Ethernet Tethering

It may be beneficial to use the gateway as a router for tethering and sharing a cellular or wireless internet connection over an Ethernet port. The Ethernet port on the gateway supports Auto MDI-X, and therefore communication with another device supporting the same can be done using both patch and crossover cables.

Prerequisites

The gateway must already be configured with a working internet connection over another interface. Additionally, in devices with more than one Ethernet port, the desired interface should be chosen for sharing; in this example, this interface shall be eth0.

Steps

  1. Delete any existing connections defined in NetworkManager that relate to the Ethernet (eth0) interface. By default, NetworkManager ships with an automatic connection named Wired Connection 1 for Ethernet connectivity. To check existing connections related to eth0, use nmcli con show | grep eth0. Then, delete any existing connections using nmcli con delete "Wired Connection 1". Note that if the name contains a space, it must be enclosed in double-quotes.

  2. Set up a new connection for tethering (the connection name ethertether may be changed as desired):

    $ nmcli con add type ethernet ifname eth0 ipv4.method shared con-name ethertether

  3. Bring up the connection:

    $ nmcli con up ethertether

  4. Connect an Ethernet cable from the gateway to the target device or switch. The gateway will automatically set up the required firewall, IP routing, DHCP server, etc., for tethering to work seamlessly.