Setting up a WAN

[James Bondd]

Hi guys

This is my first post to these forums. Until now, my I've only read threads as an unregistered user.

Here's my problem.

I'm using Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit on a Dell Inspiron laptop. I've 2 Android smartphones too. My internet access (at home) is through a 40-mbps (more than enough for my needs) fibre-optic cable. The cable is plugged into a wireless router provided by my ISP (and bearing the ISP's branding). The (wireless) router's web-administration interface says it is a RTL8196C chipset. Some googling helped me determine that it is a Realtek device.

So much for background info.

Wi-fi works! That is to say, all my 3-5 devices (sometimes I have friends over) can (simultaneously) connect to my router and use the internet. The routers web-admin interface shows the connected devices (it terms them "LAN clients") as 192.168.1.100, 192.168.1.101, and so on. (The DHCP IP-range is configurable, but I leave it as it is.)

So far so good. All devices on the network. All of them visible on the web-admin page (so no free-loaders!)

So, where's my problem?

Well, here it is. I can't get my 3-4 devices to "see" and "talk to" each other. How do I set up a WAN? (Or is the proper term WLAN?) Is it possible using my particular router? Pinging the other devices (from a dos prompt) results in nothing. The Win 7 laptop can't "see" the other Android devices -- though all of them "exist" on the network, have distinct IPs, and successfully access the internet over Wi-fi.

That is to say, all 3-4 devices (1 Windows, other Android) have internet access through the Wi-fi router, have distinct IP adresses, -- but can't connect (thru' the router of course) to each other.

My (Win 7) laptop dual-boots (or should that be trilpe-boots?) a couple of Linux distros as well. No luck there either. Ping from a "Terminal" (linux's equivalent of a dos prompt) results in failure. The Windows and Linux ping commands return slightly different failure messages, of course. But the result is the same: The individual devices see the router, but NOT each other.

So, what's going on? Is my wi-fi router merely an internet-access-point? But no more?

But a network exists. With different nodes on it registering with different IPs.

Internet searches have turned up nothing -- which is why I post here. All searches for "Setting up a Wireless Network (at home)" only show you how to (1) set up a wi-fi router as an internet-gateway/access point, and get multiple devices to access the internet thru' that router--but NOT (2) how to get these multiple devices to see and talk to each other.

(1) ... I already have.
(2) ... Googling got me nowhere.

Hence my post.

What I'm trying to do is this: I want to send 20-30 GB of data from one device to another. (Yes, I know: Use an external hard disk. What are USB ports for? Use the cloud. Don't you have anything better to do with your time? etc. etc.)

But I'm doing it _this way_ to learn something new. (So, no pen-drives, external HDDs etc.)

I have a wireless router. It works well. I want to transfer some files (20-30 GB) from one home device to another -- using my router and over Wi-fi (so, no "go buy some LAN cables" advice, please).

Can this be done? Can I do it (given my particular router)? Can this be done over Wi-fi? Or is Wi-fi only meant for internet use, not home network file transfer? If it is possible to stream music over Wi-fi, or even movies (my cousin streams movies from an external HDD connected via USB to his Belkin wireless router directly to his big-screen TV) ... then why can't I use Wi-fi for simple device-to-device file transfer?

Forgive the long and rambling post. (It is my "virgin" post after all.)

Thanks in advance
James

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hello and welcome James mate I am assuming that the router has really good coverage of your house and you you want to "talk" both ways using the router as one would with walkie talkie so to speak?

Now I am no expert and I would wonder at the bandwidth that the router is able to cope with at any one time because I know when the grand-kids are around and are playing games for example my machines do slow down.

Plus one would think what you want to do should be possible if one were playing a game using one's own device in one room with another persons device in another room via the net therefore the router eh? After all simple me says my printer tells me when I am running low on ink eh? and that is a two way communication between two devices via my router

I suppose you have thought of trying those wifi extenders to give you boosted router strengths to give you greater coverage?

Now if I have some things that might seem reasonable let me know because after a quick search of the tutorials here plus Googles I cannot find anything very simple.

Let me know because I do have a friend in this forum who is a network whizz