MacBook Internet Sharing

So I currently live in student accommodation, and in doing so only have access to one Ethernet port which I'd ideally like to share between several devices. Switching the cable comes as both an encumbrance and unnecessary issue without the fact that the university only allows each room to register three MAC addresses to each Ethernet access point.

As I mentioned, I own several devices which I'd like to connect to the Internet - ideally simultaneously. Aside from the fiddly process of buying and configuring a network switch (which would involve spoofing MAC addresses) I decided to explore the option of network sharing with my MacBook and Windows machine.

The university prevents Windows based machines sharing the Ethernet connection by way of scanning the computer to make sure such connection sharing options are disabled, however no such security measures are checked for on the Mac OS. After successfully configuring the Mac (Snow Leopard) to broadcast a WiFi connection, sharing the Ethernet service, I have connected my Windows 7 machine to it. This is how;

• Switch on your MacBook.
• Plug in the Ethernet cable and ensure that you have Internet connectivity.

Once you get here, come up with a password to use for your wireless network. Ensure it is 13 characters in length. Once you've done this, generate the hex value of your password. This can be done through a website such as [ http://www.string-functions.com/string-hex.aspx ]. Make a note of this code, as you will need it later.

• Click Apple > System Preferences.
• Select Sharing.
• In the left hand pane, highlight Internet Sharing.
• Under "Share your connection from", choose Ethernet.
• Under "To computers using", choose AirPort.
• Next select AirPort Options.
• Type in a Network Name as you wish.
• Use a channel as you wish. I happened to select 4.
• Tick the box to select Enable encryption (using WEP). At the time of writing this, WEP happens to be the best supported means of encryption.
• In the Password field, type the 13 character password you came up with earlier (NB not the hex value, the plain text password).
• Under WEP Key Length, select 128-bit. Newer versions of Windows will not allow you to easily connect to anything under this.
• Click OK.
• On the left pane, tick the box next to Internet Sharing to turn the service on.

The first step is over. Your MacBook should now be omitting a wireless signal that allows other devices to connect to it, and use it's Ethernet connection to get access to the Internet.

When connecting devices to the MacBook, find the network using your standard means of wireless discovery, and click connect. When prompted for a password, enter the hex code you made a note of earlier.

Connecting Via Windows 7

• Navigate to Control Panel\Network and Internet\Manage Wireless Networks
• Click Add.
•  Click Manually create network profile.
• Under Network Name enter the name you typed into your MacBook earlier.
• Under Security Type, select WEP.
•  In the Security Key, type the hex value you generated for your password.
• Click Okay to end the Wizard.
• Right click on the network you just created, and select Properties.
• Click on the Security tab.
• Under Security Type, choose Shared.
• Under Encryption Type, choose WEP.
• Under Network Security Key, enter the hex value generated for your password.
• You can leave the Key Index as 1.

You should now be able to connect to your MacBook, and access the Internet! Congratulations!