Airport Extreme and ad-hoc networks

[GT40]

I've got a cable modem plugged into an XP machine with a wireless adapter in it, and I want to share the internet with my iBook. The iBook can see the network, but I've got no internet access. I'm wondering if Airport Extreme can only connect to the net using an infrastructure network (I was online in a cafe the other day), but I hope I'm wrong!

Edited to add: I don't want to buy a base station because I'm at my mother's for a month and once I get home I've got DSL not cable, so I'll need a new one.

 

[yellow]

'm wondering if Airport Extreme can only connect to the net using an infrastructure network (I was online in a cafe the other day), but I hope I'm wrong!

I'm fairly certain this is not a requirement, as you have an 'create and ad-hoc network' built into OS X (System Preferences -> Sharing -> Internet Sharing).

More likely there's some misconfiguration or a firewall is interfering.

 

[ftaok]

Edited to add: I don't want to buy a base station because I'm at my mother's for a month and once I get home I've got DSL not cable, so I'll need a new one.

I'm confused on this statement. I would still suggest a basestation (~$40). It's easy to configure and you could take it with you. You could use the basestation with the cable internet at your mom's and the DSL modem at home.

Or did I miss the point?

 

[GT40]

No, I forgot to mention something My DSL modem doesn't have ports to put a router on it, so the ISP can upsell. I have actually got TWO routers at home, but they are 300 miles away. It didn't occur to me that I could buy another DSL modem when I go home (instead of an all in one DSL/router) but I guess I can, I feel such a prat!

 

[ftaok]

No, I forgot to mention something My DSL modem doesn't have ports to put a router on it, so the ISP can upsell. I have actually got TWO routers at home, but they are 300 miles away. It didn't occur to me that I could buy another DSL modem when I go home but I guess I can, I feel such a prat!

I'm still confused. I guess I'm a little slow right now. When you're at home, how do you connect your Mac to the DSL modem? USB? I was under the impression that Macs didn't play well with DSL modems using USB. If not, I wonder where I got that impression.

 

[GT40]

Yeah, it's USB, I've had no problems with it at all

I don't think you're slow, it's even confusing me!

 

[Moria]

You'll have to enable it on your XP machine. Go to Network Connections, right click on your internet account and go to properties, the setting is in there somewhere. In the last tab I think.

 

[GT40]

I've done that (if you mean connection sharing)

 

[superbovine]

you can "see" network, but what happens when you try to connect?

 

[GT40]

If I fire up Firefox it won't load anything. There's a computer icon in the Airport symbol, I guess that just symbolises the ad-hoc. I'm on 10.3 still if that's relevant