madvinegar
Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:54:57 am
I have been working on the above issue the last few days and I can explain how easy it is to do something like that with Zorin.
That is, to use one of your PCs or laptops (lets call it hotspot) as an access point so as to distribute the internet to other PC(s).
This can be done if your "hotspot" is getting internet via ethernet cable or mobile broadband (or a USB internet stick), and distributes the internet via its wireless card (wifi).
I have read that you can also use just the wireless card to receive plus distribute the internet, but your wireless card has to support "master mode" and this feature to be enabled.
As you know, Zorin uses the network manager by default.
First of all, we have to get our hotspot connected with internet either via ethernet cable or 3g broadband.
Once this is done, we left click on network manager and we select "create new network".
We select a name for our network (ssid), and we select type of security and password. (You may have to experiment on this as some cards or networks work better with WEP or with 128bit etc).
We click "ok" and the laptop automatically connects to our new network that we just created.
If you will left click on network manager again, you will see that your PC is connected in two networks. One that we originally got the internet from and the one that we just created. The one you just created will be shown with a "two-PCs" icon, just to remind you that this network internet comes from a PC (and not from a router). If you like, you can go to "edit connections>wireless tab, chose the newly created network and on the first tab tick on "connect automatically" and "available to all users".
If you go now to your other PC/laptop and you do a scan for networks, hopefully you will see the network you just created. You chose to connect to it, you give the password and it connects.
I have tried that to 3-4 pcs and it worked just fine. I was using a mobile broadband dongle as my main source of internet and was distributing the internet via the laptop's wifi.
------------------------
And even though the post up to here could be used as a guide (swarf - are you listening?
), you must be wondering why I have posted it in the "help and support" forum.
The reason is that I cannot manage to get it working only on one laptop, and more specifically to the one on my signature.
Everything works and is set up just fine (connect to the internet, create the new network, connect to the new network) but the new network does not show up on the other PCs when I perform the scanning process. It is like it is not broadcasting the ssid. And consequently I cannot get the other PC(s) to connect.
My wireless card is BCM4311.
Fyi in order to get this card to work I had to de-activate the recomended broadcom STA driver, and I had to install via synaptics the packages "b43-fwcutter" and "firmware-b43-installer". I have been using it like this for too long without any problems whatsoever. Connects great, fast internet, no interruptions etc. The only peculiar problem I am facing is the one explained above.
I have been told that probably any problems like that will be fixed with a newer version of ubuntu (the support for Broadcom has been great lately), so I am waiting for Zorin 6.
Also I have read here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/MasterMode that:
But I really don't know how to do that...
Any suggestions? Thanks.
That is, to use one of your PCs or laptops (lets call it hotspot) as an access point so as to distribute the internet to other PC(s).
This can be done if your "hotspot" is getting internet via ethernet cable or mobile broadband (or a USB internet stick), and distributes the internet via its wireless card (wifi).
I have read that you can also use just the wireless card to receive plus distribute the internet, but your wireless card has to support "master mode" and this feature to be enabled.
As you know, Zorin uses the network manager by default.
First of all, we have to get our hotspot connected with internet either via ethernet cable or 3g broadband.
Once this is done, we left click on network manager and we select "create new network".
We select a name for our network (ssid), and we select type of security and password. (You may have to experiment on this as some cards or networks work better with WEP or with 128bit etc).
We click "ok" and the laptop automatically connects to our new network that we just created.
If you will left click on network manager again, you will see that your PC is connected in two networks. One that we originally got the internet from and the one that we just created. The one you just created will be shown with a "two-PCs" icon, just to remind you that this network internet comes from a PC (and not from a router). If you like, you can go to "edit connections>wireless tab, chose the newly created network and on the first tab tick on "connect automatically" and "available to all users".
If you go now to your other PC/laptop and you do a scan for networks, hopefully you will see the network you just created. You chose to connect to it, you give the password and it connects.
I have tried that to 3-4 pcs and it worked just fine. I was using a mobile broadband dongle as my main source of internet and was distributing the internet via the laptop's wifi.
------------------------
And even though the post up to here could be used as a guide (swarf - are you listening?
), you must be wondering why I have posted it in the "help and support" forum.The reason is that I cannot manage to get it working only on one laptop, and more specifically to the one on my signature.
Everything works and is set up just fine (connect to the internet, create the new network, connect to the new network) but the new network does not show up on the other PCs when I perform the scanning process. It is like it is not broadcasting the ssid. And consequently I cannot get the other PC(s) to connect.
My wireless card is BCM4311.
Fyi in order to get this card to work I had to de-activate the recomended broadcom STA driver, and I had to install via synaptics the packages "b43-fwcutter" and "firmware-b43-installer". I have been using it like this for too long without any problems whatsoever. Connects great, fast internet, no interruptions etc. The only peculiar problem I am facing is the one explained above.
I have been told that probably any problems like that will be fixed with a newer version of ubuntu (the support for Broadcom has been great lately), so I am waiting for Zorin 6.
Also I have read here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/MasterMode that:
Broadcom 43xx cards (bcm43xx.ko)
Broadcom cards support master mode using the reverse-engineered kernel driver. You need to enable (or make as a module) the Softmac wireless extensions and BCM43xx wireless driver.
But I really don't know how to do that...
Any suggestions? Thanks.
