problem sharing ethernet

becatto · Feb 17, 2024

i have a laptop and a desktop, desktop is connected to the router at all times and i want to share ethernet with the laptop without losing internet on the desktop.
i have USB to ethernet connected to the laptop and the actual ethernet port connected to the router on the desktop.
nothing special for the laptop as i don't want setup there (i'll be doing a lot of reinstalling of operating systems on it)
however, while bridging the usb to ethernet connection with the router DOES connect the laptop to the internet, the desktop ends up losing the connection as a result.
i will attach a drawing of it.

Desktop specs: 4GB RAM, intel celeron G5905 CPU, 64 bit OS, i'll tell you more if you require it.

antspants · Feb 17, 2024

Welcome to the forum, @becatto

I thought I had a solution for you via a $15 4 port network switch but I failed to read the laptop is already connected directly into the router. Is it? You can get a 4 port network switch from TP-Link very cheap.

becatto said:
i have USB to ethernet connected to the laptop and the actual ethernet port connected to the router on the desktop.

Do you mean you have a USB to Ethernet adapter on the laptop connected directly to the router via Ethernet cable?

Sorry, my back is bad and comprehension ATM is scarce, I probably should of left you alone.

becatto · Feb 17, 2024

antspants said:
Do you mean you have a USB to Ethernet adapter on the laptop connected directly to the router via Ethernet cable?

Sorry, my back is bad and comprehension ATM is scarce, I probably should of left you alone.

the drawing i attached shows the desktop is connected to the router and the laptop is bridged to the desktop using a ethernet to USB adapter
(and as for the switch, i'd rather not go get a long ethernet cable just so i can route it to my laptop, i'd rather just bridge the connection to my desktop as my laptop and desktop are close)

antspants · Feb 17, 2024

becatto said:
the drawing i attached shows the desktop is connected to the router and the laptop is bridged to the desktop using a ethernet to USB adapter

If you had a cheap switch, would it eliminate your headache

Router to 4 port switch, switch to laptop and desktop,

Here is a 5 port switch for $14. TP-Link are good in my opinion.

Amazon.com

becatto · Feb 17, 2024

antspants said:
If you had a cheap switch, would it eliminate your headache

Router to 4 port switch, switch to laptop and desktop

maybe, but i don't really want to spend money at the moment (im poor lol)

becatto · Feb 17, 2024

oh, and i just want to actually use this usb to ethernet connector for once.

antspants · Feb 17, 2024

becatto said:
maybe, but i don't really want to spend money at the moment (im poor lol)

I totally understand

There are much smarter people than me in here, it’ll get really busy here in a couple of hours or less.
Sorry I don’t have a settings fix

becatto · Feb 17, 2024

antspants said:
I totally understand

There are much smarter people than me in here, it’ll get really busy here in a couple of hours or less.
Sorry I don’t have a settings fix

it's alright, i'll wait for the people to enter.

becatto · Feb 17, 2024

to clarify, the adapter is USB OUT to ethernet IN, an ethernet cable is connected to the adapter and connected to the laptop, the USB part of the adapter is connected to the desktop as it has more available ports than the laptop does.
(OUT meaning it plugs into a port and IN meaning it's a port)

antspants · Feb 17, 2024

becatto said:
to clarify, the adapter is USB OUT to ethernet IN, an ethernet cable is connected to the adapter and connected to the laptop, the USB part of the adapter is connected to the desktop as it has more available ports than the laptop does.
(OUT meaning it plugs into a port and IN meaning it's a port)

Yeah I have one on my poor mans mini-PC
And most new, if not all new laptops need them now.

becatto · Feb 17, 2024

antspants said:
Yeah I have one on my poor mans mini-PC
And most new, if not all new laptops need them now.

View attachment 87483

miss when ethernet ports were a thing all new computers had.
thankfully i usually always use old devices

becatto · Feb 18, 2024

2 days and no replies? ouch

S0C9 · Feb 18, 2024

becatto said:
2 days and no replies? ouch

Does the laptop have Wifi?
If not, the other suggestions of a "cheap" switch would seem to be the optimum solution.

antspants · Feb 19, 2024

I’m still not clear why you can’t connect the Laptop directly to the router via Ethernet cable. I’m assuming the router has more than one Lan port?
By the way, USB Ethernet adapters can degrade a connection. If the laptop has an Ethernet port, your best solution, in my opinion, is to connect directly to the router. Normally (as far as I know) an adapter would be used “from” a device that does not have an Ethernet port.
I don’t know why your software bridge breaks the PC connection. If you’re hell bent of running Ethernet from the computer, try resetting the network adapter and setting it up again.

Reset Network Adapters in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to reset network adapters in Windows 11. A network adapter (aka: Network Interface Controller (NIC) ) is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to the Internet or local area network. A network reset will remove and reinstall all your network...

www.elevenforum.com

The reason I know USB adapters degrade a connection is because;
A. I’ve been told so by smarter people than me.
B. I called my ISP because my Laptop was only recieving 600Mbps on a 1000Mbps connection.

During the call to my ISP, I was asked to connect the laptop directly to the router (my house is networked with ports all over the place)
Connecting the laptop (via USB Ethernet adapter because the laptop has no Ethernet port) directly to the router gave me an extra 50Mbps, so now I was getting 650Mbps
The tech on the phone asked the magic question “Are you using a USB Ethernet adapter?” He told me they can degrade a connection. This is a fairly new laptop from my specs (Computer Two)
So I pulled out a little used old ASUS laptop that has an Ethernet port and connected it directly to the router. I instantly started receiving over 900Mbps.
Now I just use WiFi for the laptop, 800Mbps is fine for it.

becatto · Feb 23, 2024

antspants said:
I’m still not clear why you can’t connect the Laptop directly to the router via Ethernet cable. I’m assuming the router has more than one Lan port?

yes but the alternate ethernet goes to a different desk, and also still wanting to do a project and use a USB to ethernet adapter for once

S0C9 said:
Does the laptop have Wifi?
If not, the other suggestions of a "cheap" switch would seem to be the optimum solution.

as already shown, yes but with some MAJOR problems,
those are when on windows, the wifi will just stop working randomly for a long time before connecting fine like it's no problem

becatto · Feb 23, 2024

antspants said:
I don’t know why your software bridge breaks the PC connection. If you’re hell bent of running Ethernet from the computer, try resetting the network adapter and setting it up again.

i'll try that.

becatto · Feb 23, 2024

another thing: after realising the bridge wasn't working, i disabled the bridge but the ethernet was still broken (laptop was still even receiving bridged ethernet) and it only stopped after unbridging the connections entirely

becatto · Feb 23, 2024

after testing antspants' method of resetting the network adapters then bridging, it still ends up in the same result, main computer gets no internet but laptop does.

S0C9 · Feb 23, 2024

becatto said:
as already shown, yes but with some MAJOR problems,
those are when on windows, the wifi will just stop working randomly for a long time before connecting fine like it's no problem

This implies - based on my experience - that there are router/network connectivity issues.
Have you tested your routers WIFI strength?
Is it dual band?
If so are your access channels optimized for both 2.4 and 5G channels?
Typically 1,6, or 11 for 2.4G and 40 or 1547 for 5G.

becatto · Feb 24, 2024

S0C9 said:
This implies - based on my experience - that there are router/network connectivity issues.
Have you tested your routers WIFI strength?
Is it dual band?
If so are your access channels optimized for both 2.4 and 5G channels?
Typically 1,6, or 11 for 2.4G and 40 or 1547 for 5G.

this is laptop WIFI problems, not router.
i have been able to connect fine when using linux on the laptop or using a mobile device.
the main computer just has a terrible wifi chip and shouldn't connect at all
and the laptop's wifi has connectivity problems when using windows.