Mobile broadband and Wireless connection?

[drumbrake]

I use Smartone Vodafone Mobile broadband. Is it possible to set up a wireless home network connection using Windows XP? If so how?

Thanks.

[drumbrake]

The mobile broadband is from a USB. If I get a wireless router, and connect the USB to that, can I then run both my laptop and smartphone on the wireless from the router?

If so, what kind of router should I get?

[drumbrake]

This thread seems to be the answer: Help! Unable to connect USB Modem to Window 7 laptop. However, I don't really want to pay 1800 for a router as MovingINo7 did - hopefully I can get a cheaper basic one.

[justsomebody2]

I could be wrong but I don't think mobile broadband is designed to be shared across a network, ie; router + NAT configuration.

What you would need is their home broadband service which includes a modem + Router (2 in 1 device), as far as I know, you just plug in eg; both your laptop and desktop and it's online.

Both the mobile broadband and their home broadband service comes with a SIM card as both are HSPDA services and transmit signals thru a cell tower, but the device given to you is different, one is a USB modem while the other is a Modem+Router/WIFI access+Phone (VOIP?).....

To get more complicated:

You can in theory setup a mobile broadband to work on a network but this will be done through ICS "internet connection sharing", basically what this does is it acts as your XP workstation connected via your mobile broadband modem to the internet then shares that connection to any other workstations on the network connected to it.

This was the way to go back when routers was expensive and only available to those enthusiast, tho today the average household uses multi-PC's + WIFI for mobile phones, PSP, etc... so many household has a router for this task and ICS has slowly faded into the .........

To set this up can be simple or as hard as how "technically suave" you are, if you keyword search internet connection sharing on Google, I'm sure a dozen walk-thrus will pop up.

or You can do what Movingin07 did and buy a modem

[drumbrake]

Unfortunately I'm in a contract for the mobile broadband or I would switch to the home broadband - it is also cheaper and I don't really use the mobile broadband out of the home much.

I've tried the 'internet connection sharing' method, and I am either doing something wrong or missing a step, but I don't get any wireless signal from the laptop - at least not one which my smartphone can recognise.

I have a feeling that internet connection sharing is mainly for those connected via a LAN cable.

[justsomebody2]

You are correct, ICS is not designed for you to connect WIFI, it was only designed to connect via LAN thru a hub/router or a crossover cable might even work, if you need WIFI, you will need to get a router with WIFI support, although setting up a router to work with ICS from a workstation, oh my god I got a headache already just thinking about it.... why bother?

I'd rather pay the extra cash and get that modem+router+Wifi access point that movingin07 has.

[MovingIn07]

This thread seems to be the answer: Help! Unable to connect USB Modem to Window 7 laptop. However, I don't really want to pay 1800 for a router as MovingINo7 did - hopefully I can get a cheaper basic one.

For home use you can, yes. I found several when I was looking, chunky things, that you stuck the USB stick into. The only reason I didn't use that approach was size - I wanted a mobile solution - for a fixed home use they would be fine and were not very expensive (a few hundred if I recall).

[drumbrake]

Thanks - I haven't got around to going to Golden Arcade yet, but a few hundred is reasonable.

[pin]

My router, the D-Link 655 allows you to connect a 3g usb dongle to it with the ability of creating a wifi network.

its not the cheapest router though.

[drumbrake]

For those doing the same as me and reading this thread, I ended up buying an Edimax 3G-6200n 3G router from Golden Arcade for HK$329. Works fine so far and set up dead easy.