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WiFi vs. LAN question
I'm not sure where to post this:
I have a laptop with Windows XP. I also have a desktop with the same. I installed a wireless router and got WiFi to work on the laptop. My ISP is Comcast. Some times, for reasons I don't get, the WiFi connection either isn't available or just is so slow that I can't use it. At those times I want to connect the laptop directly to the broadband. I shut down the wireless router. I turned off the laptop, unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop. When it came up I could not get anything in the browser, even though the icon on the bottom right of the task bar said the LAN connection was at 100mips. Do I have to change something to make the laptop use the LAN rather than the WiFi? I need to use the laptop for work. The software that I use to connect to the office won't run on my desktop (a long story for another time). Help please! Thanks |
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#2
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WiFi vs. LAN question
YvonneD said this on 1/1/2010 9:20 AM:
I'm not sure where to post this: I have a laptop with Windows XP. I also have a desktop with the same. I installed a wireless router and got WiFi to work on the laptop. My ISP is Comcast. Some times, for reasons I don't get, the WiFi connection either isn't available or just is so slow that I can't use it. At those times I want to connect the laptop directly to the broadband. I shut down the wireless router. I turned off the laptop, unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop. When it came up I could not get anything in the browser, even though the icon on the bottom right of the task bar said the LAN connection was at 100mips. Do I have to change something to make the laptop use the LAN rather than the WiFi? I need to use the laptop for work. The software that I use to connect to the office won't run on my desktop (a long story for another time). Help please! Thanks My first question would be do you have the settings on the connections (both wifi / hardwire) set to automatic. Auto DHCP and Auto DNS. You should not have to power anything off to move the LAN cable from PC to PC. As a matter of fact its a bit of a diagnostic tool to see 'cable unplugged' and 'cable connected' when you unplug and plug it in. |
#3
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WiFi vs. LAN question
YvonneD said this on 1/1/2010 9:20 AM:
I'm not sure where to post this: I have a laptop with Windows XP. I also have a desktop with the same. I installed a wireless router and got WiFi to work on the laptop. My ISP is Comcast. Some times, for reasons I don't get, the WiFi connection either isn't available or just is so slow that I can't use it. At those times I want to connect the laptop directly to the broadband. I shut down the wireless router. I turned off the laptop, unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop. When it came up I could not get anything in the browser, even though the icon on the bottom right of the task bar said the LAN connection was at 100mips. Do I have to change something to make the laptop use the LAN rather than the WiFi? I need to use the laptop for work. The software that I use to connect to the office won't run on my desktop (a long story for another time). Help please! Thanks My first question would be do you have the settings on the connections (both wifi / hardwire) set to automatic. Auto DHCP and Auto DNS. You should not have to power anything off to move the LAN cable from PC to PC. As a matter of fact its a bit of a diagnostic tool to see 'cable unplugged' and 'cable connected' when you unplug and plug it in. |
#4
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WiFi vs. LAN question
YvonneD,
With XP running Start Button Network Connections You should have two (2) or three(3) items listed there. 1. One should be the Wireless Connection, usually using the wireless device name. 2. The other the Ethernet connector, something like broadcom, or other manufacturer's name. It might be listed as Internet/LAN Gateway, if no WI-FI card is installed. By right clicking each icon, you can either enable or disable the connector. When you want to connect directly to the router, using a cable, you should "Disable" the wireless connector, and enable the wired (broadcom/Ethernet) connector. So when you want to use wireless, enable the wireless connection, disable the wired one. -- Add MS to your News Reader: news://msnews.microsoft.com Rich/rerat (RRR News) message rule Previous Text Snipped to Save Bandwidth When Appropriate "YvonneD" wrote in message ... I'm not sure where to post this: I have a laptop with Windows XP. I also have a desktop with the same. I installed a wireless router and got WiFi to work on the laptop. My ISP is Comcast. Some times, for reasons I don't get, the WiFi connection either isn't available or just is so slow that I can't use it. At those times I want to connect the laptop directly to the broadband. I shut down the wireless router. I turned off the laptop, unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop. When it came up I could not get anything in the browser, even though the icon on the bottom right of the task bar said the LAN connection was at 100mips. Do I have to change something to make the laptop use the LAN rather than the WiFi? I need to use the laptop for work. The software that I use to connect to the office won't run on my desktop (a long story for another time). Help please! Thanks |
#5
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WiFi vs. LAN question
YvonneD, With XP running Start Button Network Connections You should have two (2) or three(3) items listed there. 1. One should be the Wireless Connection, usually using the wireless device name. 2. The other the Ethernet connector, something like broadcom, or other manufacturer's name. It might be listed as Internet/LAN Gateway, if no WI-FI card is installed. By right clicking each icon, you can either enable or disable the connector. When you want to connect directly to the router, using a cable, you should "Disable" the wireless connector, and enable the wired (broadcom/Ethernet) connector. So when you want to use wireless, enable the wireless connection, disable the wired one. -- Add MS to your News Reader: news://msnews.microsoft.com Rich/rerat (RRR News) message rule Previous Text Snipped to Save Bandwidth When Appropriate "YvonneD" wrote in message ... I'm not sure where to post this: I have a laptop with Windows XP. I also have a desktop with the same. I installed a wireless router and got WiFi to work on the laptop. My ISP is Comcast. Some times, for reasons I don't get, the WiFi connection either isn't available or just is so slow that I can't use it. At those times I want to connect the laptop directly to the broadband. I shut down the wireless router. I turned off the laptop, unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop. When it came up I could not get anything in the browser, even though the icon on the bottom right of the task bar said the LAN connection was at 100mips. Do I have to change something to make the laptop use the LAN rather than the WiFi? I need to use the laptop for work. The software that I use to connect to the office won't run on my desktop (a long story for another time). Help please! Thanks |
#6
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WiFi vs. LAN question
"YvonneD" wrote in message
... I'm not sure where to post this: I have a laptop with Windows XP. I also have a desktop with the same. I installed a wireless router and got WiFi to work on the laptop. My ISP is Comcast. Some times, for reasons I don't get, the WiFi connection either isn't available or just is so slow that I can't use it. At those times I want to connect the laptop directly to the broadband. I shut down the wireless router. I turned off the laptop, unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop. When it came up I could not get anything in the browser, even though the icon on the bottom right of the task bar said the LAN connection was at 100mips. Do I have to change something to make the laptop use the LAN rather than the WiFi? I need to use the laptop for work. The software that I use to connect to the office won't run on my desktop (a long story for another time). Help please! Thanks I'm intrigued by this bit: "unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop". Did the plug fit properly or was it a bit too small? Look at the socket on the router you removed the "broadband wire" from and compare it with where you're plugging it into on your laptop. Are they exactly the same size? What does the other end of this "broadband wire" plug in to? Try not bypassing the router: leave the broadband wire in the router and instead, connect laptop to router with an ethernet cable (probably provided with the router). Is this how the desktop connects to the Internet? Did the desktop lose its connection to the Internet when you tried connecting the router to the laptop in the way you described? |
#7
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WiFi vs. LAN question
"YvonneD" wrote in message
... I'm not sure where to post this: I have a laptop with Windows XP. I also have a desktop with the same. I installed a wireless router and got WiFi to work on the laptop. My ISP is Comcast. Some times, for reasons I don't get, the WiFi connection either isn't available or just is so slow that I can't use it. At those times I want to connect the laptop directly to the broadband. I shut down the wireless router. I turned off the laptop, unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop. When it came up I could not get anything in the browser, even though the icon on the bottom right of the task bar said the LAN connection was at 100mips. Do I have to change something to make the laptop use the LAN rather than the WiFi? I need to use the laptop for work. The software that I use to connect to the office won't run on my desktop (a long story for another time). Help please! Thanks I'm intrigued by this bit: "unplugged the broadband wire from the router and plugged it into the ethernet port on my laptop and started the laptop". Did the plug fit properly or was it a bit too small? Look at the socket on the router you removed the "broadband wire" from and compare it with where you're plugging it into on your laptop. Are they exactly the same size? What does the other end of this "broadband wire" plug in to? Try not bypassing the router: leave the broadband wire in the router and instead, connect laptop to router with an ethernet cable (probably provided with the router). Is this how the desktop connects to the Internet? Did the desktop lose its connection to the Internet when you tried connecting the router to the laptop in the way you described? |
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