QuestionSwitch Connected computers and interaction with Wifi network

I have 2 computers that I connect using Cat5 through a switch so that the computers can share folders etc. I get great speed using this switch arrangement ( terrible speed if going thru a Wi-Fi network) , BUT I need to be able to have each computer use its Wi-Fi to connect to the internet via a wifi broadcasted signal.

How do I force the computers to "talk to each other" using the LAN/switch, BUT access the internet using their own Wi-Fi connection to my central router that is broadcasting the Wi-Fi signal?

It seems that I have 2 networks when I look in my Win 11 settings - one for the switched LAN, and the other being the Wi-Fi network. How do I make sure that the computer to computer connection is thru the switch, and not the Wi-Fi, but still get internet access via the broadcast wireless signal?

I am concerned that the computer to computer data transfer/folder sharing et, are connecting thu the Wi-Fi even though I have the switch. I want to prevent that use of the wifi for the file sharing..

The reason I want to do this is because if the computers use the Wi-Fi network to share files, the transfer and processing rates are very slow. Thus the switch for speed. The computers need internet access on a sporadic basis, but need the computer-to-computer data transfer operations to happen "all the time".

Want to force use of switch for computer to computer folder sharing, but use the Wi-Fi for internet.

Advice?
Sorry for my bad use of terms, but I hope you get the idea.


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Buy an inexpensive Wireless Router.

Replace the Switch with the New Router and configure the Router to be Switch with WIFI.

Here there is a page that reflect the Idea - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html


:cool:

Could you set up just one of the computers as the WiFi access point, "bridge" the WiFi network to the Ethernet network on that computer, and turn off WiFi on the other one?

Put the different ports on different networks. Let's say that you use 192.168.1.x for the wired connection and 192.168.2.x for Wi-Fi. The 2 PCs can only talk to each other over the wired connection at that point since the Wi-Fi is on a different subnet.

Just to make sure, I post the diagram below and I think that that your suggestion would make this happen, right. I do not have control over the corporate network.. For example I have 2 computers and I am at a hotel or at a corporate office and using their guest wifi, ,to access the internet, but need to connect my 2 computers to share files without going through that wifi network. Pretty much thumbs here on all this ( as you can tell) .

I do have a switch that connects them automatically, and I am able to share files, but when I activate the wifi on each computer, to get to the internet on them via the broadcast wifi, I think the sharing is going thru the wifi right now.

I can somehow manually set up the ports?







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clickman818 said:

Just to make sure, I post the diagram below and I think that that your suggestion would make this happen, right. I do not have control over the corporate network.. For example I have 2 computers and I am at a hotel or at a corporate office and using their guest wifi, ,to access the internet, but need to connect my 2 computers to share files without going through that wifi network. Pretty much thumbs here on all this ( as you can tell) .

I do have a switch that connects them automatically, and I am able to share files, but when I activate the wifi on each computer, to get to the internet on them via the broadcast wifi, I think the sharing is going thru the wifi right now.

I can somehow manually set up the ports?







View attachment 133501

Click to expand...

When you connect to a public Wi-Fi Windows should turn off file sharing for that network if you haven't changed those settings. So file sharing could only occur over the wired connection as long as that network is set to private.

In2Photos said:

When you connect to a public Wi-Fi Windows should turn off file sharing for that network if you haven't changed those settings. So file sharing could only occur over the wired connection as long as that network is set to private.

Click to expand...

ill check it out.. Thanks

The detailed steps that I found that follow along the lines of the answers posted. For some reason I had to set the last digits of my 3 LAN connected computers to x1, .x2 and .x3. Things did not work if I used .192.168.10.1. 192.168.10.2, 192.168.10.3

Had to use 2 digits at end :
192.168.10.11,
192.168.10.22,
192.168.10.33


From ChatGPT

Can 2 computers be LAN connected to a network but access the internet via a separate wifi network

ChatGPT said:

Yes — you can connect two computers to each other on a wired LAN while both use a separate Wi-Fi network for Internet access.

Here’s how it works and how to set it up 👇

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🔧 The Goal

• LAN (Ethernet): Used for fast local file sharing, gaming, or data transfer between the two PCs.
• Wi-Fi: Used for Internet access.

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✅ How to Set It Up (Windows example)

1. Connect the two computers via Ethernet
   • Either plug both into a switch/router (no Internet needed)
   • Or use a direct Ethernet cable between them (modern computers auto-detect crossover).
2. Ensure both PCs are on the same local IP subnet
   • For example:
     • PC1: 192.168.10.1
     • PC2: 192.168.10.2
     • Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
   • You can set these manually in the Ethernet adapter’s properties if no router assigns IPs.
3. Connect each PC to Wi-Fi(your Internet network as usual).
   • Make sure the Wi-Fi connection shows "Internet access."
4. Tell Windows which adapter to use for Internet
   • Open Network Connections → Adapter settings.
   • Press Alt → Advanced → Advanced Settings...
   • In the "Adapters and Bindings" list, move Wi-Fi to the top (so it’s the preferred route for Internet traffic).

Alternatively, you can:

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🧠 What Happens

• All local LAN traffic (to the other computer’s IP) goes through Ethernet.
• All Internet traffic goes through the Wi-Fi adapter.
• Both can operate simultaneously.

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⚠️ Tips

• Don’t bridge the Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections unless you intend to share Internet.
• File sharing between PCs still requires that they’re on the same Windows workgroup or have permissions set.

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Would you like me to show the exact Windows settings and commands (IP config and route) to make this work step-by-step?

You said:

How do I do this in win 10

ChatGPT said:

Perfect — here’s exactly how to set up two Windows 10 computers connected by Ethernet (for LAN) while both use Wi-Fi for Internet.

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🧭 Goal Recap

• Ethernet: Used for fast local file transfer or gaming between the two PCs.
• Wi-Fi: Used for Internet access.
• Both active at the same time, without one interfering with the other.

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⚙️ Step-by-Step Setup

1. Connect the computers

• Option A: Plug both into the same Ethernet switch/router (the router doesn’t need Internet).
• Option B: Plug a single Ethernet cable directly between them (modern NICs auto-sense, no crossover cable needed).

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2. Give the Ethernet adapters fixed local IP addresses

You’ll assign static IPs so they can "see" each other.

On each PC:

1. Press Windows + R, type ncpa.cpl, press Enter → Network Connections window opens.
2. Right-click Ethernet → Properties.
3. Click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties.
4. Select Use the following IP address and enter:

1. Leave DNS server blank as well.
2. Click OK twice to save.

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3. Make sure Wi-Fi stays your Internet connection

Your Wi-Fi already has an IP from your router and default gateway (Internet).
To ensure Windows prefers Wi-Fi for Internet:

1. In the same Network Connections window, press Alt → Advanced → Advanced Settings...
2. Under Connections, drag Wi-Fi to the top of the list.
3. Click OK.

That tells Windows to use Wi-Fi as the primary route to the Internet.

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4. Verify routing

Open Command Prompt and type:

route print

You should see:

• A default route (0.0.0.0) pointing to your Wi-Fi adapter (gateway = your router’s IP).
• Routes for 192.168.10.0 subnet via your Ethernet adapter.

If the Ethernet route has a gateway set, remove it (since it should only be local).

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5. Test the setup

On PC 1, open Command Prompt and run:

ping 192.168.10.2

You should get replies → means LAN works.

Then open a browser → Internet still works via Wi-Fi → success!

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✅ What You Now Have

• Ethernet: Direct, high-speed local network between the two PCs.
• Wi-Fi: Unaffected Internet access.
• Both active at once with no conflict.

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Would you like me to include file-sharing setup (folder access or mapped drives) between the two PCs as the next step?

You said:

Yes

ChatGPT said:

Excellent 👍 — now that both PCs can "see" each other over Ethernet and still use Wi-Fi for the Internet, here’s how to set up file sharing between them on Windows 10.

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🧩 Step-by-Step: File Sharing Between the Two PCs

1. Make sure both PCs are on the same Workgroup

Usually they are by default, but check:

1. Press Windows + Pause/Break → "System" window opens.
2. Under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings, look for Workgroup — it should say WORKGROUP (default).
3. If they’re different, click Change settings → Change... → type the same name (e.g. WORKGROUP) → OK → reboot if prompted.

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2. Enable Network Discovery and File Sharing

Do this on both PCs:

1. Open Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Advanced sharing settings.
2. Under Private (current profile):
   • ✅ Turn on Network discovery
   • ✅ Turn on File and printer sharing
3. Under All Networks:
   • Turn off password-protected sharing if you want easy access without logging in (optional, less secure).
   • Otherwise, keep it on and share with user accounts that exist on both PCs.
4. Click Save changes.

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3. Choose what to share

You can share a whole drive or just a folder.

Option A – Share an existing folder

1. Right-click the folder → Properties → Sharing tab.
2. Click Advanced Sharing...
3. ✅ Check Share this folder.
4. Click Permissions → select Everyone and give Read or Full Control as needed.
5. Click OK → OK → Close.

Option B – Create a special shared folder

• Example: Create C:\Shared on each PC and share it using the steps above.

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4. Access the shared folder from the other PC

You can connect by computer name or IP address.

In File Explorer, type one of these in the address bar:

\192円.168.10.1

or

\\ComputerName

You should see the shared folders appear.
You can drag-drop files or right-click → Map network drive... to make it a permanent letter (e.g., Z:).

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5. Optional: Map a network drive

1. Open File Explorer → This PC.
2. Click Map network drive on the toolbar.
3. Choose a letter and enter the folder path, e.g.
4. \192円.168.10.1\Shared
5. Check Reconnect at sign-in if you want it to auto-mount.

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6. Test

• Copy a small file between the two machines — it should transfer quickly over Ethernet.
• Confirm Internet still works over Wi-Fi (e.g., open a webpage).

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✅ You now have:

• Ethernet LAN between two PCs for fast transfers.
• Wi-Fi Internet still active.
• Shared folders you can browse or map easily.

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