Take Control of Your AirPort Network

Appendix A. Setting up a Software Base Station

You can use a computer equipped with a Wi-Fi adapter card not just as a client on a Wi-Fi network, but also as a base station. I discussed the pros and cons of this technique in Consider a Software Base Station. This section explains how to set up a software base station under Mac OS 8.6/9.x (next) and under Mac OS X (see Configuring Internet Sharing in Mac OS X).

Tip

You can set up a software base station in Windows XP, too, through a combination of setting up an ad hoc network using one piece of configuration software, and the Internet-sharing feature that’s similar to Mac OS X’s. Adam Engst and I wrote several pages (241–243) about this topic in The Wireless Networking Starter Kit, Second Edition ...