[Tfug] OK, some advanced network geekery needed...

[andy]

I may regret asking this, but why can't you just buy another Celldata
thingy?

On Thu, 2007-11-15 at 20:43 -0700, Jim March wrote:
> Sadly, my wonderful little Celldata-to-WiFi adapter box appears to be
> no longer with us.  I may be able to salvage it by soldering power
> connections to the motherboard but...it doesn't look good.
> 
> The good news: the PCMCIA Verizon cellmodem that was in it now works
> under Gutsy.  So I'm not "down".  But I can't provide a WiFi hotspot
> for others anymore...and I actually need that capability for portable
> political activism.  I also do user support and used to use the
> external router box to provide emergency Ethernet and/or WiFi to do
> driver updates or otherwise get somebody up.
> 
> So the query is:
> 
> How do I gateway/route the cellmodem signal out to my laptop's WiFi
> adapter and duplicate the functionality of the dead box in Gutsy?
> 
> The parts:
> 
> * Laptop with Gutsy (Acer cheapo).
> 
> * The cellmodem card is a Kyocera KPC650 in a PCMCIA slot.  Gutsy's
> network monitor calls it ppp0.  Gutsy thinks this is some sort of
> dialup modem.  The contents of my /etc/wvdial.conf file looks like
> (with obvious items x-ed out):
> 
> [Dialer verizon]
> Phone = #777
> Password = xxx
> Username = xxxxxxxxxx at vzw3g.com
> [Dialer Defaults]
> Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0
> Baud = 115200
> Init = ATZ
> Dial Command = ATDT
> Stupid mode = 1
> 
> * My WiFi is an Intel chipset.  Wicd says it's "eth1".
> 
> * I also have working motherboard Ethernet and being able to gateway
> from the Verizon card OUT to Ethernet would be damned good too.  It's
> Eth0 via the Sky2 module (Marvell chipset).
> 
> I'm guessing that passing the cellmodem internet connection to BOTH
> the Ethernet and WiFi ports would be tricky.  I can live with "one at
> a time", selected via script or similar.
> 
> IF the Intel WiFi isn't going to work for this function, I have an
> interesting option: when I looked inside the Kyocera router, I found a
> mini-PCI slot with a WiFi card exactly like what's in my laptop,
> complete with the same antenna ports :).  I don't know the chipset yet
> as it's encased in steel plate but since the Kyocera router (RIP?) is
> a Linux-based device, odds are it's WiFi card will work right off the
> bat, replacing the Intel.  (Remember, this is the laptop that was
> Jude's victim <wink!> and lost it's original Atheros mini-PCI card,
> and the laptop had no problem with the Intel swapout.)
> 
> I assume I need some sort of simple router software?
> 
> Any help welcome :).
> 
> NOTE: before I posted, I googled and found this:
> 
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=376283
> 
> At a glance anyways, is this on the right track?
> 
> Jim
> 
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