Wireless Network Help

[ashburnham]

All computers in my office are part of a wired network and share a printer. These are handled by the Routefinder Soho VPN Gateway that goes to the Netgear Wireless Router and then internet.

I have purchased a laptop that I have connected to the wireless internet no problem but want to access the printer and/or computers on the network.

Is this possible, and if so, how???

I'm a bit of a novice so "laymens terms" appreciated!!!

See pics attached for what I'm looking at at present compared with what I want.

[bassman]

Hello ashburnham and Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif
In layman's terms, you have a Virtual Private Network gateway on your system. Since the laptop is outside of this gateway, you will need to read your manual on the gateway to see how you allow outside connections. From there, the laptop will need permissions to access the other resources.
Question. What exactly is the SoHo gateway doing for you in this setup? Why are you using it?

[ashburnham]

What exactly is the SoHo gateway doing for you in this setup? Why are you using it?

I'm not too sure but the "Network I Want To See" diagram is only a brief outline. There are actually about 8 PCs and 2 Printers on the network so maybe it has been setup on the Soho Gateway as the Netgear can't cope???

To be honest I have no idea what is going on. I can access the Netgear Settings, I can access the Soho Settings but just don't know what I'm looking for. I am sure it is just a permissions thing and I simply need to allow my wireless laptop to access to the network but as I have never set up a network in my life I have no idea what to do.

Just found out my Netgear is actually a Guru ADSL Router Model SART2-4115 (looks same as a Netgear) and the Routefinder is a Soho Routefinder VPN Model RF560VPN if this helps?

[Variable]

I doubt he is using the VPN functionality if the diagram is correct. You certainly wouldn't need to, why encrypt traffic between two directly connected internal devices? You use a VPN to encrypt over an unsecure link, two internal network devices directly connected are pretty secure. Unless someone can cut the wire and re end both cables and patch it in to a hub or something.

What is the Dell laptop and Network PC 1's IP, mask and gateway?

[Ghost_Hacker]

I am gonna assume you did not setup your network, but you should know if it (your office) connects to another site or office network.

If so, then your current network is setup to securely access another office's network while allowing wireless clients to access the internet but not the internal office network. Your network guys do not want wireless clients on the inside of your firewall/gateway.

I would not mess with that design. Instead you have two secure options either setup your laptop to use the wired lan connections or setup a VPN client on the PC and another "site" on your VPN gateway that allows access to the internal network from that laptop PC.


In either case you should really run this pass the one who setup your network.

If ,on the other hand, you do not connect to another site and do not use the VPN then you are free to setup a another wireless access point on the inside of your gateway or simple remove the gateway period. Please note that you will be reducing your network's security from its current state, so its your call.

Good luck :)

[ashburnham]

Thanks for your help. Lots of ideas there which I will give a go. Just to let you know that we don't connect to any other offices, it is simply an internal network of 8 PCs, 2 Printers and a File Server. I have no idea why there is the Routefinder Gateway and then the Wireless ADSL Router but thats how I've found it and don't really want to mess with the configuration. Thought it would be simple to get into the network to use the printer and a bit of file sharing but bit more tricky than I thought!!!

[Variable]

Yea, the problem is the device is a router like any other with some special uses, you can use like a plain old router. But when you give the model name people will assume that you are using it for a VPN. I doubt you are using it to VPN between those two routers, I assumed you were using it to VPN from home for some workers. You need access to both routers and add a static route to each. Routes tell a router where to send the packets. That is why I asked what the IP address of the two machines are. That way you can tell if you just need a route statement. It is pretty simple problem if you are not using the VPN functionality between the two internal routers.

[ashburnham]

Sorry for the delay in replying - been on a course for work and stuck in a Travel Inn all week with no internet access - nice!!!

Dell Laptop
IP Address = 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask = 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway = 192.168.1.1

Network PC
IP Address = 192.168.10.137
Subnet Mask = 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway = 192.168.10.249

[Variable]

Log on to each router, on the soho router is your WAN IP address a 192.168.1.X? If so,

Add static routes on each router. On the Netgear you would say (source/destination) 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.X where "X" is the WAN IP of the soho. Then just do the reverse on the soho. 192.168.1.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.10.X where "X" is the WAN IP of the Netgear.

The two routers separate the networks so you need to tell them that each network exists and can be found by sending packets over their common link i.e. the port the cables between them are connected to.

[ashburnham]

OK, so I've found the WAN IP Address of the SOHO and entered the details as a static route on the Netgear (actually found this to be a Guru wireless adsl modem router as apposed to a Netgear but I assume their all the same!!!) but I can't find the WAN IP Address on the Netgear to do the same vice versa on the SOHO. The only thing I have found is on the login page that says "WAN IP: 0.0.0.0 ?".

I have attached an updated network view (as shown by the McAfee Security on the Dell Laptop so don't know how accurate this is). I assume that 192.168.1.1 is the Netgear as this is what I type in on the Dell Laptop to access it) and 192.168.1.222 is the SOHO (must be as this is the WAN IP Address that I found on the SOHO).

So confused :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Variable]

Well assuming you are looking at all the relevent configuration of the Netgear, and there is no WAN IP? Not sure what you have going on then.

[ashburnham]

i think i wll just give up :mad: !!! if nothing else i have gained some networking knowledge from you so thanks for your help.