Work issue-Connect to both LAN and wireless at same time?

[Mayuukosan]

Hello, this is just a small issue we have at my job - The computer there is a HP Pavilion Slimline s5-1014 PC.

We have machines (three) that hook up to the computer to run their programs. We have the three machines hooked into a router and run the Ethernet cord from there to the PC.

Now we started using Dropbox to move files for the machines from engineering to the computer (we were using a flash drive but it gets tiring walking back and forth). So we use a wireless USB adapter to connect to the internet.

However! When the wireless is connected, the machines get "lost", they can not access the programs on the computer and the computer can not send commands to the machines (host not responding/machine not found) and once we unplug the wireless, it connects again.

The machines appear (in network connections) as "LAN: No Internet Access" and the internet (when we plug it in) appears as *Name* Internet Access

Basically, is there a way to connect to both the LAN and the Wireless so we can run the machines and update files on dropbox at the same time? If not, why not?

Also, it is unfeasible to run an actual internet cord out to the warehouse, as machines/forklift/cart/people are always moving around the floor. Concrete walls and a huge ceiling with a second floor also make it hard to run cords out there.

Thank you for any help!

[hartbeatmr]

Good morning Mayuukosan and welcome to CH

These machines "We have machines (three) that hook up to the computer to run their programs" are PC's or CNC equipment or ?

The router is it a wireless router correct?

How many PC's are involved etc

Please describe all your equipment involved: PC, machine's, router type / model, how are the PC's & Machines addressed DHCP or static? are / is the equipment in a workgroup setting or a domain?

Please supply any & all info. This should be able to be done. Hope to hear from you soon, Mike 

[Mayuukosan]

They are Multicam CNC machines. Each machine has an ethernet cord that goes into a regular router. (not wireless.) The internet router is a wireless router.

The machine router is then plugged into the PC using an ethernet cord. The PC has the cnc files and the multicam operating program, so should the computer go off, the machines stop.

So it goes machines > router > 1 pc using ethernet cords for each connection.

We access the internet using a USB wireless dongle.If the dongle is plugged in, and the internet is accessable, the machines act as though they are unplugged. They shut off and do not return to conected status until the USB dongle is disconnected. We do not unplug any of the ethernet cords, just attach the dongle.

So LAN = machines and wireless = internet.

I can still see the LAN in the Network and connection options, but if I connect to it, the wireless goes out. If we plug in the dongle, it conects to the wireless but the machines give us a "not connected to host" error.

The machines have static IPs but are not part of any workgroup or domain. The computer has a static IP but is also not part of any workgroup or domain.

We are using the program Dropbox to update/ move files between engineering and the machine computer.

The office has only Macs except for this machine computer, as the software only runs on Windows, or so we were told. The machines are only accessible on the Windows computer ( the one we are having the issue with).

It seems that the error is that I can not stay connected to both the ethernet LAN network and the USB wireless network at the same time.

The machine router says " ethernet hub 10BASE-T", and the wireless internet router is a cisco fa4500.

Thank you for any help on this. Hope this is the right information.

[DaveLembke]

However! When the wireless is connected, the machines get "lost", they can not access the programs on the computer and the computer can not send commands to the machines (host not responding/machine not found) and once we unplug the wireless, it connects again.

It seems that the error is that I can not stay connected to both the ethernet LAN network and the USB wireless network at the same time.

If you shut off the gateway on say the Wired LAN so that WIFI only is outbound and set STATIC IP & Subnet on wired you should be good.
I had a setup like this at a food store to communicate with scales for price updates etc. Worked well!

You will have to connect to each device by IP not by Name and firewall exception may be necessary to allow traffic on computers.


My scales were static 130.0.0.102 , 130.0.0.103, 130.0.0.104 etc and the computers talking to them were static 130.0.0.2, 130.0.0.3, 130.0.0.4 etc connected to the same network that the 192.168.x.x DHCP and 172.16.x.x STATIC was riding on.   I ended up using 2 NICs in each workstation with scale access, no different than your setup with 1 wired and 1 wifi.

You will want your machines to be something other than the normal network IP structure of say 192.168.1.x to isolate communications between wired and wifi mine was 192.168.100.x and 130.0.0.x both with subnet 255.255.255.0 and only gateway of 192.168.100.1 on the 192.168.100.x Lan and 130.0.0.x set to 0.0.0.0 gateway.

[hartbeatmr]

Good evening Mayuukosan

The information that DaveLembke gave is 100% correct.

I would have wrote something up like DaveLembke did sorry I was not aware of what kind of equipment you have on site that is why I did not go into detail.

But that is why I told you that it should be able to be done. Just follow what DaveLembke wrote up and you will be fine and they can work (wired & wireless) hand in hand.

Please let us know how you make out, Mike 

[Mayuukosan]

It worked, thank you so much everyone!