"Router-Mode" for my desktop

[MeowMeow]

Hey guys,

after hours of figuring out how to successfully activate an ad-hoc network connection that uses my VPN to connect to my university-network, I succeeded in turning my computer into a router.

Everything functions as I like, but now there's two issues I'd like to get sorted:

1) How do I secure my network, other than using a password? There's about 200 people living in my dorm building and I don't want others using the WiFi. Not because I'm egoistic, but simply for safety concerns. Gross misbehaviour can cost me my network account and I've grown accustomed to 20 Megabyte/s download speeds.

2) Is there anything I can do to effectively shut down my computer, with only the necessary programs running to maintain the connection?

My computer is my normal work and leisure machine, it's a big ass desktop running Windows 7. In lack of a wireless router, I created an ad-hoc* connection to have WiFi.
Now I want to be able to turn off the computer, like in some power-saving mode, but keep the necessary parts "awake" to keep up the wireless connection.

Cheers guys!

 

[MeowMeow]

I'm surprised that after that many views, nobody is able to save me.

Question 1) is, admittedly, pretty google-able, but I would have loved to get your advice
Question 2) isn't, so if you know how to do it, please do consider taking the time to reply.

 

[/dev/null]

I'm surprised that after that many views, nobody is able to save me.

Question 1) is, admittedly, pretty google-able, but I would have loved to get your advice
Question 2) isn't, so if you know how to do it, please do consider taking the time to reply.

What OS?

 

[MeowMeow]

Windows 7, sorry.

 

[Metraon]

Personally I don't understand what you have accomplished and I don't understand precisely what you are asking, so a little drawing or something like that would be nice.

From what I understand, your Windows 7 computer is your "gateway router" and you have a Wireless access point connected to that computer ?

1) You want to protect your wi-fi ? If so, use WAP or WAP2 with a long randomized password and you will be fine.

2) You want only to use the computer as a gateway router only with minimal services ? Well get rid of windows 7 would be a great start if you only use the computer as a router.

 

[Liger88]

If you want to run your computer as a router Windows 7 wouldn't be the best decision unless you plan to load up VMWare/Virtualbox + pfSense or Smoothwall. That I could understand.

 

[MeowMeow]

I did a very poor job indeed describing what I want.

My computer is my normal work and leisure machine, it's a big ass desktop running Windows 7. In lack of a wireless router, I created an ad-hoc* connection to have WiFi.
Now I want to be able to turn off the computer, like in some power-saving mode, but keep the necessary parts "awake" to keep up the wireless connection.

*My LAN connection's internet-access is shared with a WiFi-card

 

[/usr/home]

I did a very poor job indeed describing what I want.

My computer is my normal work and leisure machine, it's a big ass desktop running Windows 7. In lack of a wireless router, I created an ad-hoc* connection to have WiFi.
Now I want to be able to turn off the computer, like in some power-saving mode, but keep the necessary parts "awake" to keep up the wireless connection.

*My LAN connection's internet-access is shared with a WiFi-card

Not possible.