How to share Internet connection: Ad-hoc network in Windows XP

Keywords: Ad-hoc Network, How to share Internet connection, how to make an Ad-hoc connection in Windows XP

How to share Internet connection at home or with your friends if you do not have any wireless router. Well you can do this by making an ad-hoc network. You might be thinking what is an Ad-hoc network? As quote from Wikipedia .

An ad hoc network typically refers to any set of networks where all devices have equal status on a network and are free to associate with any other ad hoc network devices in link range. Very often, ad hoc network refers to a mode of operation of IEEE 802.11wireless networks.

 If you want to know more about ad-hoc network please google for it.

Time to proceed further. 🙂  Please note theat if your going to make an ad-hoc network, make sure your host and client system both are having same operating system either Windows XP or Windows 7 or Linux. This tutorial address those who having same operating systems. For Windows 7 and Linux I’ll update a new tutorial soon. For Windows XP as host or Windows 7 as a client and vice versa, you have to do research on your own untill I get time to write something on that. 🙂

Making Ad-hoc connection in Windows XP:

1. Click Start on Windows XP Desktop then click Control Panel > >Network and Internet Connections > Network Connections.
2. .You will see the Ethernet network connection that is used to access the Internet, Right click on that and then click on Properties.
3. .Click on Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection check box and clear the Allow other network users to control or disable this shared Internet connection check box.
   
4. Click OK to save changes to your connection. You might be prompted with a Local Network message box with a message about your computer’s configuration is being changed. Click Yes to enable Internet sharing.
5. Now Right-click the wireless network connection icon, and then click Properties.

6. Click the Wireless Networks tab.

7. In the wireless network adapter properties dialog box, click Add under Preferred networks.

8. On the Association tab, type the name of your ad hoc wireless network in Network name (SSID). For example, I am using Techawarey.

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

10. In Network Authentication, select Open.

11. In Data encryption, select WEP.
12. In Network key text box type the WEP key. The WEP key should be a random sequence of hexadecimal digits or numbers, letters, and punctuation.
13. In Confirm network key text box, retype the WEP key.
14. Click OK to save changes.

15. Once the new ad hoc wireless network is created, Windows XP on other laptops or computers(with a wi-fi NIC) should detect it and prompt you with a One or more wireless networks are available or Wireless networks detected message in the notification area of your taskbar. Click the notification message.

If you are not notified, right-click the wireless network adapter in Network Connections and click View Available Wireless Networks.

You should see the Wireless Network Connection dialog box. Here you will see newly created ad-hoc network. Click connect and WEP key when prompted.

Here you learn how to make an Ad-hoc connection in Windows XP or How to share Internet connection.