How do I configure my wired router to get its internet connection from another computer?

Question

I'm connected to the internet wirelessly (via xfinitywifi) on one laptop and I want to share that internet connection via a Linksys BEFSR41 wired router.

So far, I've tried to connect the ethernet cable coming from the laptop with internet access to the "internet" port on the Linksys BEFSR41. I then connected another laptop's ethernet cable to 1 of the 4 ports on the router. This didn't do the job.

I also tried the same setup but with DHCP disabled. This also didn't work.

I tried to connect both ethernet cables to one of the four ports on the Linksys BEFSR41, and still no luck.

On the computer with internet access, I bridged the wireless adapter that has internet access with the wired adapter as well and did not catch any internet waves on the other computer this way either.

EDIT I just tried enabling Internet Connection Sharing on the wired ethernet adapter of the computer that has a connection to the internet, but it also didn't work. It actually booted me from the working wireless connection that I was and and still am using. I'm guessing that this option is if you don't use a router but just connect two computers directly via an ethernet cable.

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I know that I have to change some settings on the Linksys BEFSR41 and supply the ipconfig values on the computer connected to the internet somewhere in the router setup page to get my desired results. I have looked around on this site and others for what I suspect should be a simple setup, but I can't find the right guide on setting the router up so that it get's it's internet connection from the one computer that already has a connection.

Can someone walk me through setting up the router and the two computers so that the internet connection is shared via the Linksys BEFSR41 wired router?

I have access to, and can edit, the settings of both computers' adapters and the router's settings as well. I just can't get it working right.

Answer 1

I finally figured it out.

Here's the hardware/equipment I used - keep in mind that some specific details are not crucial to the success of this solution, I am just listing my setup exactly the way as it was tested and the way that it worked for me:

1. A computer with a "Local Area Connection" and a "Wireless Network Connection" adapter that has an active, working internet connection.
2. A wired router with one "Internet" port and four "ethernet" ports. In this case, I used a Linksys BEFSR41.
3. A computer with a "Local Area Connection" that is not connected to the internet.

Here's the step-by-step process that gave the computer with no internet access its connection:

1. Make sure your router is plugged in and connect the "Internet" port to the ethernet port of your computer that has internet access.
2. Use an ethernet cable to connect the computer with no internet connection to one of the four ethernet ports on the router.
3. Make sure that the "Power" light, the "Ethernet" light, and the "Internet" light are all lit up. (This step most likely varies slightly from router to router - like I mentioned before, I was using a Linksys BEFSR41)
4. Open up the "Network Connections" screen on the computer that is connected to the internet wirelessly.
5. Right click on the "Wireless Network Connection" that is connected to the internet.
6. Click "Properties"
7. Click the "Sharing" tab.
8. Check the first box that says "Allow other users to connect throuh this computer's Internet connection".
9. Click "OK"
10. Wax your surfboard