Vista: Creating an Ad Hoc Wireless Network

If you don’t have a wireless access point,
Vista enables you to set up a temporary
network between two or more computers.
This is an ad hoc connection, and it’s useful
if you need to share folders, devices, or an
Internet connection temporarily. Note that
the computers must be within 30 feet of
each other for this type of connection to
work.
Here are the steps to follow to create an ad hoc wireless network:
1. Open the Manage Wireless Networks window, as described earlier.
2. Click Add. Vista displays the How Do You Want to Add a Network? dialog
box.
3. Click Create an Ad Hoc Network. Vista displays the Set Up a Wireless
Ad Hoc Network dialog box.
4. Click Next.
5. Provide the following data to set up the network (see Figure 7.3):
Network Name. The name of the ad hoc network.
Security Type. The security protocol used by the ad hoc wireless network.
Select No Authentication (Open) if you want the network to be
unsecured.
Security Key/Passphrase. Type the key or password required for
authorized access to the ad hoc network.
Save This Network. Activate this check box to save the network in the
Manage Wireless Networks list.
6. Click Next. Vista sets up the ad hoc network.
7. If you want to share your computer’s Internet connection, click Turn on
Internet Connection Sharing.
8. Click Close. Windows Vista adds the ad hoc network to your list of networks
in the Manage Wireless Networks window

Now, other people within 30 feet of your computer will see your ad hoc network
in their list of available wireless networks, as shown in Figure 7.5. Note
that the network remains available as long as at least one computer is connected
to it, including the computer that created the network. The network is
discarded when all computers (including the machine that created the network)
have disconnected from it.