How do I turn an ethernet only connection into a wireless one?

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kelseyckelsey

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Aug 26, 2014
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I'm moving into student halls that only have ethernet internet access. I have a fairly basic grasp of computing and the hardware that goes along with it. From my googling I know that I'm probably going to need a router. I want the wifi connection for my phone and tablet, I'm quite happy for my laptop to run off the ethernet. I'd be grateful if anyone could give me some basic advice on what I have to get done for it to work.
 
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someguynamedmatt
^Couldn't have said it better. I just returned to Penn State for another year, and we're limited in two ways. First, we have to register the MAC address of our device, along with the ethernet jack that the device is being connected to, in order to get a connection. Only one device can actually be registered at a time. Second, we have to set up any wireless hotspots through the housing office and residential computing guys... like Bill said, your device is now the weakest link in their network, and they don't want you turning into a security hole.

It wouldn't surprise me if your school also has a specific setup routine for devices connecting to their network; if not, we can help you get a wireless router set up, but I'd definitely...
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bill001g

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Aug 9, 2012
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Assuming they permit it...many do not because now THEIR networks security is based on YOUR skill level to setup wireless correctly.

All you need is a wireless router. You might be able to run it as a AP to simplify things. It is not uncommon for a school to restrict the lan ports to a single mac address and use some form of authentication to verify the person who is connecting. If they really want to they can pretty much make it impossible to connect more than a single device to the ethernet using things like 802.1x.

So first step is to check with them it is ok to run a wireless network and then if they have any restrictions you have abide by.
 
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someguynamedmatt

someguynamedmatt

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Feb 7, 2010
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^Couldn't have said it better. I just returned to Penn State for another year, and we're limited in two ways. First, we have to register the MAC address of our device, along with the ethernet jack that the device is being connected to, in order to get a connection. Only one device can actually be registered at a time. Second, we have to set up any wireless hotspots through the housing office and residential computing guys... like Bill said, your device is now the weakest link in their network, and they don't want you turning into a security hole.

It wouldn't surprise me if your school also has a specific setup routine for devices connecting to their network; if not, we can help you get a wireless router set up, but I'd definitely check with that first.

I myself have an ad-hoc (computer-to-computer) network running that shares my desktop's internet through its wireless adapter to the other devices I have, and it seems to be quite well, but that really isn't an option if you don't have a desktop in the first place, and I've had trouble trying to get it to function if all the devices run a different operating system. There are definitely better ways to do it, but it is an option if you definitely can't have access to a wireless router or hotspot.
 
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