How To Connect Two Home Networks Together?

Highlander · 10-10-04, 05:21 PM

Both are simple home networks running WinXP. Both are set up to run "Internet Connection Sharing" so both use the 192.168.0.xxx addressing. If you try to connect the servers (wirelessly), you get addressing conflicts between the networks. (I was giving WinXP way too much credit for being smart. If you have two network adaptors on the same machine with ICS enabled, you'd think WinXP would be smart enough to know they are on separate networks. Not!) So how do you do it? I'm not too experienced at networking but I'm thinking perhaps we need a bridge or router. Perhaps a software solution? Ideas, anyone?

This can't be too hard considering the Internet is built this way!

X · 10-10-04, 05:36 PM

Don't use ICS, get a hub (or preferably a switch), plug all the machines into it, and make sure each machine has a unique 192.168.0.x IP address.

Highlander · 10-10-04, 05:42 PM

X,

The networks are from separate households. I would prefer to keep them separate.

BTW, both networks use hubs and have wireless cards.

X · 10-10-04, 05:47 PM

You want them to be in the same IP range, able to talk to each other, but be "separate"?

If so, only the physical wiring is going to be separate but logically they're the same network. Or do you want them to just get to the internet through the same gateway?

You'll still need unique IPs for each computer if they're going to be bridged together wirelessly.

Highlander · 10-10-04, 05:54 PM

The IP range was given by WinXP when ICS was enabled. It didn't seem possible to change the IP range. At least it wasn't obvious to me. The WinXP Network Wizard doesn't give you an option. How do you do it?

I thought a bridge uses the network name or group name to differentiate between networks. I didn't realize the IP addresses still need to be different.

Just read your message again with your additions. How do you use the same Internet Gateway?

X · 10-10-04, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Highlander
How do you use the same Internet Gateway?

You set static IPs, proper subnet masks, and the same default gateway (your DSL/Cable router) in the networking properties. I've never used ICS but I find it hard to believe you can't set IPs.

You will need a wireless bridge if you want to connect the two houses wirelessly. You'd need more sophisticated equipment if you wanted to keep the same IPs on both networks though.

Why do you want to hook the networks together?

belboz · 10-10-04, 06:17 PM

Get a a router and connect that to your broadband connection. Then plug the two existing ICS servers into the hub.

You're adding another layer of NAT which should do what you want. Traffic from the two different LANs will be isolated from one another, but they'll both share the same internet connection.

This will complicate things if you need to do any port forwarding or are running any servers.

Highlander · 10-10-04, 06:23 PM

I wrote it's not obvious how to set a range of IP addresses for a given network using ICS. It seems to default to 192.168.0.xxx and you don't have a choice. However, I agree this would be the most straightforward solution *if* you can find a way to do it.

You can manually set the IP address for the server but ICS fails to work. In fact, the network fails to work. Yeah, a lot of people never used ICS before but it's available on Windows machines.

Exactly, what kind of "more sophisticated equipment" do I need??? It can't be that hard.

Why connect the networks together? To see if we can do it!

X · 10-10-04, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Highlander
Exactly, what kind of "more sophisticated equipment" do I need??? It can't be that hard.

You'd probably need two routers.

10-10-04, 05:21 PM	#1
Highlander Senior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: The Highlands of course! Posts: 351	How To Connect Two Home Networks Together? Both are simple home networks running WinXP. Both are set up to run "Internet Connection Sharing" so both use the 192.168.0.xxx addressing. If you try to connect the servers (wirelessly), you get addressing conflicts between the networks. (I was giving WinXP way too much credit for being smart. If you have two network adaptors on the same machine with ICS enabled, you'd think WinXP would be smart enough to know they are on separate networks. Not!) So how do you do it? I'm not too experienced at networking but I'm thinking perhaps we need a bridge or router. Perhaps a software solution? Ideas, anyone? This can't be too hard considering the Internet is built this way!

10-10-04, 05:54 PM	#5
Highlander Senior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: The Highlands of course! Posts: 351	The IP range was given by WinXP when ICS was enabled. It didn't seem possible to change the IP range. At least it wasn't obvious to me. The WinXP Network Wizard doesn't give you an option. How do you do it? I thought a bridge uses the network name or group name to differentiate between networks. I didn't realize the IP addresses still need to be different. Just read your message again with your additions. How do you use the same Internet Gateway? Last edited by Highlander; 10-10-04 at 05:58 PM.

10-10-04, 05:36 PM	#2
X Administrator Join Date: Oct 1987 Location: AA- Posts: 10,122	Don't use ICS, get a hub (or preferably a switch), plug all the machines into it, and make sure each machine has a unique 192.168.0.x IP address.

10-10-04, 05:42 PM	#3
Highlander Senior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: The Highlands of course! Posts: 351	X, The networks are from separate households. I would prefer to keep them separate. BTW, both networks use hubs and have wireless cards.

10-10-04, 05:47 PM	#4
X Administrator Join Date: Oct 1987 Location: AA- Posts: 10,122	You want them to be in the same IP range, able to talk to each other, but be "separate"? If so, only the physical wiring is going to be separate but logically they're the same network. Or do you want them to just get to the internet through the same gateway? You'll still need unique IPs for each computer if they're going to be bridged together wirelessly.

10-10-04, 06:17 PM	#7
belboz DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Feb 1999 Location: HB, CA Posts: 2,592	Get a a router and connect that to your broadband connection. Then plug the two existing ICS servers into the hub. You're adding another layer of NAT which should do what you want. Traffic from the two different LANs will be isolated from one another, but they'll both share the same internet connection. This will complicate things if you need to do any port forwarding or are running any servers.

10-10-04, 06:23 PM	#8
Highlander Senior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: The Highlands of course! Posts: 351	I wrote it's not obvious how to set a range of IP addresses for a given network using ICS. It seems to default to 192.168.0.xxx and you don't have a choice. However, I agree this would be the most straightforward solution if you can find a way to do it. You can manually set the IP address for the server but ICS fails to work. In fact, the network fails to work. Yeah, a lot of people never used ICS before but it's available on Windows machines. Exactly, what kind of "more sophisticated equipment" do I need??? It can't be that hard. Why connect the networks together? To see if we can do it!