Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BigBlackEquus]

The building I'm living in has a sort of 'shared' internet of some sort that is DSL, but somehow on some shared network of some sort. The thing I don't understand is that my desktop works just fine, even after a new Windows XP install on a new hard drive. But my new laptop won't work when I unplug the other computer and plug the laptop in. The laptop works at my workplace if I plug it in there. But not here.


When I plug it in at home, I just get some screen in Korean with graphics that has the name of some internet company and places to input Korean residency card numbers or something.

I didn't know networks could tell if the computer you plugged in was different. From what I can tell, all network settings in windows are identical, and leaving it up to the network to assign IPs, etc.

[jazblanc77]

Why not buy a router and cipher your connection to both of your computers through it?

[BigBlackEquus]

Happened to mention this to my father, and he had a similar problem. He said they solved it by making 2 profiles on his XP OS. One for home, and one for work. I probably just won't bother with it, because I usually plug the laptop in at work and can just transfer files using memory key at home.

Hey, if I go the router route, then can't it still block off the connection to the router, because it isn't recognized by the system? That seems to be the problem I'm having with the laptop. It's as if the system knows what computer I have plugged in, or something. Insofar as I can tell, both computers have the same settings.

[Pangit]

You don't have to set up two profiles. You can just go into the TCP/IP settings of the network adapter that you have installed in your laptop and set it up for a second connection. One that connects to the network at home and one at work on the same Windows XP user profile.

Here's how to do it:

Go to "Network Connections" in the Control Panel, then double click on your network adapter's icon. Click on the listing that says "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)," then click on "Properties." Copy down the settings and then click on the radio buttons that say "Obtain blah blah automatically." Click on the tab that says "Alternate Configuration," then enter the numbers in those boxes after clicking on the address that says "user configured."

I do this with my laptop that I connect to my office network at work, and to the router that I have at home.

[BigBlackEquus]

Ok, here's the problem. My home connection obtains an address automatically. I have to input specific numbers for DNS, etc., at work.

There seems to be no way to make the computer choose between automatic and the set connection numbers at work.

I tried Pangit's advice, but it still expects DNS numbers, etc., for my work comptuer (ok) AND home computer (problem here).

I am assuming you have those, because you have a router and can set them? I have no router. I have no idea what the DNS numbers, etc., are. And I have no idea how to get them.

I tried my father's advice with setting up another profile, and it still uses all of the original profiles. It also seems that XP will only allow one connection at a time to be configured/save as the cable connection.

What were those dumbasses at Windows thinking? Wouldn't it be a hell of a lot easier to be able to create a new connection (connection #2) and just use that? I thought I was able to do that under Win98.

[BigBlackEquus]

I might have it worked out. I might have incorrectly followed Pangit's advice, but I won't know until I get to work tomorrow. Will let you know.

[Pangit]

Okiepokie. Keep us posted.

Just so you know - I have one desktop computer that stays at home and does not need to be set up for multiple connections. The laptop is the only one that had to be configured in the manner that I outlined earlier. Both these computers, when at home, are connected to a router because there is only one DSL modem.

When you're at home, are you connecting your machines to wall outlets? If that's the case, it could be that your Internet Service Provider only allows you to make one connection with one machine. Remember to release the connection through ipconfig when you set up your router to allow for multiple machines to connect to the internet.

[BigBlackEquus]

I have two wall outlets in my place, on opposite ends of the room. I have the desktop plugged into one, and the laptop in the other. I was able to get the two computers to work, as long as I didn't have them on the same IP address. If this all works tomorrow, I'll be a happy guy.


Oh, teach me something else....

I think I am confused on connection speeds of wifi.

I am now connected from a coffee shop at 1mps, and it is faster than I expected. Actually, it's pretty good. I tested my upload/download times, and the upload was nearly 100k, and download was maybe 170k.

I am now wondering... what good would it be to go to a 108mps access point over a 54mps access point? I was getting confused, thinking kps instead of mps at speed, so I thought a wifi at 54mps would be downloading at 54kps. I kind of am surprised at my stupid mistake.

I guess my home connection rarely goes over 350kps downloading, so I guess I am confused as to why or how I would need anything above 1mps speed, anyway?

Please explain what I should really be thinking of, in terms of speed. Am confused.

Thanks!

[Pangit]

Bits vs. bytes from speedguide.net

kilo (k)* = 10 ^ 3 = 1,000 thousand
mega (M) = 10 ^ 6 = 1,000,000 million
giga (G) = 10 ^ 9 = 1,000,000,000 billion
tera (T) = 10 ^ 12 = 1,000,000,000,000 trillion

1 bit (b) = 0 or 1 = one binary digit
1 kilobit ( kb) = 10^3 bits = 1,000 bits
1 Megabit (Mb) = 10^6 bits = 1,000,000 bits
1 Gigabit (Gb) = 10^9 bits = 1,000,000,000 bits

1 byte (B) = 8 bits (b)
1 Kilobyte (K / KB) = 2^10 bytes = 1,024 bytes
1 Megabyte (M / MB) = 2^20 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes
1 Gigabyte (G / GB) = 2^30 bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes
1 Terabyte (T / TB) = 2^40 bytes = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes

etc.

kilobit = kb
kilobyte = kB
1 kB = 8.192 kb
1 MB = 8.3886 Mb

Thus kilobits per second = kbps
kilobytes per second = kBps

Mbps:MBPS::megabits pers second::megabytes per second

The difference between getting a 54 mbps router and a 100 mbps router depends entirely on the connection that your internet provider is giving you. If you can get connections over 54 mbps, then get a router that can handle connections over 54 mbps.

Your download is being reported in kB/s not kb/s. 170 kB/s translates to 1.3926 mbps, which is a fraction of 54 mbps, even if your connection is symmetric. Check with your provider, however, to see how high your connection is actually supposed to be rated. A router capable of connections at 54 mbps would more than likely be suitable for your internet connection, but it will limit the speed of connections between computers in the network. If you want to be able to transfer files between computers on the network more quickly, then get a router that can handle 100 mbps because the lan cards installed in your computers will more than likely support 100 mbps speeds. If you don't back stuff up from your laptop to your desktop often, then you don't need to utilize a greater connection capacity.

[BigBlackEquus]

Ok, I already knew that, but you answered my question in another way.

I couldn't figure out why on earth anyone would need 54mps, let alone 108mps to communicate on the internet. I didn't think about needing faster speeds to communicate betwenen machines.

[Pangit]

100 mbps is great for geeks that have lan parties. Invite your friends over to connect to the network and play doom or quake or some other nerdy junk.

[Gord]

I run a gigabit network locally. Makes moving files from the download computer to the server a lot snappier.

While the hard drives I use are limited to about 25 megabytes a second so I only use 25% of the 1000Mb/s bandwidth, that means I can still use the network for anything else without noticing any speed loss at all.

Though a gigabit switch costs about five times as much as a regular switch. My four port switch cost 110,000. But the industrial size switches with 48 or 64 jacks can bought for 500,000ish so upgrading a commercial setting is cheap enough.

[BigBlackEquus]

Well, bad news. The network conneciton at work wouldn't accept my network settings. Had to manually enter everything again.

[Pangit]

Are you running Windows XP on that laptop? What's up with that thing, anyway?

[BigBlackEquus]

Yes. XP on both machines.

I think the problem is that there are no special numbers I know of to access internet at home. It is supposed to be assigned everything automatically, and windows doesn't give me the choice between choosing a set of numbers that I input (work) and auto selection (for home). It only allows exact entered numbers for both, or let it automatically do it for both.