Windows XP with TWO network connections?

[Toni]

I'm presently moving a few gigabytes of files between two computers on my little
network.

My wireless router also supports wired Ethernet. If I connect both WiFi and wired LAN on
my computer, will Windows XP Pro know what to do? Will it use both network connections,
or just one, or will it screw up my computer?

(the only reason why I don't experiment & try it is I don't know if it will screw up my
computer)

Thanks!!!

Toni

 

[Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)]

I'm presently moving a few gigabytes of files between two computers on my little

network.

My wireless router also supports wired Ethernet. If I connect both WiFi and wired LAN on
my computer, will Windows XP Pro know what to do? Will it use both network connections,
or just one, or will it screw up my computer?

(the only reason why I don't experiment & try it is I don't know if it will screw up my
computer)

It will know what to do and, in my experience, only one connection is
used at any given time.

- Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, February 19, 2009 12:06:35 PM, and on a
whim, Toni pounded out on the keyboard:

I'm presently moving a few gigabytes of files between two computers on my little
network.

My wireless router also supports wired Ethernet. If I connect both WiFi and wired LAN on
my computer, will Windows XP Pro know what to do? Will it use both network connections,
or just one, or will it screw up my computer?

(the only reason why I don't experiment & try it is I don't know if it will screw up my
computer)

Thanks!!!

Toni

Hi Toni,

Wired is much faster. Plug them both in wired, leave the wireless
connection alone. I have wireless users plug in wired frequently when
onsite. I don't see both used.

But if you're scared (you shouldn't be), moving a few gig won't take
that long using wireless. It's just faster the other way!


Terry R.

 

[Big_Al]

Toni said this on 2/19/2009 3:06 PM:

I'm presently moving a few gigabytes of files between two computers on my little
network.

My wireless router also supports wired Ethernet. If I connect both WiFi and wired LAN on
my computer, will Windows XP Pro know what to do? Will it use both network connections,
or just one, or will it screw up my computer?

(the only reason why I don't experiment & try it is I don't know if it will screw up my
computer)

Thanks!!!

Toni

You won't screw up, if you hook up both.
On my laptop I have used both and I see no benefit to both running. As
a matter of fact the wireless is slower than the wired, so when I have a
ton of data to transfer I really disable my wireless (a keystroke) to
make the cable dominant and go faster. 7MB compared to 18MB.

 

[John Wunderlich]

I'm presently moving a few gigabytes of files between two
computers on my little network.

My wireless router also supports wired Ethernet. If I connect both
WiFi and wired LAN on my computer, will Windows XP Pro know what
to do? Will it use both network connections, or just one, or will
it screw up my computer?

(the only reason why I don't experiment & try it is I don't know
if it will screw up my computer)

A wired connection by default has a lower metric and will be preferred
over a wireless connection. It won't hurt your computer to have both
connected although existing connections will have to be reestablished
if the wired ethernet is pulled.

HTH,
John

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I'm presently moving a few gigabytes of files between two computers on my
little
network.

My wireless router also supports wired Ethernet. If I connect both WiFi
and wired LAN on
my computer, will Windows XP Pro know what to do? Will it use both network
connections,
or just one, or will it screw up my computer?

(the only reason why I don't experiment & try it is I don't know if it
will screw up my
computer)

Thanks!!!

Toni

It'll know what to do, it won't break anything, and you won't find a
performance increase.

HTH
-pk

 

[Leo]

I set my wired connections to static IP (internet uses the wireless
connection & DHCP), and add an entry into lmhosts.dat pointing my machines
to each other in that (eg wired sits on 10.63.x.x, wireless is 192.168.x.x,
so lmhosts entry is "Machine1 10.63.x.x" within Machine2's lmhost, and vice
versa. Seems to work fine for me.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, February 19, 2009 6:28:09 PM, and on a
whim, Patrick Keenan pounded out on the keyboard:

It'll know what to do, it won't break anything, and you won't find a
performance increase.

HTH
-pk

Won't find a performance increase? What makes you think a computer to
computer file transfer would be the same speed with wireless as wired?
How about a 10x increase if not more?


Terry R.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

The date and time was Thursday, February 19, 2009 6:28:09 PM, and on a
whim, Patrick Keenan pounded out on the keyboard:


Won't find a performance increase?

Very likely not, for reasons given below.

What makes you think a computer to computer file transfer would be the
same speed with wireless as wired? How about a 10x increase if not more?

First, I'm referring to what used to be sometimes called "shotgunning"
modems, using two modems and two phone lines to get double the transfer
speed. You won't find a performance increase from having *both* ethernet
connections active using a stock XP setup. I have an idea that this is
part of what the OP is wondering about, since it's the kind of thing that
might make sense - after all, if you open both the hot and cold taps, won't
a tub fill faster?

Having both connections active won't hurt anything, and XP will choose which
connection to use. It generally won't have any noticeable effect at all,
aside from notifications.

But as to wired or wireless having a 10x speed differential, there are also
major dependencies on the port speeds of intervening devices on the network.
It's by no means certain that there will be *any* speed differential between
wired and wireless on an average network.

For example, at the moment, I have my laptop and my desktop running. Both
are a few years old, both have gigabit ethernet adapters, the laptop also
has a wireless card.
However, the laptop often has a faster theoretical transfer speed as
wireless than the desktop does as wired, because the wired switches I have
are 100megabit max (I think there's one hub going downstairs that's 10mb),
and the wireless goes up to 144mb. The switch ports on most household
routers are still 100mb, so it's quite possible for wired and wireless to
have exactly the same throughput.

HTH
-pk

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, February 19, 2009 9:26:18 PM, and on a
whim, Patrick Keenan pounded out on the keyboard:

Very likely not, for reasons given below.


First, I'm referring to what used to be sometimes called "shotgunning"
modems, using two modems and two phone lines to get double the transfer
speed. You won't find a performance increase from having *both* ethernet
connections active using a stock XP setup. I have an idea that this is
part of what the OP is wondering about, since it's the kind of thing that
might make sense - after all, if you open both the hot and cold taps, won't
a tub fill faster?

But we're not talking modems here. And the OP wasn't asking about using
both together for a performance increase. They just wanted to know if
Windows will work with the wired connection.

Having both connections active won't hurt anything, and XP will choose which
connection to use. It generally won't have any noticeable effect at all,
aside from notifications.

But it DOES have an effect. Not noticeable for internet, but
transferring a lot of files, wired will outdo wireless 100% of the time,
UNLESS the wired connections have problems.

But as to wired or wireless having a 10x speed differential, there are also
major dependencies on the port speeds of intervening devices on the network.
It's by no means certain that there will be *any* speed differential between
wired and wireless on an average network.

For example, at the moment, I have my laptop and my desktop running. Both
are a few years old, both have gigabit ethernet adapters, the laptop also
has a wireless card.
However, the laptop often has a faster theoretical transfer speed as
wireless than the desktop does as wired, because the wired switches I have
are 100megabit max (I think there's one hub going downstairs that's 10mb),
and the wireless goes up to 144mb. The switch ports on most household
routers are still 100mb, so it's quite possible for wired and wireless to
have exactly the same throughput.

HTH
-pk

I would expect the user to have a wireless G, with 54 Mbps, effective at
about 10-25 Mbps. Wired is usually 10/100 Mbps. Wireless N, with 300
Mbps, effective at about 25-50. Those with 10/100/1000 wired adapters
don't often have the router/switch/wiring to acquire that throughput.
But regardless, even the 10/100 is faster than the fastest wireless on a
consistent basis.

If your wired connection is slower than your wireless, you need to do
some t-shooting!


Terry R.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

The date and time was Thursday, February 19, 2009 9:26:18 PM, and on a
whim, Patrick Keenan pounded out on the keyboard:


But we're not talking modems here.

No, we're talking about the concept of using to separate channels
concurrently.

And the OP wasn't asking about using both together for a performance
increase.

Are you *sure* of that?

They just wanted to know if Windows will work with the wired connection.

I think you'd have to be the OP to be certain of that.

You're making an assumption, and perhaps not a particularly well supported
one, as the OP directly asked whether XP would use *both* connections.

But it DOES have an effect. Not noticeable for internet, but
transferring a lot of files, wired will outdo wireless 100% of the time,
UNLESS the wired connections have problems.

Excuse me, but could you please take the time to read and understand what
you're responding to?




<Snippage>

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Friday, February 20, 2009 3:29:52 PM, and on a
whim, Patrick Keenan pounded out on the keyboard:

No, we're talking about the concept of using to separate channels
concurrently.


Are you *sure* of that?


I think you'd have to be the OP to be certain of that.

You're making an assumption, and perhaps not a particularly well supported
one, as the OP directly asked whether XP would use *both* connections.


Excuse me, but could you please take the time to read and understand what
you're responding to?

Sure. You said, "It generally won't have any noticeable effect at all".
And then you proceeded to tell me your wireless connection was faster
than your wired. Which I find hard to believe.

And yes, by all means, sidetrack your statement, "you won't find a
performance increase", as that was the reason I responded in the first
place. You interpreted the OP as wanting to use two connections. I
took it as, would wired work, since they had "a few gigabytes of files"
to move.


Terry R.