Using a router and ethernet simultaneously to connect to the internet

Question
How do I connect two computers to the internet, one by wireless, one by ethernet, with one router ?

Detail
I have two computers (laptop & desktop) in my house, and one internet connection. The internet signal is received through an (filtered) ADSL telephone line. At present I use a router (simple DSL 2680) with both wireless and wired (LAN/ethernet) capability to wirelessly connect to the laptop, and and a DSL wired modem to connect to my desktop (through USB).

This means unplugging the telephone line from (router/modem) one and plugging it into the other (modem/router) when I want to access the internet using the other computer. I do not want to use both computers to access the internet simultaneously, just to avoid having to physically reconnect the jack.

Now, my desktop is fitted with an ethernet capability. Is it possible to have both computers connected to the router, laptop through wireless, and the desktop through ethernet, with one or both 'idling', and simply move myself between them ? I have tried simply connecting it all up, the laptop/wireless is fine, and ethernet says it's connected (in CP), and when I open a browser the home page appears, but I try another location (website), near the top R of screen it says 'connecting' forever, and no change appears on the screen and nothing else appears to be happening. All selections in the setup are ticked (microsoft network, TCPIP etc). I think all the right lights on the router are on. It's as if the ethernet is not seeing the internet, but it can tell there is an ethernet connection there.

What do I have to do ?

Dumb_Question
3.August.2013
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A under XP/SP3
Processor - Celeron 2.7 GHz
Motherboard - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
RAM - 1GB + 512MB (1GB +1GB max) DDR PC2700
PSU - Octigen 300W model 10270PSOTG ('upgraded' from original Bestec 250W PSU [in 2011?])
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card in AGP slot.
and
HP Pavilion dm4 1050ea

 

just because you have 'one' Internet connection, does not mean you can only have one computer on the Internet at a time. Most routers you can connect over 200 devices to the Internet. I don't get why you're unplugging anything?
The device you said you have has 2 ethernet ports, plug the desktop in and connect the laptop wirelessly. If you need to connect more you can plug in a switch or a hub.
If you do an ipconfig, what is your subnet mask? 255.255.255.0? Local IP in the 192.168.x.x range?

 

I have one ISDN / DSL connector which carries my broadband broadband signal. I cannot turn this into two, and have one going to the router (which has both wireless and ethernet) and one gong to the modem, for signal strength reasons. At present, either this connector goes into my router for wireless connection to my laptop which has a 'WiFi' transceive' OR into my USB modem connected to my desktop (which doesn't have a 'WiFi' transceiver, but does have ethernet capability).

So to use my laptop after I have been using my desktop I have to pull out the ADSL line from the router and plug the plug for that into the USB Speedtouch modem. If I wish to usethe desktop after I have been using the laptop I have to pull out the ADSL line from the router and plug the plug for that into the router.

As you clearly understand foogoo, I do not wish to keep doing this plugging/unplugging. That is why I raised this in the forum.

Now, my desktop has an ethernet port, and so does my router...surely it should be possible to connect the desktop via the router to the internet while maintaining wireless link, with the router connected to the ADSL line, and so avoid the perpetual pluggingging/unplugiing of the `ADSL plug ???

But I don't know how to get my desktop connected to the internet via the ethernet so that it works. So, how I do that ?

Dumb_Question
4.August.2013

I hope that's explained it better, but I fear I've just said the same thing.

 

please list the models of all the network items your talking about.

 

What, the PC's, their network adapters, and the modem I don't plan to use ?
Dumb_Question
5.August.2013

 

You can't plug the desktop into the DSL port on the router while the router is connected to the internet?

Most routers you can connect the internet into the router and then run an additional ethernet cable to your PC.....and the wireless should still be fine for your other devices..


That is usually the whole point of a router...

Is this a possibility?

 

This is what I thought, and perhaps one can, but I've tried this and am obviously doing something wrong (ADSL <-> router; router <- ethernet cable -> desktop; router <- (wireless) -> laptop. I've tried it, my ethernet says it's connected (how do you find out what's on that network anyway ?), but whem I open a browser and try to go any web page, it doesn't work. I don't now what's on the networks except the computers and the router, details of which I gave in the first post of this thread.

Dumb_Question
5.August.2013

 

I said NETWORK ITEMS. ie routers and modems you are using or can use.

 

As Foogoo stated, it would really help to know the specific devices you are using (make and models).

It seems that from your previous post you are using 2 different routers? If I am understanding the chain of devices is this


---DSL modem--- (ethernet cable) ---Router#1---(ethernet cable) ---DesktopComputer--- (ethernet cable)---Router#2---(Wireless signal---laptop

Is this correct? And if so, then why use 2 routers? But to get a DSL connection working on router #1, which is where I think there is a good chance the problem is, you will need to probably enter some settings in the router configuration page or run the router setup CD that hopefully you still have... If you have that CD run it and follow the instructions as they are usually pretty foolproof. If you DONT have it, then try going to the configuration page....

This can usually be found by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into any browser window from your desktop when you are connected in the above configuration....the usual name and passwords are "admin", "admin"....but these things differ quite a bit based on what devices you are using so it would be helpful to know that info....Once there you have two options. You can either set the router to "DHCP" which usually automatically configures everything and gets it working correctly, OR

You will need to enter your DSL name and password if your ISP gave you those into the PPPoE settings.

The other possibility that I am going to go out on a limb here is that your first router is actually your DSL modem??? In which case you need to run the network setup software from your ISP.

I made a bunch of assumptions here so please forgive in advance if I am way off on some or all of them. Let us know if any of this helped and please try to find out the exact network devices you are using.

 

sorry for being so stupid, foogoo.

At present I am using
EITHER
-ADSL-Thomsom 330 SpeedTouch Modem - (USB) - Compaq Presarion
OR
ADSL - D-Link 2680 Router - (wireless) - HP Pavilion dm4 1050ea

but not both connections simultaneously. I transfer the ADSL connection between the Modem and the router for connecting each PC to the interet.

WhaT I would like, and what I sought advice on how to set up, is

wired ethernet - Compaq Presario
|
D-Link 2680 Router
|
wireless - Pavilion
(see attached picture for clearer diagram)

This would, I hope, enable me to access the internet from either PC without unplugging (or hard-switching if such was possible) the ADSL line. In principle I guess it would be possible to split the ADSL signal and have one branch going to the modem and the to the router, but because of physicaal constraints, this is not possible (I've tried it and the signal is too weak)

I hope this expains things more clearly.

Dumb_Question
6.August.2013

 

OK, problem solved, I switched to Firefox and now I can get connected.
Thanks for your interest in this issue, guys.

The only small thing troubling me is why things wouldn't work with IE but they do with Firefox, but I have an idea as to how solve that...but it still troubles me a bit, cos using IE and a direct connection (via modem) to ADSL it still works with IE....

Now to get on with installing Ubuntu on a flash drive....

Dumb_Question
6.August.2013

 

Ha glad you got the issue solved!

I was a bit confused once I saw that diagram because that setup should be perfectly fine....and it seems in fact it is!

Once again IE has managed to ruin an otherwise enjoyable computing experience. :-D

 

Issue resolved.

I needed to go to IE > Tools > Internet Options > Connectivity and unselect 'Always dial default connection' radio button, and select instead 'Never dial a connection' radio button. This seemed to enable my LAN for use with IE. I did not mess with the LAN settings button.

I also cleared the cache (temporary internet files, cookies, passwords, forms etc) several times, and upgraded to (installed) IE8 from IE7 [which took many hours to complete]. IE8 is most recent version of IE that Windows XP supports. I do not know if these things were necessary.

Dumb_Question
9.August.2013
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A under XP/SP3
Processor - Celeron 2.7 GHz
Motherboard - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
RAM - 1GB + 512MB (1GB +1GB max) DDR PC2700
PSU - Octigen 300W model 10270PSOTG ('upgraded' from original Bestec 250W PSU [in 2011?])
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card in AGP slot.