Wireless Networking

[The Mad Hater]

I thought it would be a breeze, but it's giving me fits. I'm trying to network my laptop with my desktop so I can share an internet connection and hard drives.
I've got the shared internet connection going, and I've even gotten the laptop to "recognize" the desktop, however I can't access the desktop(I did make sure to enable hard-drive sharing on both machines). "Network path not found" or some such. Nor can I get the desktop to realize that the laptop even exists.

Hardware: Ethernet card in pc.
Toshiba PCX5000 Home Portal, connected directly
to pc Ethernet card.
USB IRQ in pc, connecting to Linksys wireless
transmitter.
WLAN wireless network adapter in laptop.

Help?

[LanneyD]

its kind of a stretch, but if you're running different OS's on the computers, you could have problems, especially if one is win32 (such as windows 98) and the other it NTSC (windows NT or possibly XP)

[The Mad Hater]

nah, both are XPPro. since I posted the topic, I've had some success. I had to disable the network card in the desktop and re-run network wizard, and as a result I now have full access to the laptop from the pc. but not vice versa. the drive for the desktop shows up in my network places, but when I try to open it, windows says that I don't have permission. (we only use one account on both machines, btw, with no passwords.)

[RichmondVA]

As far as I can tell, networking-- especially wireless networking-- is just wonky that way. There's no network "plug and play." You just got to keep swapping parts and disconnecting and disabling stuff in different order until each component realizes the others are there.

I'm about to set up a wireless network in my house. I got the router last week but I can't do anything until possibly October.

[DogStarMan]

Why not throw out the wireless hub and just go AdHoc (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/bowman/02april08.asp)?

[Phreon]

Originally posted by DogStarMan
Why not throw out the wireless hub and just go AdHoc (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/bowman/02april08.asp)?

Poor security?


Phreon

[DogStarMan]

Phreon, my boy, you raise a good point. Actually, when you are dealing with any type of wireless network, security is a big concern. If you go AdHoc vs. spending all the money on routers, hubs, etc, you still have all the same options available to you (WEP, VPN, Private SSID) to secure your network. If you had read the link I posted, you would have come across this...
In most cases, for optimum protection and security, after your ad hoc network is running properly, you should return to Wireless Network Properties and specify WEP settings.

Use the highest level of encryption possible (key length) that is supported by your hardware and drivers. Agere’s Orinoco Silver cards are used here, and only support 64-bit WEP (also known as 40 bits). Using the latest drivers and firmware, Windows XP actually automatically detects that this hardware only supports 64-bit encryption and will not allow setting the key to 128 bit. Be sure that if you use an ASCII network key that you pick random characters and letters that can’t be easily guessed. The final step is to use the same key and encryption settings and configure the client computer(s). Note: for additional security, consider changing the key on a regular weekly basis.
Now, if we're talkin' about firewalls at the demarcation...that's a whole different thread. ;)

[The Mad Hater]

since I've posted this I've discovered that the wireless transmitter and wireless laptop adapter weren't even necessary. the laptop has it's own wireless connection, and the Toshiba portal has it's own wireless transmitter. not to worry, I didn't pay a penny for any of this.

here's where I am with this now: pc recognizes laptop and is able to access laptop's hard drive. laptop does not recognize pc. both machines are able to ping one another, and an internet connection is shared.

does any of this jump out at anyone, telling you that there may be a setting in Windows that needs to be changed on either or both machines to get this working properly? at this point I'm thinking that the problem lies with one or both Windows accounts, but I have no clue what the problem might be.

[Phreon]

Originally posted by DogStarMan
Phreon, my boy, you raise a good point. Actually, when you are dealing with any type of wireless network, security is a big concern. If you go AdHoc vs. spending all the money on routers, hubs, etc, you still have all the same options available to you (WEP, VPN, Private SSID) to secure your network. If you had read the link I posted, you would have come across this...(emph. added)

Now, if we're talkin' about firewalls at the demarcation...that's a whole different thread. ;)

I admit it, I was feeling really lazy that day. And yes, setting up a wireless network on an XP box can be a real bitch. The last time I tried, XP kept trying to override the settings I was configuring with the card's own software. Is soooo much easier to use stand alone external radios, but of course, more expensive.

I was the RF network engineer/local net admin at ViperLink/Darwin Networks (Cincy's only, and now defunct, wireless internet provider) and quite frankly, I didn't feel like rehashing all the shit I used to work on. Figured someone else (you, for example) would go from there, or at least tell me I'm full of shit.

It's funny; at one time, I was working on a project to light up Oxford/Miami U and set up a link between WOXY's studio and transmitter site. Salesmen and Marketeers can lay waste to even the most elegantly engineered solution. Seems like ancient history... ...damn, I miss that job.

Anyone need an underemployeed (so severely that my job entails physically manufacturing and installing marketing fixtures for a small Cincy company), somewhat rusty sysadmin/network engineer with heavy digital RF communication/Linux-SCO-UnixWare-AIX (and all the windoze shit) experience?

Phreon