Problems with a router not allowing 2 computers to connect at the same time?

Associate
Joined
28 Dec 2008
Posts
77
My Brother has Bt broadband adsl internet and he's just got himself a router so he can use a laptop wirelesly!
He's hard wired his regular pc into port 1 but whenever he's online and the laptop goes online it boots his internet on the main pc!
So basically when the laptop connects to the net the pc connection fails!

Unfortunately we are both computer illiterate and he lives over 100 miles away so I'm trying to help down the phone!

Could it be something we've missed in setup? Maybe something that allows the router to share the internet connection?

Cheers in advance for any help.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Dec 2003
Posts
3,584
Location
UK
Maybe something that allows the router to share the internet connection
That's what routers are for.

Just make sure the PC and the laptop are both getting their IP addresses automatically by DHCP.
i.e. not manually set.
 
Associate
Joined
11 Jun 2005
Posts
636
Location
Brighton
Gonna be a bubble burster here, but, if I was you, I'd probably get on the blower and give your local computer shop a call and get them to come out and fix it, will probably cost you an hours labour (£30 down here), but, will save you the hassle and time it'll take to do yourself, if you are, as you said, computer illiterate.

If you do want to do it yourself, sounds like some sort of IP Conflict.

To check the DHCP from above, go to (this is if your on XP, Vista is fairly similar I think though).

Start -> Connect To -> Show All Connections ->

Right click the connection used for the computer, for the laptop will be Wireless Network Connection, for the hardwired PC, Local Area Connection.

Right click the connection -> Properties ->

There will be a box with some items on the first tab, one should be "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Click this and click properties.

All the properties on the newly appeared box should be...

Obtain an IP Address Automatically
Obtain a DNS server address automatically

And on the second tab, Automatic Private IP.

If they are not as this, set them as this and restart the computer(s) and probably the router for good measure.

Dave
 
Associate
OP
Joined
28 Dec 2008
Posts
77
ok, both computers dhcp is correct as above, still same problem!
could it be to do with when they connect to the web via the bt button it kicks the other off as only one can be connected via this button?
 
Associate
Joined
29 Dec 2008
Posts
33
when you connect trough the router, the connection to ISP is managed by the router and you do not need to press any BT buttons and all crap BT helper, brodbandcheckers and all £$%£t like that can be uninstalled from your computers.

Only thing I can think off is: someone is doing something wrong. :)

try to check if the telephone line connects directly to the router that your brother got that might put some light on the case.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
28 Dec 2008
Posts
77
cheers mate.
I'm wondering if his wife (laptop) and him (pc) are connecting through the bt email service and logging each other off! I think they have a yahoo email address and he has his own 'guest' email address from the same account. So maybe if he's online and viewing his email, as soon as she clicks the email log in on her laptop it boots him off. I wouldn't have thought this would boot him off the actual net though? Just boot him off yahoo?
Cheers
 
Caporegime
Joined
16 May 2003
Posts
25,368
Location
::1
Yeah, he'd still be able to access the internet. Sounds like he needs to clear up what he means by "boots his internet".
 
Associate
Joined
18 Sep 2008
Posts
983
Sounds to me like the 'bt button' is reinitialising the connection before it connects. So clicking it when the other is already connected will drop and connect.
If one pc is already connected, dont press the 'bt button', you should just be able to open Internet Explorer or whatever browser you use and it should just use the connection that the router has already established.
That's my thought anyway - I hate using any ISP connection apps anyway, always prefer to config all my connections manually.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
28 Dec 2008
Posts
77
cheers for the help. He seems to have sorted it now.
It was something to do with 54 128 and 8 and unticking some boxes somewhere!
I haven't a clue but there you go! :)
 
Back
Top Bottom