N900 Ad-hoc WiFi Hotspot

This method works but is not usable for more than a proof of concept because it suffers 40% packet loss at close range between the N900 and the laptop.

On the N900

  1. Enable extras-devel
  2. Install iptables at a terminal with root access:
    apt-get install iptables
  3. Install kernel-power-settings (see the detailed installation instructions):
    apt-get install kernel-power-settings
  4. Connect to the Internet with GPRS
  5. Setup iptables to allow forwarding:
    echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
    iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o gprs0 -j MASQUERADE
    
  6. Bring up te ad hoc wireless network:
    iwconfig wlan0 mode ad-hoc channel 3
    ifconfig wlan0 192.168.4.15 up
    iwconfig wlan0 essid N900
    

On the laptop

Connect to the ad hoc wireless network:

sudo iwconfig wlan0 mode ad-hoc channel 3
sudo ifconfig wlan0 192.168.4.14 up
sudo iwconfig essid N900
sudo route add default gw 192.168.4.15