Two computers can't be online at once? Intermittent problem. Greatly slowed.

[fairnymph]

I have cable internet and I am using a wireless D link DI-614 wireless router. My best friend is visiting me (she is on a Windows PC, if it matters) and when we are both using the internet actively, it cuts out intermittently. So if we are both browsing, pages won't load, we'll get error messages saying we aren't connected to the internet, etc - maybe every 5-10 minutes. Both of us experience slowed access even when it DOES work. Neither of us is doing anything intensive and I have a very fast connection normally.

My Mac Pro is connected via ethernet to the wireless router, only my friend is using the wireless, but we BOTH have the same problems. Again, only when we are simultaneously actively online. Never problems if just one of us is online.

I have tried changing the wireless channel and type of encryption, to no avail. I don't have an extra ethernet cable long enough to reach to her computer, to see if that would help.

Suggestions?

ETA: Problem is not intermittent but continuous. Computers cannot be actively using internet simultaneously.

 

[toolbox]

So when your friend is not using the internet, you can access it perfectly? No drop outs?

 

[fairnymph]

So when your friend is not using the internet, you can access it perfectly? No drop outs?

Yes, and vice versa.

 

[MarkMS]

Have you tried either restarting the router? Unplug it for 30 seconds and then connect it back.

 

[fairnymph]

Have you tried either restarting the router? Unplug it for 30 seconds and then connect it back.

Yes I did that after I changed the channels. :/

 

[toolbox]

If you both plug into the router via cable does it drop out?

 

[MarkMS]

Hmm, looks like there may be a problem where the IP addresses are conflicting or something. I'm not a networking admin or anything, but check your IP address and your friend's IP too. In OS X, you can go to System Preferences>Network>Click Ethernet to see the IP.

Maybe she has the DHCP or IP address set to manual and it's conflicting with your machine.

 

[Nermal]

When you're both connected, open up Sys Prefs > Network and take a note of your IP address. Then run ipconfig from the Windows machine's command prompt. Make sure that both systems aren't trying to use the same IP address.

Edit: Like Mark just said

 

[DoFoT9]

damn both of you beat me to it lol.

definately an IP conflict there somewhere.

 

[fairnymph]

Okay, so when we use internet sites to check our IPs, YES, we do have the same one. How do we change that? I guess it's easiest to change it on mine, but not sure what to change it to, etc.

The thing that confuses me is that what it says my IP is in sys pref (which is using DHCP) is NOT what the internet actually detects as my IP. Instead it (sys pref) says a variation on my router's IP.

 

[Nermal]

Make sure that the Windows machine is also on DHCP. And yes, it should be similar to your router's address.

 

[fairnymph]

Make sure that the Windows machine is also on DHCP. And yes, it should be similar to your router's address.

I don't know how to do that on her computer...it's Windows XP, if that helps? She is not very Windows knowledgeable.

I did go into my router and set it to assign static IPs for our individual MACs (previously we were both at .100, I set us to .101 and .110 respectively) - but we still can't be online at the same time. Now it seems like we never could be, we just didn't notice it because we weren't continuously trying to be online.

I also tried renewing and releasing the router's DHCP lease, and her computer's (I figured THAT out), and mine. Nothing.

 

[RandomKamikaze]

If it were a duplicate IP address there would at least be ballon messages in Windows warning of a duplicate address.

To find out the IPs:

On Windows go Start>Run>cmd
Once the Commond Prompt opens type "ipconfig /all" (with the speech marks)

Edit: forgot to say, by doing this it will have DHCP or dynically assigned meaning that it got its address from the DHCP server (your router)

On the Mac go to Terminal and type "ifconfig"

Now compare

Now, as you have stated that you have set static IPs on your router make sure these match what you set.

As a test, ping each other (can be achieved using the ping command in the same way on both computers), also ping the router and a internet site such as google. If any fail this will help futher troubleshooting.

Let us know how it goes

 

[fairnymph]

If it were a duplicate IP address there would at least be ballon messages in Windows warning of a duplicate address.

To find out the IPs:

On Windows go Start>Run>cmd
Once the Commond Prompt opens type "ipconfig /all" (with the speech marks)

Edit: forgot to say, by doing this it will have DHCP or dynically assigned meaning that it got its address from the DHCP server (your router)

On the Mac go to Terminal and type "ifconfig"

Now compare

Now, as you have stated that you have set static IPs on your router make sure these match what you set.

As a test, ping each other (can be achieved using the ping command in the same way on both computers), also ping the router and a internet site such as google. If any fail this will help futher troubleshooting.

Let us know how it goes

Both our IPs now match the static ones that I set via the router. Renewed and released everything and tried multiple static IPs, too. We still can't be simultaneously online.

 

[RandomKamikaze]

Both our IPs now match the static ones that I set via the router. Renewed and released everything and tried multiple static IPs, too. We still can't be simultaneously online.

Can you ping each other?

Can you ping your router?

Can you ping any Internet sites, such as Google?

Do you have another router that you can try?

 

[toolbox]

The duplicate ip that you got would have been your public internet ip. That won't cause these problems. If you were getting ip conflicts, your windows machine will alert you to that.

have you done on the windows machine

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /renew

The router does give out a DHCP? as previously mentioned can you ping websites, router? her computers ip?

 

[fairnymph]

Can you ping each other?

Can you ping your router?

Can you ping any Internet sites, such as Google?

Do you have another router that you can try?

If we are both online, pinging is like anything else - pretty much doesn't work. We can both ping fine individually. I just had her ping me, the router, and google multiple times and she had no problems, but WHILE she was pinging (running the processes), if I tried, I couldn't ping anything. And vice versa.

I also tried with an ethernet cable (from her comp to my router) - same problem as with wireless - we can't both be online. Note that my TiVo is online via ethernet to the same router, and I can be downloading a youtube video to it and torrenting on my MP simultaneously with no lag.

She has never had a problem connecting wirelessly anywhere else (or again, to my router if I'm not online). So it's like our computers hate each other?

VERY CONFUSED.

(And if I had another router I would obviously try it.)

The only thing I don't know is if she is using DHCP bc I don't know how to check that in Windows, but I assume if her IP registers as the one that I assigned to her statically via DHCP from my router, then it must be?

 

[fairnymph]

The duplicate ip that you got would have been your public internet ip. That won't cause these problems. If you were getting ip conflicts, your windows machine will alert you to that.

have you done on the windows machine

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /renew

The router does give out a DHCP? as previously mentioned can you ping websites, router? her computers ip?

I just tried that on her comp (the ipfconfig stuff) - did not fix problem.

I don't quite get the same response from pinging her that I get from pinging google or my router. I get an endless stream of responses from the latter two, but if I ping her, I get ONE response, and then 'no route to host' (i.e. failure). But she never seems to have an issue pinging me? But then her command line responses are a bit different from mine, so I'm not sure.

From what I can tell, my router acts as a DHCP server, and then I also have the option to assign static IPs. Before I assigned them, we had the same problem.

 

[toolbox]

Is she running any firewall software? because you should get continuous pings on os x to her computer.

 

[fairnymph]

Is she running any firewall software? because you should get continuous pings on os x to her computer.

Yes, it turned out she had a firewall up. I had her shut it down. Now when we ping each other at the same time, I get continuous pings (and she gets 4 at a time). So we seem to now be able to ping each other simultaneously, as well as the router, but we still can't USE the internet simultaneously.

 

[RandomKamikaze]

To find out if she is using DHCP simply do "ipconfig /all".

In the results it will say "DHCP Enabled:Yes" It will also provide the DHCP server address.

As you have set static addresses on your router and you have confirmed that both you and your friend are receiving are receiving said static addresses then it won't really make a blind bit of difference.

Also, as a side note, that website you checked your IP with (probably something like http://www.whatismyip.com) was telling you your public (internet) address. It is fine that you both have the same public address

Do you have another router that you could try?

 

[toolbox]

No you will have the same public ip address, because your using the same internet service. Having the same public ip won't cause this issues