Uncertain network config - Can this be done?

M

McFly

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Howzit people,

I've got two PCs running at home that both connect to my Netgear 834 router via Wifi. Each PC uses an Asus WL330g wifi adapter/access point device for the wifi connection to the router. The device basically connects to a PC's ethernet port and the PC then sees that a "Local Area Connection" is connected at 100Mbps. The PC doesn't see a wifi network as such. To setup the connection to the router, I run Asus software on each PC to let the device connect to the router using the wifi network credentials, and it then handles traffic to/from the router and the PC. Each of these little Asus devices have MAC cloning enabled.

My frustration is this: when I want to copy stuff from one PC to the other it takes AGES over the wifi. I'm talking about stuff that typically exceeds memory stick and DVD sizes (ISO's etc.). Luckily I have a D-Link Gigabit ethernet switch lying around somewhere that I want to use to get around this problem.

So my idea is to connect each PC to the switch so that they can freely communicate at 1 Gbps, while ADSL traffic still goes to the router over wifi. My problem is this: I can't simply connect each of the Asus wifi devices to the switch... they get horribly confused and probably because they weren't designed to be used this way. I can't find any info about how to get this to work. I've tried using only one Asus wifi device connected to the switch, and that works for one PC, but as soon as I plug in the second PC to the switch, it can't acquire an IP address and this also brings down the first PC's connection to the router.

Is there perhaps a way to get this to work? Both PC's have two ethernet ports, so I could utilize them in some way to make this work, but have NO IDEA where to start with such a configuration.

Any ideas?

Thanks guys!
 
Basically you have to use the routing table. I would suggest disabling WiFi and then mapping drives or folders between the 2, make sure you have the wired connections on a seperate network to the WiFi, different IP range. This will force your routing table to create entries telling each machine that the route from 1 to the other is over the wired connection.

Never tried it before but it makes sense.
 
I would suggest the following:
- Plug in the WiFi thingies into the first port on each PC.
- Link the two PC's with the other ports via the hub.

Now, set the IPs on the network adapter using the hub to a static IP (I would even go as far as to use a different sub-network). Let the WiFi access devices assign an automatic IP from the router.

Then, go into Network Connections, Advanced, Advanced settings. In the top list you can select which network adapter are accessed first for requests - you want the WiFi to be on top so that all outside requests/Internet requests goes to the router.

Since the gigabit network is on another IP range (but also a local network one), you should be able to access the PCs using their IP-addresses. If not, you can set up a persistant routing table between the two PCs.
 
You would have to bridge the 2 wifi devices for it to work using Juggy's way or you could try ebandi's way.
 
Awesome advice, guys! Thanks a million... will give it a try tonight. :)
 
ebendl said:
I would suggest the following:
- Plug in the WiFi thingies into the first port on each PC.
- Link the two PC's with the other ports via the hub.

Now, set the IPs on the network adapter using the hub to a static IP (I would even go as far as to use a different sub-network). Let the WiFi access devices assign an automatic IP from the router.

Then, go into Network Connections, Advanced, Advanced settings. In the top list you can select which network adapter are accessed first for requests - you want the WiFi to be on top so that all outside requests/Internet requests goes to the router.

Since the gigabit network is on another IP range (but also a local network one), you should be able to access the PCs using their IP-addresses. If not, you can set up a persistant routing table between the two PCs.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, much better. Accessing the IP on the wired card instead of the wifi card for resources would be better.

Just remember to onlyu set a default gateway on the wireless cards.
 
Thanks guys...

Your advise worked like a charm! I'm so chuffed with it all right now. :D

Cheers!
 
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