Need WiFi for Skype on iPhone? Share It From a Mac in < 5 Minutes

internet-sharing-mac

This morning James and I got a chance to test out the new Skype for iPhone client. My impressions are that Skype nailed the implementation for voice. I’m wondering if Skype’s newest in-house audio codec has much to do with the voice quality. No matter how they did it, the sound quality is very impressive. Of course, the main limitation right now is that you can only do voice calls over WiFi and not on 3G. For our call this morning, I shared the Internet connection from my Mac to my first-gen iPhone by setting up a WiFi network. It’s drop-dead simple and since I’ve already received a few emails asking how to do this, here are the simple steps on a Mac. I don’t have a PC with me so I can’t detail exactly how to do this in Windows, but it’s not any more difficult on that platform. Here are the steps:

  1. In System Preferences, open the Sharing Folder.
  2. Click the Internet Sharing service (not the checkbox in front of it) and configure the options on the right. Here you simply pick the connection you want to share (Ethernet, 3G, etc…) and make sure the AirPort option is checked.
  3. Click the AirPort Options button to name your network and add a password.
  4. Check the Intenet Sharing service.
  5. sharing-iconIf you keep the AirPort icon in your Mac Menubar, you’ll see it change to indicate that it’s now sharing your connection over the custom WiFi network.
  6. On your iPhone, simply connect to the WiFi network you created on the Mac. That’s it!

This easy process shouldn’t take more than three minutes, but I’m allowing you two extra ones just in case. ;) This is also illustrates why I’m not the ideal customer for a 3G router. Using software, I can easily replicate the same functionality and create a wireless hotspot to share a 3G connection. Yes, my computer has to be on for this to work; that’s not required for a hardware-based router, but my computer is nearly always on to begin with. For me, this is a better solution and far less expensive since those routers can cost $200 or more. Plus, I don’t have to carry an additional device.

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