This one's a doozy, so I'll take it piecemeal.
Kuahewa huki 'ino":3rn7bp8m said:
Protip: if your computer has a wireless card and you're receiving your connection from a land line--that part's important--then you can make an ad-hoc wireless hotspot with as much or as little encryption as you like. Any single unused wireless component is the important part; it doesn't matter whether you're hard-connected to 56k or on a T3 line.
While wireless cards may be able to do that, you will probably have the option limited by your modem, since that likes to be the only thing distributing local IP addresses. Not to mention the fact that wireless equipment does not equate to the type of connection necessary for a Nintendo DS. (For example, Bluetooth is wireless equipment. So is infrared, for that matter. Could you imagine hooking up to the internet using your TV remote?)
Kuahewa huki 'ino":3rn7bp8m said:
Depending on your operating system, this might take some tinkering, and it will always take getting information from the command line, but the only requirement is the wireless card. Perfect for your NDS.
Well, the requirement is a wireless card and an internet connection, but I'll assume that you assumed that was implied. As for the DS connection, keep something in mind. The DS and DS Lite can only connect through an unsecured or WEP-encrypted connection, meaning that WPA and other encryption methods won't work. (The DSi can handle WPA, if I remember right). In other words, you can only connect your game system through a network with no security, or with very light security. This presents a potential problem when you have neighbors unscrupulous enough to connect through your connection instead of paying an ISP for their own.
Kuahewa huki 'ino":3rn7bp8m said:
It's both redundant and impossible to do this if you're receiving your internet from a wireless source, because wireless cards can't do two things at once. Considering that 99% of computers made within the past four or five years come with wireless cards as part of the stock build, I assume you at least have one.
Not only is the first sentence over the top and generalistic, it is patently false. The official specifications for all types of wireless internet connections involve the ability of any wireless connection to broadcast as an access point, even if they are also receiving a signal wirelessly. This feature is often used to extend networks over large areas, where some access points are directly wired, and others just forward traffic to nearby wired points. In point of fact, I've seen an entire city in the bay area blanketed by such a network, with residents able to access after paying a fee and receiving login credentials.
As for the bit about wireless cards coming automatically, that is also untrue. While laptops usually come with a wireless card, tech companies prefer to make a network adapter into a payed option for desktops, and pre-built models often don't have them, even now. This stems both from the companies wanting to save money, and them wanting to make money in any way that would be deemed reasonable.
