How should I set up my home network?

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You want this article: http://ask-leo.com/flashing_my_bios_failed_how_can_i_recover.html

Hi Leo.

I'm new to networking, and have perhaps a simple question. I have set up a home network that looks like this.

.........Internet
............|
........ADSL Modem
............|
......Wireless Router
......../...............\
......./.................\
PC (Connected....Laptop (connected
....by Cable)............wirelessly)

The primary reason for setting this up was to connect wirelessly to the internet. That works fine. Neither computer is connecting 'through the other', they both go directly through the router, and connect to the internet fine.

So far so good. But now I think I'd like to share the printer (I still move files the old fashioned way) and maybe it'd be fun to try network games. The thing is, I cant for the life of me get one computer to 'see' the other. I don't understand how LAN and WAN should join.

XP has an automatic wireless network set-up feature but this requires that the wireless router use a flash drive, and my wireless router does not have a USB port.

I also tried the 'Set up a Home Network' on XP but that didn't work either. It seems that one of these does WAN and the other does LAN, but what I seem to need is a bit of each. As you can see, I don't really understand the things I am trying to manipulate, but I'm sure many people have similar problems, and I'm sure the solution to problem is easy...

Continuing from the last post, there are a few things I should mention, I guess.

I temporarily disable all security features when I try to get this to work, so I'm pretty sure these aren't the prob. What I mean is, I take off my firewall, xp firewall (never on) and also disable WEP.

Another thing, I think my router is also an "Access point". So, I set up SSID to be the same as the wireless computer (same as the router; I don't need to do anything for the fixed PC, right??). I don't think I need an auxillary access point (ie. other than the router).

Now, one thing I have found is that if I change my SSID on the wireless and router to a custom name, then I CAN log on to the wireless network(and access the router), but, cannot access the internet from that wireless network.

This could mean that the problem is some setting with the modem. My modem is strange (DSL-302G), and some people call it 2/3 modem 1/3 router, because it allows things like NAT. With NAT enabled, this means that you can actually set up two computers out of the one modem (one IP address). However, all sorts of problems arose when I tried to go wireless, and no one wanted to help me when I had the other setup, as people found it weird. Now that I have changed set up, I believe I have put the modem into 'bridge' mode, which I imagine makes it more like other modems (Setting "ZIPB = Enable", if that helps). Also, I have left NAT on, because it seems to be very popular. I think of it as kind of like a universal splitter that just kicks in whenever you need it, but really, I have no idea what it does or whether I should just turn it off.

I imagine my problem is really quite simple for people who understand all this stuff, but it is the mother of all frustrations when you don't know what all the letters mean. The last time I tried to get this set up I eventually decided that moving files between computers manually wasn't so bad afterall, but six months later, it's getting on my berves.

Excuse the length, but I thought that if I gave as detailed a description as possible, people might make better use of this. Thanks all.

With regards to comments above.

I find myself in the amusing situation of having solved my own problem.

Embarassingly, the solution was even simpler than I had suspected.

Despite my protestations, I did have a secondary firewall on. When I got rid of that, I could right click on a Folder and choose to share it. When I searched from the other computer, it found it.

It always seems strange how computer things appear impossible until you get them working, but when you do, they always seem so bloody simple!

Hello Leo,
I have a home network setup using a Billion 5100 modem/router via wired LAN. I set it up using the MS XP wizard. It works perfectly with my main Desktop and my Laptop, I can access the internet and my email with no problems and share my printer. I do not necessarly wish to share files between both computers, so just a simple network and the same ISP.
At the moment I have a guest at my house who has normally only dialup but with a different ISP than myself. She has a Laptop with XP Pro and I set her up on my network, no problems. She can access the internet, use my printer and recieve mail etc, but when it comes time to send mail it wants to "dialup"
using her normal ISP, which we don't want it to do.
We have set it up to "never dial" but it just wont send her mail, it just sits in her Outbox. What can I do. Is it ok to send and receive mail with different ISP's on a home network??

This article may help: http://ask-leo.com/why_cant_my_guest_send_email_using_my_lan.html

I have 2 PCs. How do I create a LAN (Peer-peer) between the two of them, just to share files and printers and probably internet connections. Do I use Straight-through or Crossed CAT5 cable to connect them together. I will very much appreciate your quick response. Thanks.

I *really* recommend still using a router, even if you don't connect to the interent. That way you'll use "normal" cables, and you can connect additional machines if you like. And someday you can plug in the internet.

You can use a reversing cable ... this article has more: http://ask-leo.com/can_i_network_two_computers_with_just_a_cable.html

I have a computer in my basement connected to a cable modem. Is it possible to connect a wireless-router to a upstairs computer and be able to read the basement cable modem? Or do i have to directly connect the router to the modem?

You need to connect your access point (or router) to the cable modem, and install a wireless network card on the upstairs computer.

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