Wireless vs Wired Network Question

6/13/2020 | PapaBear

[ducttape45]

I got a question about wireless vs wired networks, and it goes back to a problem I've never been able to resolve.

I have a Netgear WNR3500Lv2 Router. It has wired and wireless connection capabilities. For the most part I always wire my machines to it, but there are times when I got my laptop open that I have to connect via wireless, and when I do I cannot see anything else on the network. Yet, if I hook up a wire I see everything.

Just today I had to hook up a wireless nic to a desktop when I moved the router out of that room into another location in my residence. Now, again, I cannot see any objects that are wired to the router from that machine, and I also can't see that PC from a PC that is hooked up via a wire.

What causes this to happen? It's maddening in that I want to be able to see everything that is on the network whether it is wired or wirelessly connected. This happens whether I'm running Windows 10 or 7.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

If you are using windows, you have to set up a wireless network, and add devices, if they have wireless capability.

[SamAdams76]

Time for a new router.

The WNR3500Lv2 is nearly 10 years old!

[CJ Wolf]

Ditto

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Any device with wireless capability in range of your wireless router can see your router, including your neighbors’. You have to “introduce” each device that you want on your wireless network by giving it the network password.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

https://www.lifewire.com/connecting-to-a-wireless-home-network-3506902

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17137/windows-setting-up-wireless-network

[ducttape45]

Believe it or not, moments after I hit the Post button, I decided to check out the wireless settings (again) and I discovered I had "Wireless Isolation" enabled. Once I removed that, bingo, everything works.

This one of those face palm moments folks! If anyone has that emojie handy, feel free to post it! I apologize!

[ducttape45]

Yeah I know, but it works! However, if you have a suggestion for a newer one, and something that is rather simple and not complex to set up, I’m all ears. I really do need to replace it. But whatever you suggest it has to have wired and wireless connections.

[yarddog]

I have a Hughesnet sat receiver which is the only thing available out here in the woods.

It comes with it’s own router. I think I have six devices hooked up to it, half wireless and half wired. I can’t tell any difference between them.

I have tested the wireless with a small laptop. It will pick up to around 50 yards outside. That is about as far as it will go.

[rarestia]

In Windows, check the firewall configuration for your connection. Every time you connect to a network, you get the toast message on the right side asking if you want to allow your computer to be discovered by other devices on the network. If you clicked "No," it put that connection in the "Public" firewall profile which restricts network communication.

Change your network firewall profile

[GreenLanternCorps]

Glad you fixed it, but I do think you need to look at a new router. Both for speed and security reasons.

[Terry L Smith]

Like everything else electronic, yo’ stuff iz ol’ befo’ yo’ open dah new box!!!
Win7, no support, Win10 five years and ticking!! I’m 68, and been computing since the ‘70’s. If you are not, I would suggest Linux. I’m retired, so I don’t get paid to “know stuff”.

[gibsonguy]

This is a router configuration issue. The router has to bridge the connections. You will have log in to your router and set it up. If you have the manual it will tell you how to get into the configuration tool. If you don’t look it up online.

[60Gunner]

Is your laptop’s wireless antenna turned on?

[fuzzylogic]

There you go. I figured there would be a router option like that...can’t say I’ve seen that before though.

[catnipman]

if you’re talking about seeing other devices on your LAN, the finder part of microsoft’s file-sharing protocol doesn’t work if your device is connected to more than a single NIC at the same time ... OTOH, it may be that your laptop isn’t connecting to your router’s wifi , but somebody elses wifi ...

[Chickensoup]

Well since we are talking about this issue. Tell me why there are hidden networks i cannot access on my wireless???

[maddog55]

Download this on your computer:

https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wireless_network_watcher.html

When you launch it you'll see everything on your wifi:

[Flick Lives]

What causes this to happen? It’s maddening in that I want to be able to see everything that is on the network whether it is wired or wirelessly connected.

—

Might be that you have two different private subnets defined o your router; one for wired nd another for wireless. Devices on one subnet will not be able to “see” devices on the other.

You can test this by connecting a laptop wirelessly and checking the IP address provided by the router to the laptop. The IP address will start with a common private subnet identifier like 10, 192, or 172. If you see a different prefix between the wired and wireless networks, then that would explain the issue (only devices within the same private subnet can “see” each other).