Had network problems - now solved

[crashwg]

How do I connect a computer to two networks?

Here's the situation:

My desktop PC is connected to my neighbor's wireless router via a USB wireless G adapter for internet access.
My desktop PC is also connected to my own router which also has connected to it, my XBOX and just recently a FreeNAS box.

What I want: To access the internet and interface with my xbox/FreeNAS simultaneously.

The way I've been doing it: Open Network Connections, disable one adapter, enable the other, go about my business, revert to previous configuration.

I've tried a bridging the connections but when I do I can not get on the internet.  Only the wired network seems to work.

So this is possible right?
If it is, I'm going to need step by step instructions.  Everything I've been able to find on "multihomed" computers is complete gibberish to me.

Thanks in advance!

[protokatie]

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/crawford_02april22.mspx

This gives all the basics. Personally I have never done this before, but now I know how easy it is. BTW this is for XP, dunno if it is the same for Vista or not.

Also, to do it right, Stop bumming off of your neighbors and get your own damn internet you BUMM! (Then you wouldn't need to bridge)

EDIT: Now that I think about it, this solution may not work for your specific problem... You might need to set up your router as an access point with your wifi computer set up as the server via internet connection sharing. Have you logged into your router to see what options it has for this? (If not, go into your browser when connected to the router and type http://192.168.1.1 to access your router's web based options.)

[crashwg]

Oh yea, forgot to mention I'm using WinXP...

The link you privided protokatie is pretty much what I was trying before which causes the wireless to stop working.

As for options on the router I'm not sure how I would set something like that up.  The wireless adapter that I'm using to connect to the internet is USB so I can't attach it to my router.

[Grasshopper]

That's weird. I've got exactly the same setup and bridging worked for me.

Maybe you should try disabling DHCP and setting the IP addresses manually. That sometimes fixes weird network problems.

[crashwg]

I was able to get this going by using an older router that I had lying around.  It has an option to use it as a bridge. 

So I went into the configuration for the router and set it to be a bridge.  I plugged the wired network adapter to the router-now-bridge in the "modem" port then enabled internet connection sharing on the wireless adapter.  Now it seems to be working... for the most part.  I have internet and I can access the XBOX and the FreeNAS but I can't access any of my neighbors computers and vice versa.  Not a huge deal but it would be a bonus if that were to work.

[protokatie]

You may need to set up VPN to access the other computers on that, as each router (in the way you set them up) would have a different set of IP addys.

As per what I said earlier, I did not ask you to hook your wifi device into the router, keep it hooked to your pc, but set up your pc as a server with the router set up as an access point.

There are many solutions, but, your best bet would be to just get your own internet connection (dont see why you dont) and use a single router. This is the least problematic solution. (Seriously, stop being a bumm. Im not kidding.)

[crashwg]

Well, I don't exactly see why you're getting on my case about sharing the internet connection...  I'm doing it with their knowledge, I can't afford my own high-speed connection and there has never been a bandwidth problem between the two of us.

I will check out what VPN is all about though.

[Samstag]

Sounds like you're trying to run two networks in the same subnet.  Do both networks start with 192.168.1.x?  You'll need to change one of them to another subnet, like 192.168.2.x.  You can't have two adapters on the same machine use the same subnet, but as long as they're different you should have no problem using both networks at the same time.

[crashwg]

Another problem solved with DD-WRT.  Yea so I got a router that supports DD-WRT, loaded that up then set it up as a bridge.  Now the four ports on it are an extension of the neighbor's router and we've got one big happy network!

If anybody doesn't know about DD-WRT they should definitely google that shiznit.  It's basically an operating system for your router on steroids.  It only supports specific hardware though.

[Edgedamage]

Well, I don't exactly see why you're getting on my case about sharing the internet connection...  I'm doing it with their knowledge, I can't afford my own high-speed connection and there has never been a bandwidth problem between the two of us.

I will check out what VPN is all about though.

Sorry man you have all these toys and still can't afford internet??? Your neighbor sounds like my dad he bought a router and left it wide open and  had 5 leeches connected to it. Unless you post a youtube vid of your neighbor saying it's ok for you to freeload, I am calling you a leech.

[crashwg]

I assure you though that I have permission to be part of his WPA secured network.

As for having "all these toys", the XBOX I've had since like 2003 or so and the PC that I turned into a FreeNAS box was just lying around.  My income cannot support internet access, luckily my neighbor who also happens to be related is such a nice guy.  Not to say that I don't do anything for them but it sure has been nice of them to do what they have in return and when they need something from us again we will be there for them.

There are good people in this world, even if you don't know any personally...