Thursday, February 21, 2008

Multiple Computers - One Internet Connection

Even though I'm the one who relies on a computer to earn our living, my wife spends her fair share of time online as well. In the past, we've shared a laptop. It's been less than convenient, but we've worked out our schedules so that we both get enough time at the keyboard. But this year we bought a second laptop so we could both do what we needed, when we wanted.

One problem with having multiple computers when on the road is that both computers need internet connectivity. If you're lucky enough to be in a campground that offers (and delivers) free Wifi, you're in good shape. But I can't count on that. Most of the time I end up paying a fee for access, or using a cellular connection. Both of those options mean that I'm only going to have a single connection to the internet.

Synet's Windy31 fixes that problem. It's just exactly what I need to let both of us connect through a single internet connection. The unit connects to the USB port on the laptop that's connected to the internet (actually, you can connect it to a desktop just as easily), and becomes a Wifi access point and router... just like the one I have at home. The difference is that it's small and routes through the laptop to create a private wireless network.

I plugged the Windy31 into my laptop and the software loaded from the USB device... no CD was needed. I'm guessing the software is stored in memory in the USB unit. When I turned on my wife's laptop, it scanned for Wifi networks. It found the Windy31, connected to it, and was online in a few seconds.

I'm sure there are plenty of other uses for the Windy31, but this will do for me. Sorry, but it only runs on Windows XP and Vista computers, but of course any Wifi device (Apple, Wifi phone, etc.) can connect through it. Retail price is around $60.
Posted by Scott at Thursday, February 21, 2008

23 comments:

  1. mango1Sounds great...one question, was the "master laptop" connected to the internet via wifi or an air card (broadband card)??....that is all we use now, vice unreliable or costly wifi....air cards work while enroute over the road.....so this is the ticket IF it works with the air card. Thanks for sharing
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  2. Oh wow that would be awesome if it works for the Aircard. We just hit the road and so far the air card is great. But cant be online at the same time.
    Can anyone comment if it works with the aircard?

    mouthyrver
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  3. It's not a problem that this device doesn't work with Macintosh computers. They don't need the Windy anyway.

    Mac users can go to System Preferences ... Sharing ... click on the "Internet" tab ... and share their Internet connection via wi-fi or Ethernet cable without any additional hardware or software.
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  4. Wife and I travel a bit too in M home and have 2 laptops and simply use a verizon aircard and a cat 5 cable between computers, then no need for additional device to hook them together and no power required either. Charles Davis, RVfinancing.com
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  5. Glad to see there are other ways to connect multiable computers, we have 4 in our MH,
    Charlie, glad to see you back on line hope your doing well. Dale & Dotti
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  6. We first purchased the Verizon aircard for use in RV shows where we finance RV's, it gives us instant communication with the banks and by using the CAT5 cable it allows us to use 2 computers and service 2 customers at once online, 07 was our best year ever and our 9th online. I do find there are very few places it will not connect, if your cell works it will work. Dale, email me cdavis@RVfinancing.com, Charles Davis, RVfinancing.com
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  7. We use a Sprint air card but use a Linksys router so we both use the internet at same time. with two laptops. We travel with 3 computer's and can have them all on line at same time. I believe it will handly around 8 to 10 computers at once. Works great. Depends on the signal but usually works as fast as a DSL.
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  8. We use a Sprint air card but use a Linksys router so we both use the internet at same time. with two laptops. We travel with 3 computer's and can have them all on line at same time. I believe it will handly around 8 to 10 computers at once. Works great. Depends on the signal but usually works as fast as a DSL.

    Could you tell me the model # of the Linksys router please
    Susanna
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  9. 1. Customer support from Synet is one person answering the phone asking what do you want. There is no customer support in any sense.

    2. The device does not support WiFi phones..or so I was told. This is the main reason I purchased it.

    3. I am sure someone will have a similar product very soon. I have not considered calling Maverick Systems or the other company associated with this product as they are in Korea.

    This is a nice product. Nice features but don't
    expect it to answer all of your needs. If you want a simple easy to use way to extend your wireless network while you are way from your home or office this is a GOOD product.
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  10. It would appear that a master laptop must be online all the time in order for this product to extend internet, etc to other laptops.

    We use an air card while in our RV and are considering the purchase of a mobile router instead as only the router must be powered on all the time. The air card goes into the router.

    As others have already mentioned, you can connect other laptops to the internet via a CAT5 cable or better still, an adhoc wifi connection with internet sharing enabled as well.
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  11. We use the Linksys Mobile Broadband Router (Model WRT54G3G-ST) with a Verizon Aircard, a Wilson cellular amplifier from Wilson Electronics and a Wilson roof mount antenna.

    While the flexibility provided by the WiFi connection to the router is nice, I usually connect to it via a Cat 5 cable because the speed is noticeably faster, and my work demands as much horsepower as possible. My wife, on the other hand, prefers the WiFi connection, as she can move about the RV as she pleases.

    The Wilson antenna and amplifier, which connects to the Aircard in the router, is indispensable when the cell signal is weak. One of our favorite spots on the California coast used to be off limits when on working trips because the signal was too weak to maintain a phone conversation let alone connect to the Internet. That problem disappeared when we installed the Wilson amp; it generally boosts the signal from one bar to four or five.

    Anyway, the aircard, mobile router and Wilson amp are a dynamite combination. I can't say enough about how great this setup works for us. (My apologies for the length of this comment.)
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  12. As many of you probably already know - but it has not been mentioned here - Macs have this feature built in out of the box. Any Mac that is connect to a network can act as a WiFi access point through features built into the OS. This of course does not apply if the host is connected via Wifi, but then why would you need connect other computers via Wifi, if wifi was already available. However, other computers can be connected via ethernet (wired) through the host Mac. Clients can be other Mac or Windows machines.
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  13. This thing does not work. The dealer has no service people and does not have any idea as to how the router works. Our purchase was through SynetUSA. Don't waste your money. Purchase a good router to start with.
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  14. I have read what few reviews are out there for this product and I will agree with you that it is not well backed by the company. I would not buy it again. That being said I had no problems getting it working. However, I do deal with networking equipment every day.

    There is another product by D-link that I think will take the place for the same price. DWL-G730AP. It can take the place of your home broadband router or plug in to an internet connection and share it wirelessly. It is made by D-link and was an accessible firewall web page like most of their product.
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  15. I think the next best solution has already been mentioned. D-Link, Linksys, and a few others have a wireless router/modem that accepts a wireless card from the cell provider. The issue with those units is they reportedly only support specific models of wireless cards. These devices also range in the $200-$300 range and may need an antenna modification to get the best performance.
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  16. The Windy31 is a nice little device, and while, as some of the comments do indicate, there is little (read 'none') support available. The unit is imported from somewhere in Eastern Europe I believe.

    I'll be posting reviews of a few other devices that offer REAL wifi routing, shortly. These are part of a new breed of cell>wifi devices that are being popularized for passenger vehicles. It seems that when the family gets into the minivan, everyone wants to stay connected.

    These, combined with the availability of cellular connections make connected travel simple. Stay tuned.
    Scott
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  17. Good article. For those that use an air card or cell phone tether, you may be interested in how you can boost your cell signal in fringe areas. Check out this article:

    Cellular Antenna Signal Booster

    I don't know if this will work with the new WiFi routers that accept air cards though. I'll have to do some research and post back.
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  18. The Wilson amp works quite well with WiFi routers and aircards. I use the Linksys Mobile Broadband Router (Model WRT54G3G-ST) with a Verizon Aircard and the Wilson equipment described in the article referenced by Mark Corgan. (see comment on 5/29). The amplifier's performance is outstanding.
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  19. I did install the Wilson amp and antenna. I'll be posting my results soon, but in short... it's great.
    Scott
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  20. The Windy31 is a bad device. No support, no new drivers since 2007, and the existing drivers and software are terrible. You will have a number of configuration choices, but no explanation of what they are and what they do.

    This thing worked the first time I tried it, and I was satisfied. But that was a dry run at home. When I needed it in a hotel, it didn't work. I spent a hour trying, but no luck. I am a telecom/networking expert, and this is my 20th wifi router, so I'm no slouch.

    I subsequently took it home, where it didn't work again. So I did an uninstall, then a clean install again. It worked again, connecting a second laptop, although my wifi phone could not make a connection.

    So I examined the laptop that was on the Windy31, and checked the performance. Although the WiFi reported full signal and 54Gbps speed, and a full slate of correct IP addresses assigned by DHCP, the laptop browser speed felt like a dial-up modem - very slow (the host PC was still smokin fast on my 30Mbps cable service.)

    One of the main problems with the Windy31 is that the DHCP function is erratic. So in their FAQ they just say to manually set it if DHCP doesn't work. That's what my phone's problem is, it didn't get an IP address(sorry if this is greek to you).

    But I can't tolerate the Windy31. It's bad enough that it is quirky and hard to connect reliably, but what I can't abide is that it is so terribly slow when it does work.

    Important notes:
    Windows has something called ICS, Internet Connection Sharing, built in. It's not the simplest thing in the world to set up, but it does the same thing as the Windy31. You can share any incoming Internet (aircard, ethernet, wifi) out through any unused network device (ethernet, wifi). It's free, and fast. BTW, this is all that Windy31 does: it just configures this ICS for you and provides another WiFi device.

    Cradlepoint: This is the best brand of cellular/wifi routers. Look them up before you buy Windy31. I have one, and I'm very satisfied. I use mine with an AT&T 3G card.

    DWL-G730AP is the D-link travel router. I have one of these too. Using it like the Windy31 (to share Internet from a connected PC) is possible, and IMHO preferable, to the Windy, but it would require you to do the ICS configuration yourself. If you have Ethernet as your supply, using the Dlink a standard but small router is the easiest/best choice.
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  21. Hey you RVer guys, forget paying $59 a month for cell Internet access. Get the Windy31 and my long range WiFi reception gear and just plan your RV park stays in parks that have FREE WiFi. I can even get the indoor office rubber ducky antenna WiFi from over 500 feet away. I have even gotten a WiFi signal from a mile away with my long range WiFi reception gear.

    Windy31 works perfectly, so far. I have three computers onboard my 37 ft. motorhome and one, an Asus Eee netbook, has the Windy31 and a MagicJack [and a V-Tech cordless phone base unit plus an V-Tech extension unit] connected to it. Not only do I now have a 'landline' anywhere there is good WiFi reception, but I also can share a 'pay for' WiFi hotspot or one that is free but the park only gives you one access card for [card with one username and password] with all three of my computers at once. The Windy31 was just about as easy to install as was the MagicJack! Sometimes, when pay for WiFi hotspots are free if you stay at the park over 3 months and they give you an access card, the Internet provider will not let you log on any more than one computer at once; the Windy31 solves this problem.
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  22. great. Cellular Amplifier is a great way to get connected to your buddies and family persons..it is really very good tool to boost your signals....visit http://www.wilsonamplifierstore.com/ for more info
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  23. we have picked our internet air cark from here.we had poor signals that slow our internet air card service.thanks for the wilson amplifier that speed up our internet access speed..i also use it in my car to access the internet while traveling.
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