Wired + Wireless Simultaneously

[nomar383]

Basically, I have a wireless router in another room feeding my mac the internet over airport. I also have a switch in the same room as the mac connected via ethernet.

Is it possible to use both of these connections at the same time somehow?

I want to get internet wirelessly and share files over the wired switch.

 

[Makosuke]

In general the answer is "yes", but I'm not sure if I'm understanding what you want to do.

If you want to be getting your internet access wirelessly, while having an network internal to your home connected to the wired port, and simultaneously push files across that internal network, then yes, and you don't really have to do anything to get it working. So far as I understand it, if you connect to a server on the internal wired network via IP address, it will use that wired connection, while internet traffic should be correctly routed through the wireless connection.

I'm doing basically this exactly on an XServe at work, just via two ethernet ports; it should do the same even with one wireless.

If the same resource is accessible via BOTH connections, then the OS should prioritize based on the order of connections in the Network pref pane. This is what happens when I plug in a wired connection while my wireless connection is running; the OS switches to wired silently because it's got priority.

 

[nomar383]

In general the answer is "yes", but I'm not sure if I'm understanding what you want to do.

If you want to be getting your internet access wirelessly, while having an network internal to your home connected to the wired port, and simultaneously push files across that internal network, then yes, and you don't really have to do anything to get it working. So far as I understand it, if you connect to a server on the internal wired network via IP address, it will use that wired connection, while internet traffic should be correctly routed through the wireless connection.

I'm doing basically this exactly on an XServe at work, just via two ethernet ports; it should do the same even with one wireless.

If the same resource is accessible via BOTH connections, then the OS should prioritize based on the order of connections in the Network pref pane. This is what happens when I plug in a wired connection while my wireless connection is running; the OS switches to wired silently because it's got priority.

For example, when I have airport on I can't ping my network printer on the switch. As soon as I turn airport off, I can ping it. I am just wondering if there is some sort of setting, or work around? Does anyone else do this? I just don't want to have to set up access points to bridge my wireless connection to the switch.

 

[macmikey2]

For example, when I have airport on I can't ping my network printer on the switch. As soon as I turn airport off, I can ping it. I am just wondering if there is some sort of setting, or work around? Does anyone else do this? I just don't want to have to set up access points to bridge my wireless connection to the switch.

Actually sounds like the wireless is on one network and the wired is on another. Or, your printer is Appletalk and can only be accessed over one port at a time.

Check you network settings for both connections and make sure you are on the same network. I use my MBP on both wired and wireless all the time when at my desk and my printer is on Ethernet and my Airport Express, for music streaming is on wireless. i use both at the same time, but can get to the printer only via wired.

Mike

 

[nomar383]

Actually sounds like the wireless is on one network and the wired is on another. Or, your printer is Appletalk and can only be accessed over one port at a time.

Check you network settings for both connections and make sure you are on the same network. I use my MBP on both wired and wireless all the time when at my desk and my printer is on Ethernet and my Airport Express, for music streaming is on wireless. i use both at the same time, but can get to the printer only via wired.

Mike

I know for a fact that they are both on different networks! lol

 

[Makosuke]

This is just a guess, but are your two networks both using the same subnet?

I've never tried this, but I'd guess that they're both using IP addresses in, say, the 192.168.0.xxx range, and have the appropriate subnet mask set, so when you try to access an internal resource it'll automatically try to pull from whichever network has priority in the Network pref pane.

If this is the case, setting one to use a different subnet (say, 192.168.1.xxx, with an appropriately narrow mask, say 255.255.255.0) should allow you to access both simultaneously.

You could also try switching the order of the two in the Network pref pane, but the overlap in subnet issue seems most likely to me.

 

[nomar383]

This is just a guess, but are your two networks both using the same subnet?

I've never tried this, but I'd guess that they're both using IP addresses in, say, the 192.168.0.xxx range, and have the appropriate subnet mask set, so when you try to access an internal resource it'll automatically try to pull from whichever network has priority in the Network pref pane.

If this is the case, setting one to use a different subnet (say, 192.168.1.xxx, with an appropriately narrow mask, say 255.255.255.0) should allow you to access both simultaneously.

You could also try switching the order of the two in the Network pref pane, but the overlap in subnet issue seems most likely to me.

All the devices on the switch have static IPs in the same range as my wireless connection, I'll try and change em

 

[seacopper]

another wireless printer question

I have a hp connected to my home computer (pc running XP), I have a macbook that I want to run wirelessly. The printer has a wireless built in. So, here is the issue, I can work the printer if I change my airport on top to hp vice home, but then I can only print and not do the internet. Once I shut off the hp and go back to home, I'm good.

Did I say I was network stupid. So, if you have a solution, please be basic when spelling it out. Thanks

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

you could try using a wireless usb printer, plug the printer in via usb to the airport, and go to airport utility and enable usb printer tab.