Sharing a Dial-Up Connection through a WiFi Connection

Daniel Mbaabu · Jul 18, 2015

I have a USB mobile broadband modem from the telecom company Orange and a WiFi special router (D-Link) that i bought from the same company along with the USB modem. The special router has a USB port and Ethernet port such that connecting the USB modem to the router automatically converts its connection to LAN and also WiFi, thereby not needing me to connect the USB modem to the computer directly. The thread doesn't allow me to attach photos, so I'll provide links hoping they wont be flagged. i need you get a clear picture of my problem.
the USB modem: http://orange.co.ke/modems.html (the black one at the bottom right)
the special router: http://www.orange.co.ke/obs/dlink.php
now the problem is that i wish to use an internet subscription different from my current ISP (Orange). the different subscription is called Wi-Free (www.wi-free.com/), which uses an ISP's servers and interfaces (im not sure) to connect a user to the internet (way cheaper than Orange). Wi-Free requires me to connect the USB mobile broadband modem to the computer directly and download their interface. But im used to the WiFi provided by the router because of the many devices in the house that use it. using Wi-Free means converting it to hotspot, which is possible in windows 8.1 but won't work on my computer. i tried this tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pvK-6321ig) and got this error:
"the hosted network couldn't be started the group or resource is not in the correct state to perform the requested operation." i tried solving it using these solutions (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/the-hosted-network-couldnt-be-started) but none worked!!
So, how can i use the devices i have aforementioned to use my USB mobile broadband modem connected to my computer through Wi-Free and convert the connection to wifi or hotspot?
Please help. IF POSSIBLE, i would prefer using the devices rather than converting my laptop into a hotspot source since it will mean leaving it on always for downloads, streaming, and browsing
by other connected devices. Please help!!!

bill001g · Jul 18, 2015

This is a confusing post. The device you are talking about is not in anyway related to dialup. It is a mobile broadband modem and the converter is a special router.

This pretty much lets you use internet over the cellar network and if it is like most they tend to be rather expensive.

The wi-free stuff appears to just be a vpn service unless there is a page someplace else. It assumes you already have a internet connection and want to make it more secure....like if you are using a open hotspot at starbucks. It does not replace your current service.

Someone Somewhere · Jul 18, 2015

I think it looks like Wi-Free is an encryption service, not an internet connection. It allows security over open (e.g. airport, coffee shop) WiFi networks. You could use it through the Orange modem, but then you'd have to pay both Orange and Wi-Free.

The modem you have from Orange is a 3G Cellular modem, not dial-up.

Are you sure you can't get a fixed line (e.g. cable, (A)DSL, fibre) internet connection? Per gigabyte they're usually going to be far cheaper.

Daniel Mbaabu · Jul 19, 2015

bill001g :

oh, my bad. i called it dial-up because if you connect the modem to the internet without using its default interface, windows calls it a "dial-up connection." but i will edit it to remove the dialup and just call it a mobile broadband mode. "It does not replace your current service." If you're referring to wi-free, it actually replaces your current service. a friend of mine introduced me to it and currently uses it. he doesn't pay for ordinary Orange monthly unlimited internet subscriptions. instead, you download a software from wi-free that serves as an interface for connecting you to the internet, after connecting the usb modem to your computer directly and paying for any of wi-free's three offers of course. so, is there a way i can use wi-free and convert it to wifi using my laptop, modem, or "special router?"

Someone Somewhere · Jul 19, 2015

Are you sure about this? Unless WiFree magically has a cellsite near you or leases someone else's network, you still need a network connection.

I suspect your friend is near somewhere with free WiFi, or leeching off a neighbour.

Daniel Mbaabu · Jul 19, 2015

Someone Somewhere :

yes, wi-free is not an internet connection. no, you DONT have to pay both orange and wi-free, that's why i want to use it. i only have to pay wi-free, which is way cheaper than Orange's offers, that i have been using for four years now. yes, i have been corrected about the dial-up thing, and made the necessary edits. i cannot get fixed line internet connections because they are even more costly than the current offers for the modem. if you've visited the links, you've seen the company is Orange Kenya, a subsidiary of the main Orange company in france. fibre and cable are pretty costly in this country, unlike the u.s. and eu members.

Someone Somewhere · Jul 19, 2015

So if Wi-Free isn't an internet connection, who are you going to use for the internet connection?

If you're using more than 5-10GB per month (depending on speed), a fixed broadband plan from them is going to be cheaper than mobile broadband. Looks like they also include a bunch of free phone calling, which may help to sway the equation further.

Daniel Mbaabu · Jul 19, 2015

Someone Somewhere :

i am ABSOLUTELY sure about this. my friend simply connects the modem to his computer, opens wi-free interface, and uses it to connect to the internet, after paying wi-free ONLY of course. as you pointed out earlier, i suspect orange has an open vpn that wi-free exploits to connect its users to the internet, with the modem serving as both a modem and antenna though im not entirely sure. im not conversant with its technicalities.

Daniel Mbaabu · Jul 19, 2015

Someone Somewhere :

i suspect that wi-free uses an insecure or open vpn within Orange's network to connect me, the user, to the internet using the modem as an antenna or receiver of sorts. im uncertain about the technicalities since i am not very good at that stuff. what i do know is that my friend just connects his usb modem to the computer directly, opens the wi-free interface, and uses it to connect to the internet, after paying wi-free ONLY.

im a heavy internet user. i can use more than 80gb a month. fixed broadband from orange would be living beyond my means. the reasons fixed broadband is expensive here are because their main target markets are corporate clients (businesses and offices) and residential internet is being killed by cheap data bundles that major telecom companies are shoving down the throats of all their subscribers, but still very very costly and ineffective for a person who makes a living off the internet.

Someone Somewhere · Jul 19, 2015

i suspect that wi-free uses an insecure or open vpn within Orange's network to connect me, the user, to the internet using the modem as an antenna or receiver of sorts.

This would require them to find a similar vulnerability in every 3G network worldwide. And the ISPs would be falling over each other to a)sue them and b)fix it.

what i do know is that my friend just connects his usb modem to the computer directly, opens the wi-free interface, and uses it to connect to the internet, after paying wi-free ONLY.

He's probably over the road from a wifi hotspot or something.

im a heavy internet user. i can use more than 80gb a month. fixed broadband from orange would be living beyond my means. the reasons fixed broadband is expensive here are because their main target markets are corporate clients (businesses and offices) and residential internet is being killed by cheap data bundles that major telecom companies are shoving down the throats of all their subscribers, but still very very costly and ineffective for a person who makes a living off the internet.

Looking at their pricing, 80GB of mobile data is going to cost you Kshs. 31,960. Their fastest ADSL plan (which is supposedly unlimited) is Kshs. 9,999 per month.

3x the price to go mobile, though it may be faster.

Daniel Mbaabu · Jul 19, 2015

well, i don't know about wi-free finding "a similar vulnerability in every 3G network worldwide." i should also point out that this is certainly not the first time i've HEARD about people using an "open port" within Orange's network to connect to the internet for free.
"He's probably over the road from a wifi hotspot or something." NO he is not. i cannot emphasize this enough. when he connects to the internet, he is not connected to anything else other than the usb modem and the wi-free interface.
as for the other orange offers, i have looked at all of them, not mentioning monitoring them for four years hoping they will introduce an affordable fixed broadband offer for residential users. unfortunately they haven't made any such progress there. if anything, its gotten worse. "Their fastest ADSL plan (which is supposedly unlimited) is Kshs. 9,999 per month." i currently use an "unlimited " monthly offer for KES 2,990. unlimited is in quotes because the offer has an FUP cap of 20gb, which lowers the speeds from around 5mbps to 512kbps. this happens in a matter of days after subscribing, which means i deal with the slow speed for the rest of the month. wi-free allows my friend to enjoy a steady 4mps for three months for a mere $30 (the cheapest offer at wi-free), which converts to around KES 3,000.
so, can i use wi-free using my computer, modem, and router, or any combination of them to convert the wi-free to wifi??

Someone Somewhere · Jul 19, 2015

i should also point out that this is certainly not the first time i've HEARD about people using an "open port" within Orange's network to connect to the internet for free.

Plenty of people say you can make a perpetual motion machine, too. Doesn't make it possible. Any such hole would be plugged in at most days after being found, because it's a massive loss of revenue.

he is not connected to anything else other than the usb modem and the wi-free interface.

Then he is paying Orange or some other telco for data. Simple as that.

Daniel Mbaabu · Jul 19, 2015

Someone Somewhere :

sigh. it appears we've reached an impasse.

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