot because of invalid settings:
Wi-Fi Ad-Hoc mode does not support sharing Internet from the 'Share Over' device"
It only gives me the choice of adhoc with or without wep. I put in a simple 5 digit password with wep and none without wep and get this same message.
Should I be using the wep password from my home network perhaps? But that has characters that are not in the required A to F range.
Please could you or someone who understands computer jargon, tell me what I should be doing.
NB at this stage I am not using the Engenius aerial.
 

Mistroma

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Tony, I forgot that you had one Vista laptop, sorry. I don't think that Connectify works in Access Point Mode with Vista and you'll only get Ad-Hoc Mode. Main difference is that Access Point mode allows you to create a hotspot using the same Wi-Fi card that you are using to access the Internet. Ad Hoc mode will require the Internet connection to come from another source (e.g. s 2nd Wi-Fi card in your computer).

It would probably be OK to use an internal adapter to re-broadcast connection made via your USB WiFi booster. Just remembered another (of many) problems with Ad Hoc mode, I don't think Android phones will connect without some tweaking.

Official Microsoft method was easy to use with Windows 7 and so I just deleted the Connectify download without even trying it out. I did browse the documentation though as old habits die hard.

Just to digress slightly, OP did try to link laptops via cable and that din't work. One obvious reason would be lack of a switch or router. You need to buy a crossover cable to link directly (I've swapped wires over & resoldered by hand when really stuck but not a good idea as you get high error rates). But wireless link is so much tidier.
 
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deuc02

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Found connectify to work ok but windows update's and anti virus updates tend to knock it out. Sharing from single wifi card is only avail on 7 & 8. Connectify only automates what you can set up from windows 7 (and I presume 8) manually (if that makes sense). But for a good solid way of sharing a connection I don't really rate it.
 

TonyS

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I'm certain Nigel won't mind if I answer some of the above. I don't think he has an AWUS036H but has the NH model, as he wasn't certain if the H model supported WHN. I used it last year and my AWUS036H (1,000mW) was working with Windows 7 WHN using commands in my earlier posts.

Oh, WHN is Windows Hosted Networking. It is available in most versions of Windows 7 (Starter Edition probably doesn't include it).




AWUS036NH(2000mW) vs. AWUS036H (1000mW): I've previously said that it depends on use (see post #17).

Alfa's own Taiwan website has long given reasons for choosing AWUS036H and I've read comparisons elsewhere showing the same conclusion. I have also made some comparisons a couple of times (mentioned in earlier post). Not a scientific study of course but I found that AWUS036H did lock to weak APs where AWUS036NH wouldn't, even though it did "see" them.

Extract from Alfa's Web-site (I copied this ages ago and will try to post the relevant link)

This AWUS036NH vs. Alfa's popular AWUS036H 802.11g adapter:
We have compared this model to the 1-watt AWUS036H adapter from Alfa. This model pulled in more signals than the AWUS036H. However the AWUS036H was getting stronger signals to many of the access points both could detect. Not a great deal stronger, but enough to indicate the AWUS036H 1-watt adapter has a better receive sensitivity for 802.11g networks. The AWUS036H is only 802.11g standard though, whereas this AWUS036NH is 802.11n standard and can get longer ranges and faster speeds when used with 802.11n standard access points. Because 802.11n is a newer standard, many of the access points around you (in neighborhoods or places you travel) will still be 802.11g. However over the next year, many technology publications indicate that a high number of people and businesses will be upgrading their wireless networks to 802.11n to meet the growing need for faster speeds. The AWUS036NH will work with these new 802.11n signals as they begin to spring up everywhere, and will work with them better and faster than the AWUS036H and other long range Wi-Fi products on the market today. If you are trying to decide between the AWUS036H and the AWUS036NH, what it boils down to is how you want to use the product. If you plan on using mostly with 802.11g signals and are trying to get the strongest signal strengths, the AWUS036H may be the best option. If you are trying to get the best range, or will be using with 802.11n access points, the AWUS036NH is the best option.



I hope that this helps. Nigel may be able to add more detail if he has also compared both units. I guess it boils down to how many "n" and "b/g" networks you are likely to see in your area. I'm still finding a lot of older "b/g" kit in use on marina and hotel APs as that still allows connection by clients with older equipment.

I chose my first Alfa AWUS036H 500mW for other reasons many years ago. It uses the Realtek 8187L chipset that allows some useful tricks. It's legendary amongst network hacking community and I worked alongside guys employed as penetration test experts (i.e. Paid to break into networks and then help improve security).

I am now totally unsure what to do.
The Alpha spec doesn't mention WHN only that adhoc is possible for a second computer.
Does adhoc work with an iPhone?
I looked at updating the Vista laptop to Win7 but that, surprising to me, is more expensive than going to Win8, or am I missing something. You would think that MS would almost give away the Win7 upgrade. Perhaps they know Vista computers will die soon anyway with the bloat they send out.
I like the Vista TravelMate 3040 because it was a high spec small screen robust business computer. I have taken it all over the world on holiday. The only problem is that a similar Win 8 spec notebook is about £800.
Would the Alpha driver, if loaded in Vista, enable WHN from another wifi card or is there another utility that can be extracted from win 7 that enables this mode.
Connectify just uses the Win7 WHN utility although it says it works with Vista!! Another wasted hour!
 

Mistroma

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I am now totally unsure what to do.
The Alpha spec doesn't mention WHN only that adhoc is possible for a second computer.
Does adhoc work with an iPhone?
I looked at updating the Vista laptop to Win7 but that, surprising to me, is more expensive than going to Win8, or am I missing something. You would think that MS would almost give away the Win7 upgrade. Perhaps they know Vista computers will die soon anyway with the bloat they send out.
I like the Vista TravelMate 3040 because it was a high spec small screen robust business computer. I have taken it all over the world on holiday. The only problem is that a similar Win 8 spec notebook is about £800.
Would the Alpha driver, if loaded in Vista, enable WHN from another wifi card or is there another utility that can be extracted from win 7 that enables this mode.
Connectify just uses the Win7 WHN utility although it says it works with Vista!! Another wasted hour!

As I said in post #45 "I forgot that you had one Vista laptop, sorry. I don't think that Connectify works in Access Point Mode with Vista and you'll only get Ad-Hoc Mode."

I actually checked Connectify's website today and it does clearly say that, so my memory was correct. I've said that I have 2 Alfa AWUS036Hs and pretty certain Nigel has AWUS036NH. Both of us have confirmed that we have used ICS/WHN on Win7 using these. I've been meaning to check it again in case any new updates cause issues, I'll do that today.

I can't comment about Ad Hoc with iPhone, I only know it is usually a problem with standard Android (there are fixes). However, Ad Hoc will restrict you to slower speed as well as having several other drawbacks.

I don't know the cost of a Win7 update but knowing Microsoft I wouldn't expect it to be particularly cheap. I'm afraid I'm rather out of touch on software pricing, I used to get mine via special employee deals (e.g. 4 licences for MS Office Professional Plus for about £2.24 per lic.). I'd need to do same searches you would to get prices for normal purchase. Never used Vista either, most large companies skipped it, so I never had any need to look at it (apart from early developer stuff).

"Would the Alpha driver, if loaded in Vista, enable WHN from another wifi card or is there another utility that can be extracted from win 7 that enables this mode?

Pretty certain that WHN didn't appear in any form until Win7 and won't have any partially working bits hidden deep in Vista. I also said that I thought WHN was missing from some base level versions of Win7.

Connectify's site confirms that you are stuck with Ad Hoc mode if using Vista.

Alfa's Realtek software (for AWUS036H) does have extra bits for AP mode, I doubt they would function with Vista.
 
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KellysEye

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>But you have a router!

No I don't, given that I've already said you don't need a router I don't see why you think I've got one. To the OP just go to the Micrsoft site and search for networking Vista machines.
 

Mistroma

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>But you have a router!

No I don't, given that I've already said you don't need a router I don't see why you think I've got one. To the OP just go to the Micrsoft site and search for networking Vista machines.

Could I just check your setup quickly to save some time?

I assumed:
You have more than one PC linked via Wifi to a Virginmedia broadband connection at your home.
You don't have a router, just a cable or ADSL wireless modem provided by Virginmedia
The PCs connect to the internet by using the cable/ADSL modem's WiFi

If I'm wrong, could you please explain your setup including the Virgin part.
e.g. If only one PC connects to internet and other PC shares that connection, how does the first connect? Or are the PCs linked by wire?
 
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Mistroma

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I said I'd re-check AWUS036H with WHN/ICS. It seemed fine with my phone but I had a couple of glitches with one laptop. That might have been firewall issues. A miniport adapter appeared when setting this up in Windows 7 and that should mean that the AWUS036H does support WHN.

I wanted provide more information wrt Alfa's H vs. NH models and found the text below. I'm afraid that I downloaded it from a couple of sites at least a year ago and can't just provide links to the information. It is a bit long but is worth reading if you are trying to decide which one to buy.

This AWUS036NH vs. Alfa's popular AWUS036H 802.11g adapter: We have compared this model to the 1-watt AWUS036H adapter from Alfa. This model pulled in more signals than the AWUS036H.

However the AWUS036H was getting stronger signals to many of the access points both could detect.
Not a great deal stronger, but enough to indicate the AWUS036H 1-watt adapter has a better receive sensitivity for 802.11g networks.
The AWUS036H is only 802.11g standard though, whereas this AWUS036NH is 802.11n standard and can get longer ranges and faster speeds when used with 802.11n standard access points. Because 802.11n is a newer standard, many of the access points around you (in neighborhoods or places you travel) will still be 802.11g. However over the next year, many technology publications indicate that a high number of people and businesses will be upgrading their wireless networks to 802.11n to meet the growing need for faster speeds. The AWUS036NH will work with these new 802.11n signals as they begin to spring up everywhere, and will work with them better and faster than the AWUS036H and other long range Wi-Fi products on the market today. If you are trying to decide between the AWUS036H and the AWUS036NH, what it boils down to is how you want to use the product. If you plan on using mostly with 802.11g signals and are trying to get the strongest signal strengths, the AWUS036H may be the best option. If you are trying to get the best range, or will be using with 802.11n access points, the AWUS036NH is the best option.




We know many potential customers already own a long range 802.11g product such as the Alfa AWUS036H and are just beginning to consider upgrading to the newest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n. 802.11n can provide up to six times the range and speed of 802.11g, but here are some things you should know:
High powered 802.11n products are designed to get good distance to 802.11n routers. Though they are backward compatible with 802.11g routers, they generally do not have high receive sensitivity for 802.11g. So you may find if you are using this model with an 802.11g router, a long range G product you already own might get better signal strength. This is because long range G adapters generally have high receive sensitivity for 802.11g connections. So why bother to upgrade? Because 802.11g adapters will not work with true 802.11n signals.

But wait a minute! Isn't 802.11n backward compatible with 802.11g? This is true. However in order to achieve optimal 802.11n range and speeds, inside the 802.11n router you must set the mode to N-only, disallowing 802.11b and 802.11g connections. Because manufacturers know that people may have a combination of G and N devices in their home, new 802.11n routers are generally set to "mixed b/g/n mode" by default. This allows G and B devices to connect, but you don't have a true 802.11n network. Right now you may be able to connect to an N router down the street with your G adapter. But what happens people learn that they need to set their routers to N-only mode? Your G device won't be able to connect anymore.

Even though they are backward compatible, they are two different Wi-Fi standards. This AWUS036NH was not designed to give you even longer ranges to G networks compared to other long range G products such as the Alfa AWUS036H 1000mw 802.11g adapter. This AWUS036NH has an 802.11n chipset which has weaker G receive sensitivity because it was not designed for G networks. It can pick up quite a lot of G signals, but the signals won't be as strong as some long range 802.11g products.

We know it can be confusing, especially because the output is stated as 2000mW, and it would seem on the surface a 2000mW product will get a longer range than a 1000mW product. But range is only part of the equation. The standard of the router you are using matters too, because that corresponds to the receive sensitivity the product has for that standard.

Basically this is a detailed way of telling you if you already own a long range high powered 802.11g product like the Alfa AWUS036H or the Rok1000 USB adapter, don't buy this with the idea that you are going to pick up stronger signals everywhere compared to what you have. This will probably be the case in six months to a year when most of the routers around you are 802.11n standard and are blocking 802.11g connections. But right now most people still own 802.11g routers. So if you do a scan in your own home, your current long range G product will probably see stronger signals. If you still are not sure what product is the best for your needs, please use the "Ask Seller a Question" link up top so we can work with you on an individual basis. Our only goal is to make sure you get the best product for your needs.
 
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I wanted provide more information wrt Alfa's H vs. NH models and found the text below. I'm afraid that I downloaded it from a couple of sites at least a year ago and can't just provide links to the information. ... If you still are not sure what product is the best for your needs, please use the "Ask Seller a Question" link up top so we can work with you on an individual basis... [/i]

It's actually from an eBay advert, the "Ask Seller..." is a giveaway:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfa-AWUS036NH-802-11n-2000mW-WIRELESS-N-USB-adapter-2w-/110483822799

I did a quoted search, can't find it on any official site. Good info though.
 

Mistroma

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I did find the first part as a review on Alfa's site (uk & tw I think).
http://www.alfanetwork.co.uk/network/usb-wireless-adapter/awus036nh.html

I have a vague memory of seeing this a long time ago, not long after the NH was launched. I used to get reviews from site where I bought my original AWUS036H. It was a US site and my brother-in-law brought it over as shipping costs were ridiculous and you couldn't but the AWUS036H in UK at that time (at least I couldn't track one down). I'd hoped to find the original reviewer as I rmember thinking that the source was reliable when I copied the text.

Good of you to find the eBay link as well.
 
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TonyS

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Tony, I forgot that you had one Vista laptop, sorry. I don't think that Connectify works in Access Point Mode with Vista and you'll only get Ad-Hoc Mode. Main difference is that Access Point mode allows you to create a hotspot using the same Wi-Fi card that you are using to access the Internet. Ad Hoc mode will require the Internet connection to come from another source (e.g. s 2nd Wi-Fi card in your computer).

It would probably be OK to use an internal adapter to re-broadcast connection made via your USB WiFi booster. Just remembered another (of many) problems with Ad Hoc mode, I don't think Android phones will connect without some tweaking.

Official Microsoft method was easy to use with Windows 7 and so I just deleted the Connectify download without even trying it out. I did browse the documentation though as old habits die hard.

Just to digress slightly, OP did try to link laptops via cable and that din't work. One obvious reason would be lack of a switch or router. You need to buy a crossover cable to link directly (I've swapped wires over & resoldered by hand when really stuck but not a good idea as you get high error rates). But wireless link is so much tidier.

Hi,
Been away for a bit. Would this work for what I want.
http://www.faculty-x.net/wl-usbwifirpt-3000.htm
It was from the PBO thread on wifi below.
 

Mistroma

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Don't know if it is just me. This looks exactly like an Alfa R36 unit (with about £12-£15 added to the price).

http://www.crucialwifi.co.uk/R36_Wi...AWUS036NH_Range_Extender/p740998_3971490.aspx

http://www.alfanetwork.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=r36

I haven't tried one of these but they do look quite good. I believe that you plug in a USB Wifi receiver (such as AWUS036H) and then connect to R36 via Wifi in order to log on to a hotspot. The R36 remembers how to make the USB booster connect to the hotspot and provides its own local AP.

So it won't make a USB booster work any better but should make it a snap to connect multiple devices via the R36s local access point.
UPDATE: The Alfa site says that "The R36 is far from consumer friendly" so that's a worry for some people.

I assume that the device in previous poster's link works in the same way. The site says that "This wireless repeater system is currently only compatible with these long range outdoor antenna", so only works with boosters that they sell. I see that one of their boosters is actually an Alfa Tube unit (but £4 more expensive than via CrucialWifi). Pretty certain that you'd be cheaper just buying Alfa kit from CrucialWifi or from AlfaNetwork site.

More convenient than playing around with WHN/ICS and would allow a smartphone to connect without turning on a laptop as well. So could save some power.
However, it's an extra piece of kit to buy and actually uses a tiny bit more power when you are using a laptop vs. sharing via WHN/ICS.
 
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Conachair

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So it won't make a USB booster work any better but should make it a snap to connect multiple devices via the R36s local access point.
UPDATE: The Alfa site says that "The R36 is far from consumer friendly" so that's a worry for some people.

The r36 is easy enough to set up, you can log onto the unit via from any machine with wifi and set up which wifi AP you want from there, the R36 remembers it for next time. Big benefit is in AP's which only let one computer to log on at a a time with a password, the r36 gets round this. Works a treat for me anyway :cool:
 
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The r36 is easy enough to set up, you can log onto the unit via from any machine with wifi and set up which wifi AP you want from there, the R36 remembers it for next time. Big benefit is in AP's which only let one computer to log on at a a time with a password, the r36 gets round this. Works a treat for me anyway :cool:

Does the Alfa R36 remember all login details, or just the last one? The R36 is also quite expensive (see link below) so if there is a Windows 7 computer available to host the Wi-Fi as in my post #3, it would be easier and cheaper. R36 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004ZF0I3U/dolcetto-21

I'm guessing that KellysEye has discovered his/her router :)
 

Conachair

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Does the Alfa R36 remember all login details, or just the last one? The R36 is also quite expensive (see link below) so if there is a Windows 7 computer available to host the Wi-Fi as in my post #3, it would be easier and cheaper. R36 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004ZF0I3U/dolcetto-21

Quick look - seems the R36 remembers profiles. If you don't have an alfa high power adapter already the cost does start to stack up a bit but low power draw is a big asset, no need to have a laptop powered up all the time if you want to use a tablet. Not a problem in a marina but living on the hook every Ah counts :)
 

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