Wireless systems are increasingly used thanks to the important improvements made to their usability over the years. This is good for many portable devices such as laptops, smartphones, etc. But there are also cases where a wireless adapter isn't always included in a desktop computer, or you may want a more stable wireless connection than the one you currently use.
Creating a network bridge for an internet connection means creating a connection between different ports that will be used by your computer, via ethernet and wireless. Here are some simple steps that will help you create a network bridge for your connection.
Note: This tutorial is only valid for MS Windows systems. Also, the following steps should only be used in the context of a Windows 7 system, as functionality is not guaranteed for older versions or on computers running other operating systems such as iOS, or Linux.
Steps
Step 1. Make sure the computers to be connected and the crossover cable are working
To check that the cable is working, plug it into both computers. If the doors light up, it means it's working. If they do not come on, the cable is probably damaged.
Step 2. Start the process
On both computers, go to the "Start" menu, open the control panel and click on "Network and Internet" and then on "Network and Sharing Center". The connection to the local area network (LAN) should appear not connected to the internet.
Step 3. Create the network bridge on the host computer
On the host computer, go to "Change adapter settings" in the left pane. You should see two or more links. Highlight both the local area connection and the wireless network connection. Right click on one of the icons you highlighted, a menu of options will appear with the words "Connections with bridging". Select this item; at this point the system will take a few seconds to set up the connection.
Does the network bridge work? Some computer cards will automatically assign the necessary network information to the system. An icon with a small monitor and an electrical plug will appear on the system tray of the guest system. If the icon displays a warning sign, it means that the information must be assigned manually
Step 4. Check for errors
A new icon should appear in the "Network Bridge" window with the name of the wireless network you are connected to, under "Network Bridge". If not, repeat step 3 to remove the network bridge and start the process over.
Step 5. Access the command prompt
Still on the host computer, open the "Start" menu and type "cmd" in the search bar. Open notepad and write the provided network information.
Step 6. Get the computer network information
In the cmd window, type "ipconfig / all". A long list of information should appear. Scroll up and look for "Network bridge ethernet adapter:", copy the IPv4 address and numbers of the Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS Server.
Step 7. Create the settings on the host computer
On the host computer, click on "Local Area Connection". The "Local network connection status" window will appear; select "Properties", and double click on "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP / IPv4)".
Step 8. Enter the IP information
To enter the network information, select "Use the following IP address". Three fields should now be highlighted for entering numbers. In the IP address line, enter the IPv4 address of the host computer, and in the last field increase the value by 1.
Example: 192.168.1.179 will become 192.168.1.180. The Subnet Mask and Default Gateway are the same values noted previously
Step 9. Check the DNS servers
The DNS servers will need to be modified by entering the values you noted from the host computer's network information. Enter the number shown for the host computer in the first line, and enter the same number increased by 1 in the second line.
Example: 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2
Step 10. Finalize the connection
Click on the box to validate the settings, then click on "OK". The validation will be processed immediately, but the connection will start working a few seconds after clicking "OK". Your new link should now be active.
