Newbie question: Mixed wireless/wired LAN?

Hi everybody!

New here.

We currently have two PCs running MS XP. They are networked via network
cards and a direct wire between the two of them.

We also have a laptop, and have won (yes, won!) a Nintendo Wii (which has
internet and LAN capabilities).

We would like to get all four devices onto the network to share internet,
files and printers - as we do ATM with our two desktop PCs. However, we
want the laptop and Wii to connect wirelessly.

I looked at Wireless routers, and they all seem to offer LAN connectivity
at a maximum of 10/100. We don't want to sacrifice the 10/100/1000
connection we have between the PCs ATM.

Is it possible to make a two-PC wired 10/100/1000 network (with a hub?) and
then "hang" a wireless 10/100 network off this in such a way to make the
two new devices appear seamlessly within the Windows networking software?

--
Regards,
Dave

email: (E-Mail Removed)

My Homepage: http://homepages.tesco.net/david.ryman/
The F1 travel guide: http://www.zdp06.ukgateway.net/f1_travel.htm

(E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...
> Hi everybody!
>
> New here.
>
> We currently have two PCs running MS XP. They are networked via network
> cards and a direct wire between the two of them.
>
> We also have a laptop, and have won (yes, won!) a Nintendo Wii (which has
> internet and LAN capabilities).
>
> We would like to get all four devices onto the network to share internet,
> files and printers - as we do ATM with our two desktop PCs. However, we
> want the laptop and Wii to connect wirelessly.
>
> I looked at Wireless routers, and they all seem to offer LAN connectivity
> at a maximum of 10/100. We don't want to sacrifice the 10/100/1000
> connection we have between the PCs ATM.
>
> Is it possible to make a two-PC wired 10/100/1000 network (with a hub?) and
> then "hang" a wireless 10/100 network off this in such a way to make the
> two new devices appear seamlessly within the Windows networking software?

Yes. Get your wireless router and a gigabit hub, connect the 2 PCs with
straight cat5 to the hub, another cat5 from the hub to any LAN port on
the router. The router will do the "routing" but all of the traffic is
between the PCs will be at just under gigabit speeds (assuming the PCs
are fitted with gigabit NICs - you don't say they are).
--
Regards
Jon

Jon <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed) t:

> (E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...
>> Hi everybody!
>>
>> New here.
>>
>> We currently have two PCs running MS XP. They are networked via
>> network cards and a direct wire between the two of them.
>>
>> We also have a laptop, and have won (yes, won!) a Nintendo Wii (which
>> has internet and LAN capabilities).
>>
>> We would like to get all four devices onto the network to share
>> internet, files and printers - as we do ATM with our two desktop PCs.
>> However, we want the laptop and Wii to connect wirelessly.
>>
>> I looked at Wireless routers, and they all seem to offer LAN
>> connectivity at a maximum of 10/100. We don't want to sacrifice the
>> 10/100/1000 connection we have between the PCs ATM.
>>
>> Is it possible to make a two-PC wired 10/100/1000 network (with a
>> hub?) and then "hang" a wireless 10/100 network off this in such a
>> way to make the two new devices appear seamlessly within the Windows
>> networking software?
>
> Yes. Get your wireless router and a gigabit hub, connect the 2 PCs
> with straight cat5 to the hub, another cat5 from the hub to any LAN
> port on the router. The router will do the "routing" but all of the
> traffic is between the PCs will be at just under gigabit speeds
> (assuming the PCs are fitted with gigabit NICs - you don't say they
> are).

Thanks for that - yes, both PCs have fast cards installed.

Much appreciated.

--
Regards,
Dave

email: (E-Mail Removed)

My Homepage: http://homepages.tesco.net/david.ryman/
The F1 travel guide: http://www.zdp06.ukgateway.net/f1_travel.htm

Jon wrote:
> (E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...
>> Hi everybody!
>>
>> New here.
>>
>> We currently have two PCs running MS XP. They are networked via
>> network cards and a direct wire between the two of them.
>>
>> We also have a laptop, and have won (yes, won!) a Nintendo Wii
>> (which has internet and LAN capabilities).
>>
>> We would like to get all four devices onto the network to share
>> internet, files and printers - as we do ATM with our two desktop
>> PCs. However, we want the laptop and Wii to connect wirelessly.
>>
>> I looked at Wireless routers, and they all seem to offer LAN
>> connectivity at a maximum of 10/100. We don't want to sacrifice the
>> 10/100/1000 connection we have between the PCs ATM.
>>
>> Is it possible to make a two-PC wired 10/100/1000 network (with a
>> hub?) and then "hang" a wireless 10/100 network off this in such a
>> way to make the two new devices appear seamlessly within the Windows
>> networking software?
>
> Yes. Get your wireless router and a gigabit hub, connect the 2 PCs
> with straight cat5 to the hub, another cat5 from the hub to any LAN
> port on the router. The router will do the "routing" but all of the
> traffic is between the PCs will be at just under gigabit speeds
> (assuming the PCs are fitted with gigabit NICs - you don't say they
> are).

There is no such thing as a gigabit hub - it will be a switch.
Other than that , the solution you describe is the right one


--
Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger. Then I hide until it goes away"

www.drzoidberg.co.uk www.ebayfaq.co.uk

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Dr Zoidberg
alexNOOOOOO!!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk says...

> There is no such thing as a gigabit hub - it will be a switch.
> Other than that , the solution you describe is the right one
>
Hub is a generic term related to network topology, a switch is just a
particular sort of hub.

alexNOOOOOO!!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk declared for all the world to
hear...
> There is no such thing as a gigabit hub - it will be a switch.
> Other than that , the solution you describe is the right one

Hub/switch, whatever. The OP knew what I meant!
--
Regards
Jon

Jon <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed) et:

> alexNOOOOOO!!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk declared for all the world to
> hear...
>> There is no such thing as a gigabit hub - it will be a switch.
>> Other than that , the solution you describe is the right one
>
> Hub/switch, whatever. The OP knew what I meant!

I'm after a switch, anyway!

Thanks for all your info.

The reason I was confused about the speed of switches is that they seem to
be advertised with a speed. For example,
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=421265 is
advertised as "Gigabit", whereas
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=421262 is
advertised as "10/100".

--
Regards,
Dave

email: (E-Mail Removed)

My Homepage: http://homepages.tesco.net/david.ryman/
The F1 travel guide: http://www.zdp06.ukgateway.net/f1_travel.htm

In MsgID<(E-Mail Removed) et> on Wed, 11 Jul
2007 18:11:48 +0100, in uk.comp.home-networking, 'Rob Morley' wrote:

>In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Dr Zoidberg
>alexNOOOOOO!!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk says...
>
>> There is no such thing as a gigabit hub - it will be a switch.
>> Other than that , the solution you describe is the right one
>>
>Hub is a generic term related to network topology, a switch is just a
>particular sort of hub.

You know a switch is distinctly different, I'm not sure it's a good thing
to encourage the blurring ?

Dave J.