NAT x2

I've got a WiFi network operating from behind a NAT router.

I've got a range problem with my handheld and am wondering about a
workaround that would solve a problem.

My laptop accesses the AP which is connected to the router.

Could the handheld access the internet via my laptop which itself
connects via the WiFi.

Put simply, can an internet connection be NATed twice?

I do have a second WiFi card that can connect to my laptop (One PCMCIA
and one USB).

Geoff Lane

"Geoff Lane" (E-Mail Removed) wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)
>
> Could the handheld access the internet via my laptop which itself
> connects via the WiFi.

Your wireless laptop will only be able to connect to a wireless gateway - it
won't be able to act as a gateway for your PDA.

I've had a quick look and can't find any evidence of a USB/PCMCIA wireless
mini gateway being available.

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 18:52:57 +0100, "Grant" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>"Geoff Lane" (E-Mail Removed) wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed)
>>
>> Could the handheld access the internet via my laptop which itself
>> connects via the WiFi.
>
>Your wireless laptop will only be able to connect to a wireless gateway - it
>won't be able to act as a gateway for your PDA.
>
>I've had a quick look and can't find any evidence of a USB/PCMCIA wireless
>mini gateway being available.

Thanks for prompt reply - just a thought.

Geoff Lane

"Geoff Lane" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

>
> Put simply, can an internet connection be NATed twice?

Yes I have done so with a WiFi card to a NAT router for the Internet
connection
and a bluetooth connection on the PDA (using windows ICS).

>
> I do have a second WiFi card that can connect to my laptop (One PCMCIA
> and one USB).

There was an article in the Microsoft knowledge base about having to enable
promiscuous
mode using a command line which I had to do before mine works.
http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 18:52:57 +0100, "Grant" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>"Geoff Lane" (E-Mail Removed) wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed)
>>
>> Could the handheld access the internet via my laptop which itself
>> connects via the WiFi.
>
>Your wireless laptop will only be able to connect to a wireless gateway - it
>won't be able to act as a gateway for your PDA.
>

Why not?

In message <pUi5d.1162$(E-Mail Removed)>, "dennis@home"
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>
>"Geoff Lane" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed).. .
>
>>
>> Put simply, can an internet connection be NATed twice?
>
>Yes I have done so with a WiFi card to a NAT router for the Internet
>connection
>and a bluetooth connection on the PDA (using windows ICS).

If the laptop runs Windows XP (feature may only be in XP Professional),
bridge the two wireless connections together. That way, it becomes
logically one network.



David
--
David Wood
(E-Mail Removed)

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, Grant
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> "Geoff Lane" (E-Mail Removed) wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)
>>
>> Could the handheld access the internet via my laptop which itself
>> connects via the WiFi.
>
> Your wireless laptop will only be able to connect to a wireless gateway -
> it won't be able to act as a gateway for your PDA.

It will, with the right software. For example the Linux Host AP driver can
do this, with only one WiFi card.


--
Member AFFS, WYLUG, SWP (UK), ANL, Leeds SA, Leeds Anti-war coalition
OpenPGP key fingerprint: D0A6 F403 9745 CED4 6B3B 94CC 8D74 8FC9 9F7F CFE4
No to software patents! No to DRM/EUCD - hands off our computers!

"Timothy Baldwin" (E-Mail Removed) wrote in message
news:cj4q97$trg$(E-Mail Removed)
> In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, Grant
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>> Your wireless laptop will only be able to connect to a wireless
>> gateway - it won't be able to act as a gateway for your PDA.
>
> It will, with the right software. For example the Linux Host AP
> driver can do this, with only one WiFi card.

I sit corrected. I understood an AP couldn't act as a gateway without the
appriopriate internals. Thanks for the correction.

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 22:30:59 +0100, David Wood <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>>> Put simply, can an internet connection be NATed twice?
>>
>>Yes I have done so with a WiFi card to a NAT router for the Internet
>>connection
>>and a bluetooth connection on the PDA (using windows ICS).
>
>If the laptop runs Windows XP (feature may only be in XP Professional),
>bridge the two wireless connections together. That way, it becomes
>logically one network.

At the moment I am not having much luck with bridging; I've got a WiFi
card, a Bluetooth connection and an ethernet.

Just for practice I've tried bridging two but each time I include the
WiFi I lose my WiFi connection so to date I've not been sure if it's
the bridging that is a problem or my settings.

Geoff Lane

"Geoff Lane" (E-Mail Removed) wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)
>
> At the moment I am not having much luck with bridging; I've got a WiFi
> card, a Bluetooth connection and an ethernet.

In the past, I've had success creating an ActiveSync connection between a
BT-enabled PocketPC and a laptop with a BT card. The PDA would then
piggyback and use the laptop's wired Internet connection - don't see why it
wouldn't be able to do the same with a wireless connection.

This was on W2K and didn't require any bridging or Windows networking
changes - just standard out-of-the-box ActiveSync functionality.

HTH.