Would this work as far as networking?

[flatlandpilot]

How do I force IE to only use the wireless connection. It wants to use the LAN, but that's not connected to the outside world???

Hi Sean,
All of these would help:
- disable the lan connection.
- try to get the wifi connection as first in the binding order.
- change the default gateway in windows.

I would go for changing the gateway address.
some info about default gateway use under MS:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../bb878104.aspx

tip for windows users:
open a dos box (type cmd in the start menu)
then type: ipconfig and press enter.
that's the only place where you can trust windows ip settings

[graemesmith]

How do I force IE to only use the wireless connection. It wants to use the LAN, but that's not connected to the outside world???

WOAH! Backup. There is some well intended but possibly (don't get offended folks) wrong information here. I run an IT shop so:

Everything FSAVIATOR/Warren - has told you is GOOD
FLATLANDPILOT is taking you where you do not need to go!! Politely and constructively said.....

Sean - You are using a router to split down your internet for various users then there are two sides to the router:

WAN - Wide Area Network - the side is provided by your ISP and is probably a cable or DSL modem that "feeds" the router.

LAN - Local Area Network - the side of the router that all your computers are sitting on. They can be fed by HARD wire or Wireless built into the router- either way - that is LAN side. your computers talk to LAN side. The router gets the Internet from WAN and feeds it to LAN. That is its job. You want to connect your computers to LAN.

Warren's diagram is absolutely correct and the way to set it up if your ADSL router does not have enough ports in it to get every computer a home run wire back to the ADSL router - which is the PREFERRED method.

Put all computers on DHCP and reboot them all till you have everything working. You can think about fixed IP's later f there is a specific reason to. So far I don't see one.

Remember the Wireless is also LAN side. Your Internet Explorer setting is CORRECT and should not be changed.

There is nothing wrong with wired and wireless together. All flavors of Windows sort it out as needed. As hard wire is faster than wireless - don't disable the hard wire ports. USE them!!

Now - if you don't have Internet at some computers and IPCONFIG is telling you you have a real IP address then something else is wrong.

Check the following real IT shop solutions in no particular order (this assumes your ADSL Router is a DHCP server handing out IP's)

- Internet Explorer connection settings - remove any proxy server settings
- Uncheck "Automatically Detect Settings" - because it usually screws life up. It manages fine on its own.
- If IPCONFIG gives you an IP address starting with 169.xxx.xxx.xxx - you are not getting an IP by DHCP from the router. A hint of this is a long pause during boot of the computer while it tries. Check wires by substituting known good wires.
- You wired all the pairs of the Cat5e or Cat 6 cable into any RJ45 plugs you made up. You didn't and only did 4 wires like older Cat3? Go back and do it right and wire to a standard like ANSI/TIA/EIA T568B (Google it) for everything you make up.
- Wires look OK - test it with a tester and make sure all pairs ARE talking.

Couple of other fallacies I've read in this thread:

Stacking one router on top of another (say to get wireless from a wireless router) is a recipe for headaches and no connections unless you ae using Enterprise gear and have a good understanding of TCP/IP routing. Don't do it.

Somewhere else I saw someone say you could stack a switch on a switch on a switch. Not if you want everything to work you can't - there are theoretical and practical limits. Stick with Warren's proposed setup.

Ruffled feathers anywhere - woah - this is constructively meant on the basis of information given - no harm intended.

[Sean Nixon]

Thanks for the detailed info Graeme.

I'll try this out tomorrow and report back.

FlatLandPilot, thanks for the advice too. The wireless connection works fine when I disable the ethernet connection, but I need this for my sim network to speak to each other. As soon as I re-enable it, the internet stops working!

[fsaviator]

Gents,
please... we're not talking about the end of the world here... nothing presented by any of the helpful members will open Sean's network up to attack, or wipe out humanity in a single blow. Let us try to temper the tone of the posts.

This is a forum:

Noun

S: (n) forum (a public meeting or assembly for open discussion)
S: (n) forum, assembly, meeting place (a public facility to meet for open discussion)

The key terms here are open discussion. Forums thrive because of their members willingness to start discussions and to contribute to ongoing discussions.

Finally, we need to try not to get caught up in the emotions of things.... like I'm doing now, so I'll end it with that.

[Sean Nixon]

Good morning folks.

Warren, I don't sense any temper or animosity in this thread, all suggestions are accepted equally with the caveat “at your own risk”!

I've been experimenting this morning and taking everyone’s advice/suggestions into consideration, may have solved my problem. Here's what I did:

First of all, my four sim PC’s are connected together through a Netgear FS608v3 unmanaged switch. I have to set each PC’s IP address for the LAN adaptor manually otherwise I run into problems with windows assigning an address in the 169.254.xxx.xxx range, which doesn’t work.

Now initially, I was setting these manually configured IP address in the 192.168.0.x range but I found that my wireless modem/router (upstairs on a separate network) was also assigning IP addresses in this range. Perhaps that was the conflict???

So I reassigned the sim network’s LAN IP addresses in the 10.0.0.x range and the problem seems to have been resolved. All the PC’s can now see each other on the SIMULATOR network (LAN), and each can now access the internet via the wireless router upstairs.

I’m a bit confused about the unmanaged switch though. The documentation states this is plug and play and says nothing about manually assigning IP addresses (hardly plug and play). Am I missing something here? Or is that the norm for unmanaged switches?

For the record, all PC's are using Windows XP Home SP3 and IE8.

Also, I acknowledge my misuse of the term WAN, which led to Graeme’s explanation.

Let me know your thoughts and thanks for everyone’s input.

Sean

[flatlandpilot]

problems with windows assigning an address in the 169.254.xxx.xxx range, which doesn’t work.

Getting a 169.x.x.x number is typical for a computer being on DHCP mode
but no DHCP server can be seen.

In my opinion you better give youre machines a fixed IP
and gateway outgoing traffic over the desired gateway address

For security freaks:
you can place youre simpit computers in another network range,
but then you have to widen the subnetmask. for outgoing traffic
(on the router and all the simpit computers)
when you work like this none of the non-sim computers can ever acces
a sim computer which is save.

for caculating a subnet:
http://www.subnet-calculator.com/cidr.php
you can see that when U use a mask of 255.255.254.0
that 192.168.0.x and 192.168.1.x addresses can see each other.

some more info on networking:
http://books.google.nl/books?id=bnVG...itches&f=false

[fsaviator]

Hi Sean... you may be right. I probably just read more into it than was really necessary.

I misuse terms all the time... As I get older I forget some of the terms that I used to know, and find myself substituting technical terms like "thing-a-ma-jig" and such.

First, congrats on getting the system working as it should (to a point?).


I tend to agree with Flatlandpilot here.

While a little more trouble, I tend to manually assign IPs myself. It gives you a little more security also.

As for the switch... having said I'm not an expert (and understanding that we are not talking about a high-fa-luting, all the bells and whistles, top-end, managed corporate switch), I've never had to worry about IP's with an UNMANAGED switch (see, I'd forgotten there was such a thing). They are plug-n-play. All they do is connect your system to the router/modem. All the IP business is done at the computer and the router ends. I'm sure there are things to keep in mind with switches but for a simple network like what you have that should not apply.

For instance... you should be able to take a computer that is plugged into the unmanaged switch and plug it directly into the router without any issues (and vice versa). Any IP deconfliction should already be done before you put the switch into the mix.

Now initially, I was setting these manually configured IP address in the 192.168.0.x range but I found that my wireless modem/router (upstairs on a separate network) was also assigning IP addresses in this range. Perhaps that was the conflict???

It's hard to say if that was the conflict. If you have DHCP turned on at the router, then yes, it will assign what it wants to each computer. Keep in mind, a router using DHCP doesn't care about networks.... It sees a computer trying to access it. If it receives the correct authentication information, it will assign it an IP and grant it access, regardless of wired or wireless (this is where war-driving comes in, and why I tend to turn DHCP off).

There is one more thing that may have been the problem... firewall software. If you have any 3rd party or windows firewall or internet security software installed, it may have been blocking access to the computer (either direction, both directions, or just one direction).

Cheers!

Warren