[cradl]

Somewhat new to networking. Have dabled in the past but has been a year or to with any exstensive work. What I need to do is set up a network mainly for net. I have a netgear WGR614 Rev. V6 router and I have 3 systems hooked up to the net all single connected from the router. One system is running XP Pro and the other systems are XP Home. Not known yet if I want to share files but for now just net. What would be the best way to set this up to just have net. I mean it all works now but is there anything else I can do, like mabe use the XP Pro system as a host computer. I know that means that Pro will have to be on for it to work. Or should I just leave it the way it is?? Also upstairs I have one mabe two printers I want to share with a Netgear WGPS606 print server I think I know how to do that so if I have any issues I will let you now.
Also just to add reight now the IP Addresses are all 192.168.1.1 for routher and then like 1.2 and so on for systems.
Thanks

Edited by cradl, 20 November 2008 - 07:37 AM.

[Advertisements]

Give This tutorial by SpaceCowboy706 a read, it's got just about everything you'd need to know..

the way you've got it now (assuming it's working) is the right way....

internet connection connected to the router then all PCs connecting to the router to get to the internet....that's the right way

[dsenette]

Give This tutorial by SpaceCowboy706 a read, it's got just about everything you'd need to know..

the way you've got it now (assuming it's working) is the right way....

internet connection connected to the router then all PCs connecting to the router to get to the internet....that's the right way

[cradl]

So security is good?? Also I will be setting up wireless though printserver and I know how to lock that down. But everything else is good. So its seems I did it right you think. I did look at the tut and it is a very good one. We had a guy that lived upstairs before (when someone else did the network) said he could get into our computer and look at everything. So that is why I redid it. Don't know how it was set up before so I started from scratch.

[dsenette]

oh...well you didn't ask about security....

that depends on how your router is configured to handle security....if you've got wep or wpa set up and mac address filtering then you should be fine...if it's a completely unsecured network...then you're not

[cradl]

Ok so I need to go in router settings i.e address bar type 192.168.1.1 go into settings and set up wpa security set up for like wireless but not sure how to handle mac filtering. I understand that every computer on the network is similar to like 1.2,1.3,1.4.

[dsenette]

Ok so I need to go in router settings i.e address bar type 192.168.1.1 go into settings and set up wpa security set up for like wireless but not sure how to handle mac filtering. I understand that every computer on the network is similar to like 1.2,1.3,1.4.

a MAC address (Media Access Control) is a UNIQUE hexadecimal value that is assigned to the network adapter and cannot (well...it can...but let's ignore that) be changed....

to find your MAC address press start, then run, then type "ipconfig /all" (without the quotes...notice the space between ipconfig and /all)...the part that says physical address is your mac address

you would do that on each computer and add that address to your MAC filter on the router

[cradl]

Ok I will do that. So to understand you I would go into mac address conrtol and add all the computers I want on network with thier specific mac address.

[dsenette]

right....this gives you another slight level of control over the network...because UNLESS the mac address is in that list...then the device can't connect to the wireless network

[cradl]

Ok sounds like a plan. How about wired computers hooked up to the router? anything I have to do there?

[dsenette]

nope....those tend to rely on physical security...i.e. smacking someone in the face when they try to plug in to your network

[cradl]

Sweet thanks for all your help!! I will do that and let you know what come of it.

One more thing I just remebered. Two understand this right here is what I have. Computers hard wired into router in basement which is wireless compatable and then upstairs I have 2 cpu on that that network.

I'm going to install another wireless router with print server on it to connect the two cpu's to one printer upstairs. Is that going to be an issue using two routers?

How I have it now is cable plugged into the downstairs router going to upstairs to modem/printserver from printserver to one pc. Then all I need to do is hook other cpu upstairs into upstairs router to see printer?.

Thanks again

[dsenette]

having two routers isn't suggested... it's doable but it's not suggested.....

what's the router doing downstairs? is it just connecting two wired computers? do you use wireless on it at all?

[cradl]

Not right now I just have the 3 main systems on it. I didn't buy it someone else had thier hands into this before I did. So then they bought the wireless print server to connect the printer upstairs. (I know stupid) it would have been alot easier to just put a Pserver on the network. But that is what I'm stuck with. I can't really get a 50' USB cable otherwise I would just use the router/print server for everything. Any thoughts?? Or mabe just turn the brodcast off of the one upstairs. I eventually want wireless though.