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Question

2 PCs in network unable to "see" each other

May 11, 2015 12:48AM PDT

I'm not an expert on networking, so please bear with me if the answer to this issue is obvious!

I have been operating for some time without problems with a home network based on a Billion BIPAC 7800N modem router. The devices in the network include 2 PCs - one connected by ethernet cable to the router, and the other (usually) by Wi-Fi. Until now, I have used the router's DHCP server to allocate IP addresses, but am now allocating static IP addresses to each device.

I have set the gateway's (and the DNS server's) IP address to 192.168.1.254, with Subnet mask 255.255.255.0. I have allocated the IP address 192.168.1.1 to the ethernet card of the first PC, and IP addresses 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.3 to the ethernet card and wireless card of the second PC (with the same subnet mask as the router).

Connecting the second PC using the ethernet connection gives no problems.

Connecting the second PC using the wireless card prevents either PC "seeing" the other, but both PCs can access the internet.

Can anyone advise what I need to do to enable the same full network connection with using the wifi card on the second PC, as I have when using the ethernet card?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
True.
May 11, 2015 1:07AM PDT
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No progress, I'm afraid!
May 11, 2015 1:47AM PDT

Thanks for the reply, Bob.

I haven't been able to find anything in the router's firewall that appears relevant. Also, the network was operating without any issues until I changed from DHCP server-assigned addresses to static IP addresses. So I don't think that it's a router firewall issue in this case. (I've also checked Window's Network and Sharing Centre, and it is reporting the network as a "home" network.)

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Remember
May 11, 2015 1:54AM PDT

That manual IP setup involves more than the machine IP address. I can't guess why you are doing this with DHCP doing address reservation which I might need for a server.

So you have the machine IP, gateway, DNS and one more item. Frankly I find new networkers need to use DHCP until they get all that under their hat.
Bob

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Misunderstanding
May 11, 2015 2:05AM PDT

"That manual IP setup involves more than the machine IP address. I can't guess why you are doing this with DHCP doing address reservation which I might need for a server."
I have 12 other (non-PC) devices on the network, and managing them with server-assigned IP addresses is becoming a nightmare.

"Frankly I find new networkers need to use DHCP until they get all that under their hat."
Not that new! I've been running a network for 15 years.

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I've seen old hands not get all the entries.
May 11, 2015 2:12AM PDT

I was checking to see if you'd come back with all the entries. For now, compare DHCP "ipconfig /all" with manual results of the ipconfig /all output.

As you have been at this for so long I'll not duplicate ipconfig use or it's varients on Windows, Linux, etc.
Bob

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Answer
--> Let's go over the old Network Neighborhood issue.
May 11, 2015 2:14AM PDT

There's a Microsoft article about NN and how it can take days for the NN to populate. You can get around that by trying the NET VIEW command. Again, as you have many years running networks this is not to duplicate these items but to remind us about it.
Bob

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Wrong forum ?
May 11, 2015 3:58AM PDT

Bob. Is cnet the wrong forum for me? As I stated at the beginning, I am not an expert on networking, and I asked those who responded to "bear with me". I also clarified that I have run a network (which, as you will have realised, is a small network). That is a long way from "many years running networks".

I am looking for a middle ground between, on the one hand, being advised not to try anything new, and on the other hand, knowing and providing in advance every piece of information that an adviser might need.

I'm not a complete newbie. Neither am I an IT professional. I'm just a guy who is keen to work through issues, and learn something along the way. If would be grateful if you, or someone else, can pitch responses at this level. If not, let's leave matters at that, and I'll switch to a different forum that is willing to help people at my level.

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I had hoped you would reveal more.
May 11, 2015 4:39AM PDT

I noted at least 4 entries to get it working on most systems. You claimed you're an old network hand so I didn't attempt to write a tutorial. Besides that's on the web.

Why not go back to DHCP? I dropped a hint it may be too hard on new networkers to get all that detail.

I hear you. That is there are folk that want custom tutorials to repeat what's on the web. Here I stop short of that and have pissed some folk off. I don't mind checking your work but you have to share the IPCONFIG /ALL output of DHCP and not DHCP so I can see if it's a missing entry.

We also have the old NN issues and I shared explicitly the command to try. Why wasn't that command used? (NET VIEW.)
Bob

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Got your email.
May 11, 2015 5:13AM PDT

If you can't share the details I fear other forums may not be able to dig into this.

Try this. Go back to DHCP since that seems to work.
Bob

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Bye
May 11, 2015 5:19AM PDT

"I ....... have p****ed some folk off."

I'm not surprised. I think that there is a lesson there for you to learn.

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Or for you.
May 11, 2015 5:27AM PDT

This is free support. You get to answer questions, try things. I think we are close to solving it but without the full details it will remain a mystery.

Hope you figure it out. If you want to supply the details, I'll check it out. I'm that nice.
Bob

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AP Isolation
May 11, 2015 8:28AM PDT

You have isolated all wireless users from your network. That's called Access Point Isolation. It's used for places like hotel hotspots so each wireless user can't see or interact with the other, or access the other's shared folders like on a LAN.

http://www.ehow.com/info_12180751_ap-isolation.html

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If you use Verizon FIOS
May 11, 2015 9:30AM PDT
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Answer
Just happened to trip over this old KB for XP NN
May 11, 2015 7:12AM PDT
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/256248

There are dozens more about NN. Notice what NN does?

"If more than 10 computers with shared resources are detected; in this case, no shortcuts are created."

Yes you have 2 PCs but NN has been broke for over a decade. There are other reasons it won't populate. It tends to get folk upset but what to do other than learn the ropes and not get hung up on them?
Bob