Internet Sharing

Internet sharing is one of the most usefuland most funways of using your wireless network. Here's how it works.

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides you with an IP address, a unique number that identifies your computer on the Internet. An IP address is four sets of numbers , from 0 to 255, separated by periods, such as 26.0.162.255. The problem is that your ISP likely only provides you with one IP address. So how can more than one computer use the same IP address?

Typically, the solution is to use a router . Each computer on your network will connect through a software or hardware router rather than connecting directly to the Internet. The router provides an IP address for each computer on your network. To the rest of the world, it appears as if you're using just one IP address.

You can run a software router on one of your computers that will hand out an IP address to each computer. A more convenient option is to buy a hardware router.

Using a hardware router will allow you to share Internet access without leaving a computer on to do the job. However, in a wireless network, using an access point with a built-in router is an even more convenient option. It can often save you setup time and money, too.