Vodafone Mobile Broadband with WIFI Router

nige_jude

Has anyone managed to set up a wireless network at home using one of the vodafone mobile broadband sticks? If so how did you do this or do you know some web links with instructions/guides?

Cheers in advance.

jor el

There are 2 threads at the top of this forum. You need a router that supports 3G modems, and it also needs to support your particular modem.

nige_jude

Nice one, cheers.

cuhullainn

My sole internet connection is through a Vodafone 3g mobile modem (E220).
I have a Lynksys Wireless Boradband router WRT54GL, which is a standard broadband router ( not designed for 3G)
In order to be able to use the 3G modem as internet access there several mods to carry out:
1) The Vodafone 3g modem is connected via USB to your desktop.
2) create an ICS connection (connection being shared via the ethernet port into the router).
3) Using the web editing utility of the router, disable the DHCP.
4) re-boot all

Now I can use my wireless skype phone and my wifi enable laptop to connect to internet,using the wifi through my router.

Regards

nige_jude

That's great. Cheers for the info. I'll try setting that up when I get home. Cheers again.

pjmw

Has anybody else succeeded in doing this?

I've tried following the instructions above, with the Vodafone dongle in my new Windows 7 laptop, a NETGEAR WGR613VAL Wireless Router, and an old Windows XP laptop. The XP laptop connects to the router, but whether I use a wired or wireless connection any attempt to connect the XP laptop to the Internet results in `No route to host' or equivalent error.

What other tricks are required?

cuhullainn

Ok, my previous post is a bit outdated by now!!!
I still use a Mobile 3G but only as a back up ( today I have a 2 way satellite internet/telephone/tv system ...more below)
My basic set up is through a Netgear WNDR 3400 connected to the modems(either satellite or 3G), from the router, hard wired my desktop, my home theatre system and my cctv. Laptops, mobile phones, printer are all on the wifi ( either 2.4 or 5 GHZ). I use the Netgear "Genie" program on the desktop or android to monitor or trouble shoot any home network issues, it is a great tool.

The 3G modem is a HUAWEI B932 modem/router which provide wifi and/or hard wire network. When I used it (whenever my sat system is down which is very very rare :-D ) I used the wifi option to connect either directly to my desktop/laptop/mobile...etc) or hard wire to my Netgear router but since the Huawei has an external ariel, I can locate it easily to get the best signal... I live in a area which is "network impaired socially"!

My best investment in the last year has been the satellite system: I dropped SKY, the land line (which had virtually no broadband) and the combined cost saving was more that what I can get with the satellite internet/TV/Telephone. at very nominal istallation fee!!!
Well the telephone is like "skype" so a bit of "lag" but since we are all on mobile, the landline is rarely used!! I have 20md download speed, 6 mb upload and 20 GB allowance for less I was paying before!! And it is good enough for me.

Ok, As PJMV above was saying, using a 3G Dongle means basically the need to "plug it" into either laptop, and trying to have both to "talk to each other... to be honest, I was never succesful to have XP to talk intelligently to either windows 7 or 8...:-((
But one I used an offline 3G modem such as the Huawei E5830 (MIFI) or B932.. all problems are over. I only use the dongle when I am travelling in a non wifi region!


"Winter is coming....!"
Paddy

eirator

pjmw wrote: »

Has anybody else succeeded in doing this?

I've tried following the instructions above, with the Vodafone dongle in my new Windows 7 laptop, a NETGEAR WGR613VAL Wireless Router, and an old Windows XP laptop. The XP laptop connects to the router, but whether I use a wired or wireless connection any attempt to connect the XP laptop to the Internet results in `No route to host' or equivalent error.

What other tricks are required?

From your post it sounds like you are just plugging it altogether and hopping it will work? Sometimes you can be lucky but in this case no chance. There are a lot of ways to set this up but the simplest I can think of is to disable DHCP on the router and set up Windows Internet Connection sharing on the computer that has the dongle in it and start with both computers with a wired connection to the router. Once that works move off each computer to a Wireless connection not forgetting to use wireless security.

Or by a 3G router that works with your dongle.

pjmw

Thanks to both of you for the advice.

It's obviously not as easy as this article pretends:
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Your-Mobile-Broadband-Connection-Card-for-Your-Wireless-Router

Given cuhullainn's negative comments about XP, I'll wait until I have a guinea pig with a more modern machine to test it out. Would an iPhone be just as effective a trial machine as anything else?

By the way, who is the cheap supplier of satellite service?

pjmw

I've just read at
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Using-ICS-Internet-Connection-Sharing

Do not use ICS on a network with domain controllers, DNS servers, gateways, or DHCP servers. And don't use ICS on systems configured for static IP addresses.

I suspect that this means that in order to share my Vodafone Mobile Broadband connection, I'll have to completely disable my Irish Broadband connection. My first attempt certainly had this consequence, and the only way I could find back to my original configuration was to press the reset button on my wireless router (which I think has to act as a DHCP server) to restore factory settings.

I'll report back when I find time to try again.