Forums | MacLife

hasbeen · 2009-02-01 12:37 am

I have a Sprint Mobile Broadband card that connects USB to my laptop (Powerbook G4). My house is running wireless with broadband cable in to a cable modem in to a Lynksys router in to my Airport Extreme.

Can I somehow plug my Sprint card into my home system and get rid of the extra expense of the broadband cable?

Can I somehow go USB directly in to my Airport Base Station? I know it has a USB port, but I am guessing it is only an output, seeing as though my printer is connected to it.

I did read the post on USB to Airport by cell phone, but this is a little different, I think?

Thanks!

Last edited by hasbeen (2009-02-01 2:54 am)

mrreet2001 · 2009-02-01 9:12 am

you would plug it into a computer and use internet connection sharing but do you have a differnt plan than this:

"5 GB/mo. in total or 300 MB/mo. while off-network roaming. (1024 kb=1MB. 1024 MB=1 GB)
Additional monthly usage over 5 GB costs 5¢/MB. You may not use more than 300 MB/mo. while off-network roaming"
Thats not very much data for more than one computer. (it's not even that much for 1 computer)

hasbeen · 2009-02-01 4:02 pm

I know about internet sharing, but I really don't want to tie up a laptop. Thanks!

Anyone else?

mrreet2001 · 2009-02-01 5:28 pm

You can't just plug a usb cell modem into the airport and get it to work. You would either have to have a computer do the internet sharing or buy a router made for cell modems.

dv · 2009-02-01 6:30 pm

hasbeen wrote:
I know about internet sharing, but I really don't want to tie up a laptop. Thanks!

Anyone else?

Sorry, mrreet2001 is right on the money here. Either a laptop, or a specialized router doing a really damn good impression of one.

Consumer routers like theAirport base station are designed to share an Ethernet-based internet connection. The USB port is, as you suspect, only for "output." You need to get that USB mdoem addressed by something with a USB controller, a NIC, and a brain (CPU).

You could always use a G4 mini. They stack quite nicely with airport base stations and don't pull a lot of juice. A PC of some kind could do the job cheaper, if potentially less sexily.

hasbeen · 2009-02-02 12:16 am

Thanks for the help! Hmm, I do have a coupla windows machines laying around.

Can someone point me in the right direction (documents and such) as to how I can configure a windows machine to do this?

One is a desk top with ethernet. The other is a laptop with a PC wireless card and ethernet. Both XP.

As always, thanks for the tips!

dv · 2009-02-02 12:33 am

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_ics/

Windows XP has built in Internet Connection Sharing

hasbeen · 2009-02-02 1:14 am

Thanks!

Forums | MacLife

#1 2009-02-01 12:37 am

Sprint Wireless Broadband Card and Airport

#2 2009-02-01 9:12 am

Re: Sprint Wireless Broadband Card and Airport

#3 2009-02-01 4:02 pm

Re: Sprint Wireless Broadband Card and Airport

#4 2009-02-01 5:28 pm

Re: Sprint Wireless Broadband Card and Airport

#5 2009-02-01 6:30 pm

Re: Sprint Wireless Broadband Card and Airport

hasbeen wrote:

#6 2009-02-02 12:16 am

Re: Sprint Wireless Broadband Card and Airport

#7 2009-02-02 12:33 am

Re: Sprint Wireless Broadband Card and Airport

#8 2009-02-02 1:14 am

Re: Sprint Wireless Broadband Card and Airport

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