Creating a hybrid (Wired + Wireless) Network

Hi all,

I am not sure if this question was put forward before. But currently I have a netgear 54mbps g router, connected to my desktop pc via ethernet, while my media center is connected to my router via 802.11g. While both the pcs can go to internet, I am not able to set up a network between them. Is there a way to set up a home network between the two pcs? or do we have to get both of them to be wireless to do so?

Thanks in advance,
Murali

 

Can you see the other computer on the network. Perhaps the firewall is an issue Are you running one?

 

Thanks, That solved the problem. But do I have to keep the firewall disabled?

Thanks again,
Murali

 

You shouldn't need to keep your firewall disabled. You just have to configure it to tell it what to "trust" on the network so it won't block the machines from seeing each other. How to do that will depend on your firewall. It should be in the configuration somewhere.

 

It is usually the windows firewall and what you need to do is go into the firewall settings from the wireless propeties. Go into exceptions and check the wireless connection box.

 

Thanks guys!! That solved the problem..I now have both firewall enabled, and a hybrid network!!

Thanks again,
Murali

 

Murali or Nickspohn, I have the same type of setup. A wired desktop and a wireless laptop downstairs both using a Netgear wireless router. I can surf on both no problem but can't figure out how to network them together. I'd like to be able to share the music files on my desktop and printer sharing. Can either of you guys walk me through how to do it or maybe a link somewhere. I just can't figure out how to get them to even see eachother.

 

You need to set your laptops ip address to 192.168.1.100 and your desktops ip address to 192.168.1.101. That way your desktop can find your laptop and your laptop can find your desktop. You can do this by typing your ip address (your isp's provider) into a browsers page.

 

And it's better to have them both in the same workgroup, so that they will be able to see each other by name automatically and see each other's shared folders...

 

Yes, once you get this working you will love it, its such a breeze when lookinf for stuff. Too bad i dont have a desktop so i cant network. But i've done numerous setups and people love it!
Oh yeah, disable your firewall because that will conflict with the network and not work. A little simple trick.

 

That's why I like ZoneAlarm. It so easily allows me to switch between being open to my network and being closed to foreign networks. It detects the network settings and adjust automatically.

 

Whoa! Don't disable your firewall unless it's a temporary measure to get everything working. And, if possible, disconnect your router from the network while your software firewall is disabled. I've seen a machine successfully attacked from the outside in less than 5 minutes!

Once everything else is working, you definitely want a firewall to protect you against outside attacks. Any good firewall can be configured to allow your internal network to function properly while blocking unwanted access from the outside. Some people will claim that all you need is the hardware firewall in your router. If you have an outstanding router, that may be true. But, many hardware firewalls are not sufficient to protect you 100%. So, please don't disable your software firewall unless you're sure you have 100% protection via the firewall in your router.

 

You cannot have 100% protection. It's all cost versus effect really. In most cases, the protection of the router is sufficient.

 

Ok so let me get this straight, I go into my router settings through my browser? For me that is 192.168.1.1 and then set the laptop to 192.168.1.100 and exit. Then go on my desktop and do the same but with 19.168.1.101 and exit. Then would I have to go into wireless connection settings on the laptop and switch the tcp whatever to the same #? Right now I have the laptop set to 192.168.1.3 and the desktop to 192.168.1.2. After I have those settings all ready where do I go to check to see if the machines can see eachother?

 

No, that wont work. You need your isp''s address that was issued to you like i said before. That way wont work. And you need to have one computer 192.168.1.100 and the other one 192.186.1.101.
Eutychus:
Its fine if you dont have your firewall on all the time. Dont get him worried. Having your firewall disabled for 3 min is not a big deal at all. If this is a concern than you need to add wireless network connection as an exception. Go into the firewall section through the wireless connection properties and check the wireless connections box.

 

While I certainly don't want to worry anyone unnecessarily, neither do I want them to have a false sense of security. I have seen a machine without a software firewall become infected in less than 3 minutes. I've also seen a machine with a dialup connection become infected in less than 30 minutes. Some people say that dialup connections don't need firewalls. Other people say that a hardware firewall (NAT router) is all you need. Both are pretty safe bets, but neither is worth the risk. The default settings on some routers are unnecessarily loose. Others are configured fine right out of the box. Most people don't know the difference.

A software firewall is worth both the relatively low cost and minimal effort to configure it. A properly-configured hardware firewall only protects against (most) incoming attacks. A software firewall offers an added layer of protection against incoming attacks, and the only protection against unauthorized outgoing traffic. Why should anyone care about blocking unauthorized outgoing traffic? Because the only warning you may get when your system is infected by a trojan is your firewall crying foul when the trojan tries to call home.

As you said, configuring a software firewall to make an exception for your network is pretty easy. Why not do it? Oh, and by the way, this needs to be done on both machines (I know you know this, nickspohn, but others may not).

By the way, if you're using a VPN or you're on a large network (e.g., at a college) or you're using AOL's Bring Your Own Access, then you ABSOLUTELY need a software firewall. A NAT router will not protect you in a VPN or AOL BYOA environment; and a college network is too risky, especially if you have any kind of file sharing allowed.

 

Wow Eutychus! Very good senario's, great job explaining! Yes my fault i forgot to add to both that on both computers. Silly me... A firewall really does protect your network from unrestricted access and intruders from network users and the internet. Especially in public places is a prime spot to use a good firewall. Windows XP's firewall is good but there are other free ones out there to protect your computer.

 

It's easy to leave out little details like that. I do it all the time. That's why a friendly community makes it easier to help people

Thanks for doing your wireless guide. It should be very helpful to people.

 

Yep, no problemo Eutychus, i love helping people and i have a passion for wireless. Its what everything will be in 20 years so might as well be top now.

 

The bolded part here is somewhat exaggerated. I wouldn't exactly call it "minimal effort". A router with a properly set up hardware firewall requires NO configuration. Software firewalls, with the exception of the simplest ones, require you to initialize many various settings and often understand various alerts and know what to allow and what to disallow. Not so simple for the average user. ZA and Norton IS have the habit of driving some people crazy until they set them up right.

 

In most cases a router with a firewall is set up to protect you against most incoming malicious traffic. Unfortunately, many router firewalls don't come configured to do everything they probably ought to do. For example, many don't properly stealth Port 113 because they're trying to be compatible with some (increasingly few) remote servers that use IDENT queries. It's a small hole, but it's still a hole. For most people, that port should be stealthed. The change is easy if you know where to look for it. But, for the most part, once your router is configured properly for your ISP and network, your hardware firewall is reasonably well set up. I won't get into the challenges of configuring a router to work with your ISP, which can range in difficulty from automatic to hair-loss-inducingly challenging.

As far as software firewalls are concerned, while it used to be true that they were quite challenging to configure, that's changed in the more recent versions from the major vendors (e.g., Norton and Zone Alarm Pro). Zone Alarm Basic is still a bit of a bear, but the Pro version and Norton (and others) are easy enough for almost anyone who is willing to follow the on-screen instructions. These newer versions have large databases of known programs, and simply following the recommendations will properly configure everything that most users want to run. In fact, some of these firewalls will do this automatically if you allow them to do it; so no user intervention is required. Adding a network is just as easy, and is (almost?) always part of the setup process.

Granted, some folks won't follow the instructions; and others will have pretty unique needs that require more extensive customizing. But, there's not much you can do for someone who randomly answers the questions in a setup screen rather than following the recommendations of the program; and those who have more unique situations usually know enough to be able to configure the software for their own particular needs.

So, I'd say the effort is minimal in most cases.

By the way, in case it's not clear from my earlier post, I do not advocate a software firewall as a substitute for a hardware firewall. I think anyone with a broadband connection (DSL, cable, etc.) should have a hardware firewall unless they're sure their ISP has one in place (and some do). But, I also think there's no good reason not to also have a software firewall. And those who have trouble configuring theirs can surely find help on a board like this .

Can you get away with only a hardware firewall? Yes, most of the time. But, a layered approach (i.e., hardware and software) is the wiser course. And, in some cases it's a necessity. (By the way, I'd add a file-sharing environment and a remote access environment as two more "must-have a software firewall" situations to those I listed in my earlier post.)

 

Hi everyone, I was wondering if you could help answer a problem... I set up my home hybrid network with xp's wizard. Oddly, my laptop can see and transfer everything i shared from my desktop, BUT my desktop can't see my laptop in the "my network places" icon. I've tried directly connecting to each with a browser by inputting the ips but that isn't working at all. On my desktop, it has this icon inside the network places folder that says "nat gateway" Dunno what that is...but when i click it, it opens up my router's configuration...

Can any1 help my desktop see my laptop?

 

What are your ip addresses? The desktop should be 192.168.1.100 and the laptops 192.168.1.101 It can be reversed to but each computer needs to know where to go.
Then disable your firewall. Most likely the problem your having.

 

I've disabled windows firewall, and i have zonealarm set to a trusted zone. Both settings are identical for each computer. According to my router, my desktop is 192.xxx.xxx.103, and the laptop is 192.xxx.xxx.100. How do I set the ip's for each compute so they can find each other?

I keep trying to input the ips into firefox, or even the browser when i open up my computer, but keeps telling me that "cannot find server"

Oh and the reason for the wierd ips is because i have 3 desktops and my laptop running on this shared internet. 2 desktops are running wireless, one wired, and my laptop wireless. haevn't set up the network on the other desktops yet tho.

 

blah, now just checked my laptop and now it can't see my desktop anymore...but it does see itself in the "view computers in workgroup" area...the desktop can't even see itself...Oddly, on the laptop zonealarm is blocking a UDP port scan from my router's ip...and on my desktop, my kaspersky antivirus is blocking UDP port scans from my router too... Maybe that's what's wrong...but can't find a way to stop the two programs from blocking the scan...

pls help

 

Ok Disable all your firewalls.
Find your isp's excact ip address. This is NOT 192.168. blah, it will be a totally different number from your isp. Just do a google if you dont know what it is like find my ip address or something. So now enter that number into your browser page. Then change the ip address to 192.168.1.100, do this excact thing to each computer now, but the next computer will be 192.168.1.101 and the next computer will be 192.168.1.102 and the next 192.168.1.103 and so on. Try that for now.