Routing external internet through university network

Question

I'm attending University of Waterloo this fall, and 'limited' internet is provided by the university network that goes to every room in residence. Is there a way that I could get a subscription from Roger's or Acanac and route it through the university network, so that some of my friends may use it from their own computers that are on the network?

One issue is that internet is already available through the network, so maybe they could change their DNS IP to reflect my ISP's?

Can it be done with VPNs? tunneling? and hey, I'm sure some of you guys are networking experts and I know some networking and I think this is a challenge. any ideas?

Answer 1

yeah, there's a way - vpns and tunneling.  You would need to get a modem with your subscription and run a vpn concentrator off of your machine or another machine with two ethernet cards.   You'd hook one up to the university network and the other to your internet connection, then set up your vpn server to allow connections through to the modem (cable, dsl, whatever.)  Then your friends would create a vpn tunnel to your university network IP, which would then be routed by your concentrator PC to the modem and your friends would be online through your connection.

Be aware though that some universities, especially those that provide their own internet service, don't allow cable or dsl companies to install the required equipment to set up an connection in your room so you may not be able to do it.  Cellular modems are always an option, but an unlimited data plan is not always unlimited, usually you get 5gb free and then they hit you up at some insane higher rate.

Answer 2

No to every idea. The connection will be limited to whichever ISP provides it. You can not connect to a second ISP through it. Any one connection to the internet can only accommodate one ISP, the original provider.