Question Wireless Router LAN File Sharing Setup (No Internet)

[bloodedbythought]

Does anyone have advice about how to setup very easy guest file sharing (like a local/ proximity-based cloud storage) using a Wifi router+PC?

My scenario:
Classroom setting with laptops running various OSes (Win10/11, MacOSes), and a PC running Win11Pro connected to a Linksys WRT1900AC wireless router. The Internet in the building, which is Wifi only, is unreliable and cannot be counted on. I'd like for the people to be able to access/share files on a hard drive in the Win11Pro PC by connecting over the router via Wifi.

What's the best way to accomplish this?

 

[bill001g]

Not real sure your question. It is the fairly standard microsoft file sharing. The wifi is nothing special you setup a ssid and password. A router does not need a internet connection to function it will give out IP to the end devices and allow them to communicate.

The only concern would be the building wifi. Your signal is going to interfere with the building wifi and there will be no interconnection. This would kinda function the same as you and your neighbors wifi coexist...or more commonly stomp on each other.

 

[bloodedbythought]

I suppose the question is about ease of access aspect more than the will-it-work. How will the laptops access the shared drive without setting a bunch of things up? If they join the wifi net as guest, say, and they are on a Mac?

Sorry, networking always vexes me.

 

[punkncat]

If this is for an accredited center of learning, get in touch with campus IT.

If not, and without knowing more, can you set up a NAS or shared folder with edit/modify restrictions?

 

[bloodedbythought]

If this is for an accredited center of learning, get in touch with campus IT.

If not, and without knowing more, can you set up a NAS or shared folder with edit/modify restrictions?

Campus IT has no time for this, it is just an ad hoc thing for now.

I was trying to use the Nearby share functionality in Win11, but I'm new to that. I suppose NAS would be ideal, but I was hoping for something simple for the short term.

 

[kanewolf]

Campus IT has no time for this, it is just an ad hoc thing for now.

I was trying to use the Nearby share functionality in Win11, but I'm new to that. I suppose NAS would be ideal, but I was hoping for something simple for the short term.

Setting up a "rogue" WIFI source may violate policies. Even if IT won't fix your problem you need to contact them to verify you aren't violating any policies. Your rogue WIFI is a potential security threat.

 

[punkncat]

Campus IT has no time for this, it is just an ad hoc thing for now.

Yeah, that alone is of consideration in regard to what help we even can offer.

The uni access is most likely handled by a certain level of token which allows access at all. Most students have to install a suite of these products which also offer a certain level of "cheat" monitoring even to access the network at any level.

 

[gggplaya]

Typically Guest WIFI has client to client connection turned off. Meaning, no clients on the guest wifi can talk to each other or access anything else on the LAN. They only have a tunnel to access the internet and that's it.

There are several ways to share files:

1. If you have a small single board computer like a Raspberry PI or similar single board computer, you can install OPENMEDIAVAULT which is a NAS firmware. You can share with all platforms like Linux, MacOS or Windows. Or you can install OMV on an old laptop you have laying around. Does not need to be a fast laptop, an old super slow one is fine for file sharing.

2. You can SHARE a drive on the windows 11 computer. However, if this is a university computer they may not allow that. You'll need to keep the computer turn on the entire time to keep the network drive active.

3. Some routers have file sharing built into them. Check your router to see what options it has. Then attach a portable hard drive to the router.