Sharing a Bluetooth internet connection over wireless?

[Reality]

Goal: Use my cellphone's bluetooth data capabilities to bring an internet connection to my laptop, and then use Laptop as a router and share that connection via Laptop's WiFi card

Is this possible? I'm using windows vista

I can connect to the internet on my laptop using my Kensington Bluetooth USB Dongle + Cellphone (LG VX8300), by creating a Bluetooth DUN connection. I've done this already, and can confirm it works. I use my current 4.99/mo Data package with Verizon (It uses my minutes, unless it's after 9pm or all-day on weekends).

What I then want to do, is allow my Laptop to serve as a WiFi router and share this connection while I'm at work with my iPod Touch, as well as a few other devices

[Cephius]

Your laptop is not a router.. it cannot broadcast a wifi signal and it cannot assign DHCP IP addresses. The most you can do is allow your internet connection to "pass through" your laptop to another device via an ethernet cable.

[Reality]

There's a video on CNET on how to setup an adhoc network over Vista with your laptop via an ethernet connection and then broadcast it over the laptop's WiFi card, I'm simply substituting the ethernet connection with a Bluetooth Internet connection

I'm running into a snag, however

[Cephius]

Ok, well setting up an Ad-hoc network and "using the laptop as a router" are two completely different things. Ad-hoc basically takes the router of the equation and lets two devices communicate directly. I have no experience with the ipod touch so I can't comment on how (or if) it connects to an Ad-hoc network. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[virusiidx]

Ahhh, i forgot how to do it, but like said above, you can use it as an ad-hoc network. Pretty much a wireless access point. I use it at work to connect my ipod touch since there's no other unsecured wireless network here...

But through bluetooth? that wouldn't be very fast.

If I remember or find how to do it again, I'll post back.

[Reality]

Got it working

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet

[Reality]

Ok, well setting up an Ad-hoc network and "using the laptop as a router" are two completely different things. Ad-hoc basically takes the router of the equation and lets two devices communicate directly. I have no experience with the ipod touch so I can't comment on how (or if) it connects to an Ad-hoc network. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

when you say "adhoc lets two devices communicate directly", do you mean ONLY two? because I have three different devices (two PC's, and my ipod touch) all connected to my laptop right now over the adhoc connection all using the internet from my cellphone

so basically, my laptop in a sense is acting as the router

But through bluetooth? that wouldn't be very fast.

it's a 1mb connection, plenty fast for just browsing with my ipod touch

[virusiidx]

Oh, glad you got it working. Yea, the bluetooth connection shouldn't be bad in that case, just wasn't exactly sure what you were using it for.

[octopus]

This got me thinking. Whenever I travel and at the hotel, sometimes I have to pay to get Internet access. (I have to agree to the terms, etc, before I can connect)

I'm guessing the ad-hoc mode will also let me share the connection?