Member Avatar for rowebil

I have a office across from my yard. It has my linksys router in it. The router is wireless. I have an alfa card to connect to my wireless router.

I want to use 'server3' and plug in my usb alfa card. Then, output the data and share the internet with an ethernet cable going to a router. Can I do that?

So, basically, server3 will be connected to linksys, and it will share the linksys connectivity with a router.
Is it possible?

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Short answer: yes — but it depends on whether a layer‑2 bridge is required or if a NAT/router (Internet Connection Sharing) solution is acceptable. described using the Alfa USB to join the Linksys and then handing Internet out over Ethernet to another router. was right to suggest bridging, but most wireless drivers and access points prevent true L2 bridging when the adapter is in client mode, so a NAT-based share is usually the practical route.

On Windows XP the usual option is Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). That makes the PC do NAT/DHCP for the wired side; the downstream router can be used either as a plain switch/AP (disable its DHCP and use a LAN port) or as a routed device (expect double‑NAT). True OS network bridges (layer‑2) often fail with USB wireless adapters because the AP will drop frames for other MACs unless WDS/client‑bridge is supported.

Linux is more flexible: if the Alfa driver supports AP or 4addr/WDS modes it can be bridged, otherwise enable IP forwarding and NAT. Example (run as root, replace interfaces as appropriate):

sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=1
iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o wlan0 -j MASQUERADE

Troubleshooting checklist: verify server3 can reach the Internet directly first (ping IP and DNS), confirm the Alfa drivers support the needed mode, check that the downstream router’s DHCP or LAN/WAN config won’t conflict, and watch firewall/antivirus on XP. For reliability and security (XP is end‑of‑life), consider a small dedicated wireless bridge/client AP or a Linux-based router appliance if a stable L2 bridge is required.

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Member Avatar for jpadams

It sounds like what you want to do is bridge the connections. Not all wireless cards support this. What is the operating system on server3?

Member Avatar for rowebil

windows xp Pro. I can put Linux on it, if it's easier. The card is an Alfa AWUS036H with an 9gBi antenna

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