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Would it be possible to have one device (no router) in a network and then open a wifi from that device?

Let's say your friend borrows you your laptop and you want to connect to the network with your phone, but you don't know the password. Could you install a service or something on the laptop to make a new wifi?

And how would that behave with the internal IP's?

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A WiFi access point is really two things. One of them is the system that handles key exchange and transmission of ethernet frames. The other is the one which takes over IP-level matters, usually a DHCP server that allocates an IP address to any client. Home routers commonly combine both functionalities, but this is not necessary.

For instance, at my home, I have two WiFi access points (one for each level), each with its own SSID and password. However, they are both connected to a shared ethernet link. One of the routers is also a DHCP server, while the other does nothing at the IP level -- it is in "bridge" mode. Devices can connect (for WiFi) to either access point, but they all end up on a single LAN and talk to the unique DHCP server, that grants them an IP address.

In the situation you are describing, a similar trick is at least conceptually doable -- the laptop serves as custom WiFi access point and merely forwards everything to the LAN, so your phone would be able to talk to the normal DHCP server, and get an IP from it.

Alternatively, the laptop could try to "hide" the presence of the phone, and use NAT so that any access from the phone would masquerade as a connection from the laptop. In that case, the rest of the network, including the DHCP server, only sees the laptop. Microsoft tends to call such a setup "connection sharing".

The real difficulty here is making the laptop act as a WiFi access point and simultaneously connect as a client to the office WiFi. Most WiFi hardware won't allow that. However, with a secondary WiFi (e.g. an USB-based WiFi dongle) or with a wired link, such a setup is relatively easy (depending on involved operating systems and user savviness with computers).

(Of course this all begs the question of why you do not know the WiFi password. Especially since your laptop knows it and could simply show it to you. Your question looks a bit like a request to learn how to circumvent your company's security policies, which is very rarely a good idea.)

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  • Out of curiosity, why two SSIDs for the same network? Feb 29, 2016 at 16:21
  • I wanted to easily control which access point I am connecting to -- it matters when I want to, you know, get mobile with my mobile device, which may make me walk out of range of one of the access points. User interfaces that list two identical names in a random order are not helpful.
    – Tom Leek
    Feb 29, 2016 at 16:24
  • Why not let the devices roam? I have an identical setup as you (one AP in basement and one on 2nd floor) and giving them both the same name works great, all devices (including phones) simply associate with the strongest signal at any given time.
    – Jeff Meden
    Feb 29, 2016 at 16:33
  • I might give it a try -- I have had bad experience with systems that were too zealous in their automatic switching.
    – Tom Leek
    Feb 29, 2016 at 16:37
  • A WAP really has nothing to do with layer-3 (IP). It is a translating bridge (layer-2) which translates ethernet to Wi-Fi and bridges the two into a single broadcast domain. Bridges operate at layer-2, not layer-3 where routers operate. A router/firewall/switch/WAP consumer-grade device is really separate devices in a single chassis. The WAP in it doesn't do anything with IP.
    – Ron Maupin
    Feb 29, 2016 at 16:55
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Windows Internet connection sharing will do this. It has been available since Windows XP I believe. It will create a second network over WiFi if you are connected to the upstream network via ethernet. The important thing is that you have two network interfaces.

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  • Why the down vote? This would meet the OP's needs.
    – Todd S
    Mar 1, 2016 at 0:07
  • I accpeted the other answer since its more information around but I still gave you and upvote since its also what I was looking for.
    – Lexu
    Mar 1, 2016 at 6:43
  • As the OP said there is not really enough information to make this a full answer. You can edit your answer to include some instructions on how to enable this.
    – Burgi
    Mar 1, 2016 at 9:38

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