Setting up a wireless network with Verizon MiFi

Question

I am trying to set up a home network. I live in a location without cable internet so I have a Verizon MiFi card.

I have a few laptops at the moment and they each connect through the card but I want to set up an Ubuntu 10.10 server and see if I can use it for DHCP.

I have a Trendnet TEG-S50G switch and the computer I plan to use for the server has a Linksys WMP-11 Wireless PCI card.

Is there any other equipment I need in order to get this to work? Is this even doable? Is there a better way to make this happen?

Answer 1

Yes, you should certainly be able to have your Ubuntu box join the MiFi wirelessly, and then enable NAT and DHCP service in Ubuntu and share your Internet connection with wired devices that connect through the Trendnet switch into the Ethernet port of your Ubuntu box.

Is there a better way? Well, unless you were already going to set up that Ubuntu server for other purposes, running a full-on PC just to act as a wireless bridge or NAT gateway is probably not cost-effective when you look at how much electricity that box will use in a year. A cheap consumer multi-client wireless bridge from Linksys or Netgear or D-Link would probably pay for itself on energy savings in a year. Plus it would save you the setup and maintenance hassles. And aside from the cost of the electricity, there are the "green" factors to consider.