How to access internet with host signed into hotspot

Here's my problem: My Parallels workstation (host OS: WinXP; guest OS: WinXP) works great with my home office's WiFi, but when on the road and with my laptop logged-into something like a T-Mobile hotspot, my guest OS generally cannot access the Internet. With T-Mobile, my guest WinXP complains it is not receiving an IP address from the DHCP server. (However, when I check the details, there is an IP address shown... very strange.)

I've had this happen in several circumstances:

o At a subscription hotspot such as the aforementioned T-Mobile,

o At a conference's "free" WiFi hotspot requiring no sign-in,

o In a hotel with "free" WiFi


In another hotel with a fee-based Internet connection, the guest OS connected but required a separate login and fee. That's suboptimal, of course, but makes sense since it is a "separate machine".


If some method of sharing the host's Internet connection could be implemented, seems to me that would solve both situations. I've played around with bridging in the host OS and only made a mess of things.


Any suggestions? This is a deal-killer for me. I must have Internet access in my guest OS when out of the office!


Many thanks in advance for any suggestions. The Parallels Workstation is a wonderful technology and I'm quite delighted except for this issue.

--Scott

 

There are issues with wireless that I can't help you with. But, you should be using bridged networking, and unless you know for sure that your windoze host is doing DHCP - you should give your guests a fixed IP address. You don't need to do windoze 'internet connection sharing'. Then just set up your guest as tho it is a different computer with it's connection thru where ever much like your host giving DSN and Gateway settings the same. As I said there could be some other issues with wireless that complicate things, but basic windoze stuff should be a starting place.

 

Thanks. I'm continuing to play around with this, and your comments are helpful. I assure you that the issue isn't wireless, however-- my wireless connection at home works flawlessly. And setting my WinXP host to serve its own DHCP to the guest might be problematic; the Windows documentation cautions against that if connected to a network that has a DHCP server already.

Giving the guest its own static IP address would seem to pose several problems of its own: for starters, if it works, it would appear as a separate machine to the WiFi hotspot, necessitating a separate login and fee payment. Or maybe I'm missing something in your suggestion?

The Mac Parallels Desktop client has a "shared internet" option that seems tailor-made for this situation.

 

It could be that, if you only use the guest on the hotspot, it would not be seen as a 'different computer' - just 'the computer' because they ignore any local settings anyway. I have a wireless connected laptop with a fixed IP and it isn't used except when hooked to my network. Similarly, if you use local dhcp, it is applied to your network controller, not your internet connection. So having an IP assigned to your internet connection is to a different network controller. This all works well under Linux, but I have never dealt with it under windoze - it may not behave rationally.

 

T-mobile Hot Spot Help

I have talked eith th T-mobile help desk at length. The member that said T-mobile will not assign two addresses is correct. T-mobile said that trying to assign a specific would be useless because every location has a different address. Sorry for my lack of technical expertise, but this forum has been very informative with right on responses. My thanks to all on this subject, and T-mobile users will continur to be frustrated or buy a broadbaand card. Happy New YEAR