Question:

How can I verify and fix the network configuration of two computers connected to the same router?

I have a comic book shop with two computers that use separate ethernet cables to connect to the same router. The network names on each computer are BlachB-2.4 2 and BlachB-2.4 3. A software application that I need to run on both computers requires them to be on the same network, but it does not recognize them as such. How can I check if the computers are on the same network and what steps can I take to resolve this issue? I am not very familiar with networking concepts, so please provide a simple and clear explanation. Thank you for your help.

Answer:

How to verify and fix the network configuration of two computers connected to the same router

If you have two computers that are connected to the same router by separate ethernet cables, you might expect them to be on the same network. However, sometimes a software application that you need to run on both computers might not recognize them as such. This could be due to various reasons, such as different IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways, or DNS servers. In this article, we will explain how to check if your computers are on the same network and what steps you can take to resolve this issue.

One way to check if your computers are on the same network is to use the ping command. Ping is a tool that sends a small packet of data to another device and waits for a response. If the device responds, it means that it is reachable and on the same network. To use ping, you need to know the IP address of the device you want to ping. You can find the IP address of your computer by following these steps:

– On Windows, open the Command Prompt by typing cmd in the search box and pressing Enter. Then type ipconfig and press Enter. You will see a list of information about your network adapters. Look for the one that says Ethernet adapter and find the line that says IPv4 Address. This is your IP address. It should look something like 192.168.1.10.

– On Mac, open the Terminal by typing terminal in the search box and pressing Enter. Then type ifconfig and press Enter. You will see a list of information about your network interfaces. Look for the one that says en0 or en1 and find the line that says inet. This is your IP address. It should look something like 192.168.1.10.

Once you have the IP address of your computer, you can ping the other computer by typing ping followed by the IP address of the other computer. For example, if the IP address of the other computer is 192.168.1.11, you can type ping 192.168.1.11 and press Enter. You will see a series of messages that show the time it took for the packet to reach the other computer and come back. If you see something like Reply from 192.168.1.11: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64, it means that the other computer is on the same network and reachable. If you see something like Request timed out or Destination host unreachable, it means that the other computer is not on the same network or not reachable.

You can also use the tracert command on Windows or the traceroute command on Mac to see the path that the packet takes to reach the other computer. This can help you identify where the problem might be. To use tracert or traceroute, you need to type tracert or traceroute followed by the IP address of the other computer. For example, if the IP address of the other computer is 192.168.1.11, you can type tracert 192.168.1.11 or traceroute 192.168.1.11 and press Enter. You will see a list of numbers and names that represent the devices that the packet passes through to reach the other computer. If you see something like 1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1, it means that the first device is your router and it is reachable. If you see something like 2 * * * Request timed out, it means that the second device is not reachable and there might be a problem with the connection.

How to fix the network configuration of your computers

If you find out that your computers are not on the same network or not reachable, there are some possible solutions that you can try. Here are some of them:

• Check the physical connection of your ethernet cables. Make sure that they are plugged in securely and not damaged. You can also try swapping the cables or using different ports on the router to see if that makes a difference.
• Check the network settings of your computers. Make sure that they are configured to obtain an IP address automatically or manually with the same subnet mask, gateway, and DNS server. You can check and change these settings by following these steps:

– On Windows, open the Control Panel by typing control panel in the search box and pressing Enter. Then click on Network and Internet and then Network and Sharing Center. Then click on Change adapter settings and right-click on the Ethernet icon. Then click on Properties and select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Then click on Properties again. You will see a window that shows the IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS server of your computer. If you want to obtain these settings automatically, select the option that says Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically. If you want to set these settings manually, select the option that says Use the following IP address and Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the values that match the other computer. For example, if the IP address of the other computer is 192.168.1.11, you can set your IP address to 192.168.1.12 with the same subnet mask, gateway, and DNS server.

– On Mac, open the System Preferences by clicking on the Apple icon and then System Preferences. Then click on Network and select the Ethernet option. Then click on Advanced and select the TCP/IP tab. You will see the IP address, subnet mask, router, and DNS server of your computer. If you want to obtain these settings automatically, select the option that says Using DHCP. If you want to set these settings manually, select the option that says Manually and enter the values that match the other computer. For example, if the IP address of the other computer is 192.168.1.11, you can set your IP address to 192.168.1.12 with the same subnet mask, router, and DNS server.

– Restart your router and your computers. Sometimes, this can help refresh the network connection and resolve any issues. To restart your router, you can unplug it from the power source and plug it back in after a few seconds. To restart your computers, you can click on the Start button on Windows or the Apple icon on Mac and then select Restart.

• Contact your router manufacturer or your internet service provider for further assistance. If none of the above solutions work, there might be a problem with your router or your internet service. You can contact the customer support of your router manufacturer or your internet service provider and explain the issue to them. They might be able to provide you with more guidance or troubleshooting steps.

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hope that this article has helped you verify and fix the network configuration of your two computers connected to the same router. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading.