cellular/mobile broadband laptop routing?

billysmart · Post by **billysmart** » Sun May 06, 2007 2:04 am

Has anyone ever heard of a successful technique or device to enable a laptop running a broadband cellular phone net connection(via usb modem cable or a pc aircard) to share with other laptops using a wireless router?

Objective would be to allow us to set up a mobile broadband node which could broadcast out a wifi connection in virtually any location the cell phone data signal would be available.

It is hoped that we could use the connection for group gaming events assuming we can achieve a wireless LAN party outcome using the shared wifi connection....Any ideas and thoughts for any part of this attempt would be welcomed. Thanks.

bgnome · Post by **bgnome** » Sun May 06, 2007 8:06 am

personally, i think the service charges for those broadband cards are outrageous, so i don't have any experience with them.

however, it should be only a trivial matter to set up internet connection sharing or bridging the networks on the laptop to an ethernet connection or an adhoc wifi connection.

Post by **bicostp** » Sun May 06, 2007 8:43 am

You would have to run a server OS and set the computer up as a gateway, and possibly a DHCP server.

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Sun May 06, 2007 2:07 pm

Google 'cellular router' for a dedicated box to do what you want. There are three models of cellular routers last I checked, all in the $150+ range.

As for using a laptop, bridge the connection from the card to the ethernet port, and plug that into the WAN port on the router. Setup the router to handle DNS and DHCP itself.