Bridge Wifi & Ethernet (join connections as one)

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protocol77

Bridge Wifi & Ethernet (join connections as one)

Post by protocol77 »

does anyone know how i can take a wifi adapter that is recieving internet from my modem and then share it over ethernet to other computers that do not have a ethernet adapter

I also need to be able to then set my own ip address i have tried using the share with other computers option and whilst this works it gives me a default ip format like 10.42.0.1 and i would need something like 192.168.1.1 for the rest of my network so i could then set static ip's similar on my windows machines

there seems to be a bridge option in the network connections manager but unsure how this is supposed to work or if it even does
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txba516
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Re: Bridge Wifi & Ethernet (join connections as one)

Post by txba516 »

Hi Protocol77,

Your question is a bit confusing since you state you want to share the Internet over your PC's ethernet adapter to PCs that do not have an ethernet adapter. Can you please clarify exactly what you want the setup to look like?

Thanks!
LM17.2 x64 Cinnamon
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protocol77

Re: Bridge Wifi & Ethernet (join connections as one)

Post by protocol77 »

sorry it as late when i posted that :?

anyways what i actually meant was


I have a wifi adapter that is connected and recieving the internet from my modem downstairs and is currently providing Linux Mint Install with Internet (I am posting this right now using it)


What i want to do is take that internet connection and join it with my ethernet connection which is current just allowing me to share files across my lan but no internet

so the other computer on the other end of the ethernet (runs through a switch before it gets to that computer) can access an internet connection without me having to buy a second Wifi adapter

Now this I assume would work straight out of the box if i had a direct ethernet connection from my modem to this computer however cause they are on different floors i have to use Wifi

so
Wlan0 Eth0 Eth0
Modem - - - - - Mint Machine------------ Switch--------------Windows Machine

I hope this makes it a bit clearer i am not really sure how best to describe it sort of taking the Wlan0 and Eth0 and joining together so it appears as just Eth0 but with internet
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txba516
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Re: Bridge Wifi & Ethernet (join connections as one)

Post by txba516 »

Ok that's much clearer :)

This should be pretty easy actually. In NetworkManager, you can create a new network connection of type Bridge. In the setup of the bridge you will specify which interfaces are participating and all of the relevant info about it. You should then be able to set your other LAN machines to DHCP and they will get IP assignments from the modem/router just like your Mint box. You may want to set a static IP outside of the DHCP range (or at least very high in the range) for the LAN side of your Mint box so that the workstations will still talk to that interface for the file share access.

Cheers!
LM17.2 x64 Cinnamon
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protocol77

Re: Bridge Wifi & Ethernet (join connections as one)

Post by protocol77 »

Ok firstly thanks for the reply


Secondly if i do this i add the wifi adapter and ethernet to a bridge then on the IPv4 Settings tab i set the method to manual and then enter in the ip address and the Gateway address and also include this same address for DNS servers section


How do i make it so i can assign a static ip for example 192.168.1.27 for the mint box and then have my other machines like 192.168.1.28, 29, 30, etc.... but still recieve the internet connection

when i used the share to other computes option in the ethernet properties it auto assigned me an ip address of 10.42.0.1 now this works and by setting the other machines to auto obtain an ip they do connect and i can get an internet connection on them but they follow this 10.42.0.... format

I would like if possible to change it so instead of recieving the 10.42.0.... format it begins with 192.168.1.... i find these easier to remember and would save me the hassle of having to reconfigure some items on the network

is there a way to change that address to the format i would like whilst still retaining the ability to share that internet connection

I know this is asking much and to be honest at this point i am seriously considering just paying the extra adapters and be done with it but on my network that would require about 4 more adapters at $30 each

I know this method of bridging can be done in windows in fact i have created a youtube video on how it is done just with linux i cannot seem to get it to work without having to settle and use the 10.42.0.1 which i have not tested enough to even tell if this is a static IP assignment or after 24 the lease expires and it changes again




Update: I am just thinking this is becoming to difficult and time consuming i think i might just buy some powerline adapters or something and connect it to my switch it should then run the internet to my mint machine as well as my others through the switch i am thinking the $60 is probably worth the time and effort i will save

I should then be able to just use the manual setting in the IPv4 tab and assign the IP's for each machine one by one

except now i gotta research what powerline adapter to buy because i have never owned any :)
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txba516
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Re: Bridge Wifi & Ethernet (join connections as one)

Post by txba516 »

So if you are going to create a bridge, then don't configure any connection sharing as that would conflict or duplicate what we are configuring.

Create the new network connection (type Bridge). Add the Wifi and Eth0 interfaces to the bridge interfaces list (you'll have to specify them by Device MAC address). For the Wifi side, go ahead and configure all of the network and security settings for the wireless network.
On the IPv4 tab, set the IP address of 192.168.1.27 with netmask of 255.255.255.0 and Gateway of your router IP (192.168.1.1 ??). Configure DNS servers below that (4.2.2.1 and 8.8.8.8 work well). Save the settings. At this point, you should see another connection listed in the NetworkManager applet that you can enable/disable. I think you may have to disable the existing connections before enabling the bridge (I haven't tested that so I'm not sure).

If you want static IPs on the PCs behind the Mint box, then set those on each machine as you normally would and set the same gateway and DNS info as you did for the Mint box (since we are bridging, the Mint box will not behave as a visible gateway for the PCs but will blindly pass the traffic to the router).

Enable the bridge connection and see if 1) you can reach the Internet still from your Mint box, 2) if your workstations behind it can now get to the Internet , and 3) if your workstations can reach the file shares on the Mint box at IP 192.168.1.27.

Cheers!
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