connecting to two networks at once wireless and a switch

[Seymour]

Please see bottom post for update ~

 

[2xg]

Hi and Welcome to Seven Forums,

First off, make sure that you have this type of connection: Modem>Router>Switch>Wired Computers/Devices

Do I have to assign static IPs to all devices?
Yes you may, but you may leave DHCP or Auto IP on your computers and network devices that will need access to the Internet. You may assign Static IP to the ones that won't need the internet connection but will be part of your Homegroup or Workgroup to share and access network resources such as files, printer, etc. Assign a Static IP only on IP Address and Subnet Mask, the Gateway and DNS Servers will be left blank.

Do I have to create a new subnet mask so my PC can differentiate between the two networks?
There's no nees, they will all be on the same Subnet, easier to configure this way and they will all be in one network.

Do I have to set a new default gateway separate from the wireless router?
See the first answer. No need.

Do I require a DNS server?
Again, please see the first answer.

This is all you need and you'll be good to go.

 

[aem]

Just connect the switch to one of the ports on your wireless router (assuming there are ports on the router as in a 4-port wireless router). And then connect the devices to the switch.

For the devices to obtain IP addresses automatically from your ISP's DHCP, the port that is used for the switch needs to be configured as "switching port" to allow multiple IPs to be assigned. If you don't need internet ont he second 2nd network forget what I just say and just assign static IPs to each devices.

You should also assign subnet, gateware and DNS should IPs alone is not enough for the device to talk to one another. ipconfig from the laptop should give you all the details you need.

 

[Seymour]

Thanks for the response however I quickly realized that the switch wasn't going to get the job done. I'm now using a router instead.

Let me explain the purpose of this endeavour.
Running an ethernet cable from one side of my residence (from the primary wirless router with internet access) to the other in impractical. I've discovered that the switch solution as well as most dual-router setups require this.

I often deal with large file transfers between my devices and don't like doing them over the wireless network, partly due to speed, partly due to the connection occasionally dropping.

So allow me to try and verbalize this picture and hopefully someone can tell me if I'm being ridiculous or not. As I said, the purpose of this endeavour is to NOT have to run a cable from one side of the residence to the other.

Network 1: internet access
Cable modem -> wireless router -> my computer via wireless card

Network 2: local wired network
wired router -> my computer & multiple devices

internet access is NOT required on this network

So I'm asking if Windows 7 is able to connect to both networks at once? One network using my wireless card for internet access while using the ethernet port to connect to a 2nd router to enable file sharing between devices.

As I was asking in my original post, will toying with the subnet masks etc be required?

Since the local wired network will not directly interact with the wireless network will I still have to set DHCP ranges separate from that of the primary router?

Will my PC be able to deal with 2 separate LAN IP address without flipping out and giving me a blue screen?

 

[chev65]

Dual router set ups are possible but the reliability can sometimes be questionable. The set up procedure can be different depending on the router but turning off DHCP on one of the routers would be required. It would also still be a single network unless you were using two different ISP's.

You would be better off using a network bridge or access point to extend the wireless signal or use a switch to extend the wired connection to other rooms.