Can I Share Dial-Up Service Over a Wireless Network?
Yes, it’s possible to share dial-up internet access across a wireless home network or other wireless LAN (or WLAN). Wireless LANs support the amount of bandwidth required to share dial-up internet service. Dial-up runs at such low speeds, however, that internet connections perform sluggishly on WLANs, particularly when accessing it with multiple computers at the same time. Try any of the following approaches to maximize effectiveness.
Wired Router With Wireless Access Point
This option requires three pieces of hardware in addition to wireless network cards for the client computers: a wired broadband router, an external modem, and a wireless access point. Connect the external modem to this router for internet access, then connect the wireless access point to the router for wireless access.
Ad Hoc Mode With Windows ICS
Alternatively, you can try Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) or equivalent software that relies on one computer hosting the internet connection. This option requires at a minimum that the host computer has a modem (either internal or external) and that all wireless network cards be configured for ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) mode. This option works best if you only have a few home computers located close to each other. Those who prefer the first option usually own a wired broadband router that supports external modems. Because the second option requires neither a wired router nor an external modem, it is usually cheaper and easier to set up for those building new home networks from the ground up.
WiFlyer
You may also consider purchasing the WiFlyer product designed to operate as a dial-up router. This option is the simplest to install of the ones discussed here but most expensive in terms of equipment cost.
Other Specialized Wireless Routers
If none of the above options are feasible, you’ll need a wireless router that features an RS-232 (serial) port to share the dial-up line over an external modem. The mainstream models today do not feature such a serial port. Products that do tend to be discontinued models or higher-end routers designed to use dial-up as a failover option. Some residential routers that provide serial ports for external modems are:
ZoomAir Internet Gateway IG-4165SMC Barricade 7004AWBEarly models of the Apple Airport Base Station
