Enable wireless router & Wireless Broadband?

[nonchalant]

Ok this is the customers setup:

1. Wireless broadband which he connects to via a preconfigured USB stick
2. Wireless printer
3. Modem/Router with wireless capability which is no longer used for internet

Now he wants to be able to connect to the internet via the wireless usb stick (to his ISP's transmitter tower) but also connect to the wireless printer via the modem/router.

The problem is Vista detects multiple networks when the laptop is connected to both the USB modem and the router, but seems to insist on using the router for his internet connection which is no longer used for internet.

If he unplugs the router he can connect to the net fine but cant connect to his printer. If he unplugs the usb modem he can connect to the printer fine thru the router but has no internet.

So Im wondering - is there any way both devices can be connected so the router is only used more or less as a hub for his connection to the printer while Vista uses the wireless internet usb modem for his internet? There seems to be no way to make either device the default connection to the internet? I figured if I could somehow disable the internet capability thru the router Vista would automatically default to the USB modem but there seems to be no way to do this.

 

[MrUnknown]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/157025

using an administrator command prompt, use this command:
ROUTE DELETE 0.0.0.0 MASK 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.1

Change 192.168.1.1 to the IP address of the router you do not want to connect to the internet through. Should work.

 

[SOHO-NZ]

You might also try disabling UPnP on the router - it can cause problems when you don't need the router to actually route!

 

[nonchalant]

using an administrator command prompt, use this command:
ROUTE DELETE 0.0.0.0 MASK 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.1

Change 192.168.1.1 to the IP address of the router you do not want to connect to the internet through. Should work.

Doesnt work - same problem

 

[MrUnknown]

in the command prompt enter:
route PRINT

and look for multiple destinations to 0.0.0.0 with the mask of 0.0.0.0

you have to delete them and add the route that you want as persistant with the -p command line switch.

some more information available here:
http://www.labtestproject.com/using_windows/add_persistent_route_on_windows_xp

 

[K007]

I am a bit confused now that I red through.
Maybe I am mistaking, but it looks to me like he wants to connect to 2 separate networks.
Network 1 = ISP
Network 2 = Wireless printer.
That wireless printer must have an IP address assigned by his ISP ( preconfigured USB stick) in order to use the same NIC.
Or he needs 2 wireless adapters (NIC's) one for internet and the other one for the printer.
Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[MrUnknown]

I am guessing it is a vista laptop with 2 wireless connections. One is a mobile broadband thing and the other is a local access point that the wireless printer also connects to. He wants to browse the internet and be able to access the local network (for the printer) but Vista is giving priority for the local network for internet access and not the broadband card. When connected to both, Vista is giving priority to the local WiFi over the wireless broadband.

This is how I understand it. Altering the routes that Vista uses can re-assign which one to use as the computer's internet connection (or its default gateway). At least it should be able to.

 

[nonchalant]

I am guessing it is a vista laptop with 2 wireless connections. One is a mobile broadband thing and the other is a local access point that the wireless printer also connects to. He wants to browse the internet and be able to access the local network (for the printer) but Vista is giving priority for the local network for internet access and not the broadband card. When connected to both, Vista is giving priority to the local WiFi over the wireless broadband. This is how I understand it.

Correct.

Nonetheless, I decided to connect the printer to the USB instead. Much less hassle & all it means is the customer doesnt have the luxury of wandering round the house with the laptop & printing at the same time. No biggie.

Thanks for the replies though - this information will come in handy in future.

 

[angry_geek]

Okay, I just did a quick little test to see what happened. I have a new HP Officejet 6500 wireless AIO on my home WiFi. I plugged in my EVDO modem and connected to my ISP. I set a static IP on my wifi adapter WITHOUT a gateway address. I then turned off and turned back on my wifi just to make sure the settings were good. Works beautifully! Browsing web just fine and still able to hit my printer. Vista has a big problem with multiple gateways. Server '03 has a problem too but not as bad. I've had to set up multiple nics in servers with blank gateways as well. Give it a shot and see what happens.

 

[MrUnknown]

hate to bring it up again as you have already "solved" it for your client, but the Tech Vets' latest podcast (#15) had the exact same issue discussed.

http://tech-vets.com/2009/06/02/tv-2009-06-02-015/

You can apparently change the "metric" in the connection properties TCP/IP settings. Listen to the podcast to get more information. I am not very good at describing things.

 

[Jory]

hate to bring it up again as you have already "solved" it for your client, but the Tech Vets' latest podcast (#15) had the exact same issue discussed.

http://tech-vets.com/2009/06/02/tv-2009-06-02-015/

You can apparently change the "metric" in the connection properties TCP/IP settings. Listen to the podcast to get more information. I am not very good at describing things.

I came in here to point this out, and then I realized how old this topic was. It's one of those "why in the hell didn't I already know that?" moments. It's not something you run into a lot, but I suspect it'll be a lot more common in the future.