Travel Technology - Anyone know if I can turn my laptop into a router?

Is this possible ... running XP on a laptop. I have Vonage and want to bring along my "box" so I can take/make calls thru the Ethernet/IP hookup. One of the problems tho is that one of the resorts I am staying at only has ISDN/serial hookups as their "high-speed" Internet (European resort) - my thought is to bring the connection in thru my computer and then re-route out the Ethernet/IP connection back into the Vonage box? Seems possible; but, Im either too busy or too lazy to figure it out. Anyone with any suggestions?

Yes, this is possible and if I can remember there is a slick little application that will allow your xp box to run as a DHCP server.

howerver, you would need more networking connections, don't know how you are going to get the ISDN hooked up, since it won't fit in the phone jack, you'll need another connector for the PC card slot, or sacrifice the ethernet port.

Or, are you going to bring a hub or something?

If you are going to bring a hub or something, then connect the computer to the ISDN and share the internet connection, and then hookup the vonage box.

I'll look around later today for that software

Thank you nmenaker for the response. I am not sure how the ISDN hooks up into the laptop. The only experience I have with ISDN is years ago when it was considered fast Internet and it was connected via serial cable to my old computer.

If it just has an Ethernet out, then it is no problem to go directly into the laptop and the problem is solved. But, I have had a hard time talking to the hotel staff about how the ISDN connects -- they said that they will provide the adapter if I dont have one (I think they mean ISDN modem) -- so, I am assuming it just goes into my port replicator and plugs into the serial port, which then I would need to Ethernet back out into the Vonage unit.

Well, the question is, what are you trying to do?

The vonage box, looks for a simply DHCP address. If the hotel is putting an ISND adaptor box in there, collecting the ISDN line, or lines and providing DHCP to you then all you have to do is put the vonage box on the end of the ethernet coming out of the ISDN adaptor. Doesn't the vonage box have another ethernet out for connecting further to a laptop or computer?

If it doesn't, you might want to just buy yourself a cheap travel router and connect that to the isdn, and then put the laptop AND the vonage box on that router.

Make sure to get something with enough ports on it, a NICE wireless travel router won't have multiple ethernet ports on it, but would provide wireless access and usually ONE additional wired ethernet port. So, vonage on the wired on the laptop on the wireless.

I would so much go with a router rather than configuring your laptop as a DHCP sever, as well you still would have the problem of not enough connects for all these devices.

Thanks again nmenaker -- if the ISDN adaptor has a Ethernet port, then you are correct -- it would connect ISDN --> Vonage --> Laptop. But, Im just going by my own experience of ISDN connecting to a serial port or maybe USB -- so, then it would go ISDN-->Port Replication--> Laptop -->Ethernet-->Vonage

Right, then you should be able to share the internet connection through the ethernet port. Just enable share connection in the 10/100 ethernet DUN connector.

In a lap-top running XP you can route between different NICs. So if you have a wireless connection and a wired connection you can route between them.

If you use XP SP2 be sure to make sure it doesn't filter (firewall) any of the ports needed for Vonage. Some hotels will filter this traffic too.

SIP ports 5060 through 5061 using UDP protocol
NTP port 123 using UDP protocol
TFTP port 69 using UDP protocol
DNS port 53 using UDP protocol
RTP ports 10,000 through 20,000 using UDP protocol

Might want to consider one of the small access point/routers that are out there on the market.

Apple's airport express is wireless, but i'm not sure if it has a port to use for vonage.

Thanks group for the tips.

I think the problem is the serial/USB connection that comes in -- but, I like the idea about the connection sharing. Its just hard to speak to anyone at the hotel about these technical things, so Im just in a wait and see mode and hopefully be prepared. (Anyone speak Catalan?)

The Vonage has its own sort-of-pass-thru router inside of itself, so, again, if the setup is just an Ethernet plug I am set - if its the serial/USB way then I can hopefully share that connection and use a (cross-over?) cable to plug the Ethernet port into the Vonage unit.

Well, what hotel is it? you might try finding another flagship in the same chain, in EUROPE and ask them for further assistance. Most of the continent will use ISDN unless they have wifi setup.

I speak spanish, german and french, don't think any of them will work for Catalan though.

As for Apple airport express, there is only one Ethernet IN for internet connection, no futher ports for networking,

Although, there IS a USB port which MIGHT be possible to hookup a USB networking dongle, but I haven't heard of anyone doing that

I take it you want to keep and use your current number? I think it might be a lot easier to spend $25 on a nice headphone set (http://www.plantronics.com/skype/en_US/catalog/display_product_detail.jhtml?rootId=&prodId=prod440014&productTypeId=cat5280032), and $10/month on Vonage's softphone (http://www.vonage.com/features.php?feature=softphone). You won't have to carry your vonage box around the world.

You can also look into using the headset along with skype (http://www.skype.com/) and skypeout (http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/).

BTW, If you don't like headsets, you can also use the usb attached cyberphone (http://www.skype.voipvoice.com/shop/Default.asp).

I thought about that -- might check into that -- thanks for the reminder.