How to connect two computers to each other in a network. How to connect a second computer to the Internet How to connect computers together

Greetings to all visitors.

Nowadays, many people already have several computers at home, however, not everyone has them connected to a local network... And a local network provides very interesting things: you can play online games, exchange files (or even use shared disk space), work together on documents, etc.

There are several ways to connect computers into a local network, but one of the cheapest and easiest is to use a network cable (regular twisted pair cable) to connect the network cards of the computers. Here's how this is done and we'll look at it in this article.

What do you need to get started?

1) 2 computers with network cards, to which we will connect the twisted pair cable.

All modern laptops (computers), as a rule, have at least one network card in their arsenal. The easiest way to find out if you have a network card on your PC is to use some utility to view the characteristics of your PC (for information about such utilities, see this article:).

Rice. 1. AIDA: To view network devices, go to the Windows Devices/Devices tab.

By the way, you can also pay attention to all the connectors that are on the laptop (computer) case. If there is a network card, you will see a standard RJ45 connector (see Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. RJ45 (standard laptop case, side view).

2) Network cable (so-called twisted pair).

The easiest option is to simply buy such a cable. True, this option is suitable if your computers are not far from each other and you do not need to run the cable through the wall.

Rice. 3. Cable 3 m long (twisted pair).

Connecting 2 computers to a network with a cable: all steps in order

(The description will be based on the Windows 10 OS (in principle, in Windows 7, 8 the settings are identical). Some terms have been simplified or distorted in order to more easily explain specific settings)

1) Connecting computers with a network cable.

There is nothing tricky here - just connect the computers with a cable and turn them both on. Often, next to the connector, there is a green LED that will signal you that you have connected the computer to some kind of network.

Rice. 4. Connect the cable to the laptop.

2) Setting up the computer name and workgroup.

The next important nuance is that both computers (connected by cable) must have:

identical work groups ( in my case it is WORKGROUP, see fig. 5);
different computer names.

To set these settings, go to " MY COMPUTER» ( or this computer), then right-click anywhere and in the pop-up context menu, select the link “ Properties". Then you can see the name of your PC and workgroup, and also change them ( see green circle in fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Setting the computer name.

After changing the computer name and its workgroup, be sure to restart the PC.

3) Configuring the network adapter (setting IP addresses, subnet mask, DNS server)

Then you need to go to the Windows Control Panel, address: .

Actually, next you should see your network adapter; if it is connected to another PC with a cable, then there should not be any red crosses on it ( see fig. 6, most often, the name of such an Ethernet adapter). You need to right-click on it and go to its properties, then go to the protocol properties " IP version 4» ( You need to go to these settings on both PCs).

Rice. 6. Adapter properties.

Now on one computer you need to set the following data:

IP address: 192.168.0.1;
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 (as in Fig. 7).

Rice. 7. Setting up IP on the “first” computer.

On the second computer you need to set slightly different parameters:

IP address: 192.168.0.2;
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0;
Default gateway: 192.168.0.1;
Preferred DNS server: 192.168.0.1 (as in Figure 8).

Rice. 8. Setting up IP on the second PC.

Next, save the settings. The setup of the local connection itself is now complete. Now, if you go into Explorer and click the “Network” link (on the left), you should see the computers in your workgroup ( True, we haven’t opened access to the files yet, so that’s what we’ll do now...).

How to open access to a folder (or drive) for local network users

This is probably the most common thing that users need when joining a local network. This is done quite simply and quickly, let’s look at everything step by step...

1) Enable file and printer sharing

Go to the Windows Control Panel along the following path: Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center.

Rice. 9. Network and Sharing Center.

Next you will see several profiles: guest, for all users, private (Fig. 10, 11, 12). The task is simple: enable file and printer sharing everywhere, network discovery, and remove password protection. Just set the same settings as shown in Fig. below.

Rice. 10. Private (clickable).

Rice. 11. Guestbook (clickable).

Rice. 12. All networks (clickable).

Important point. You need to make similar settings on both computers on the network!

2) Disk/folder sharing

Now just find the desired folder or drive that you want to give access to. Then go to its properties and in the “ Access" you will find the button " Advanced setup“, and press it, see fig. 13.

Rice. 13. Access to files.

In advanced settings, check the box next to “ Share a folder" and go to the tab " permissions» ( by default, read-only access will be opened, i.e. all users on the local network will only be able to view files, but not edit or delete them. In the “permissions” tab, you can give them any privileges, up to completely deleting all files...).

Rice. 14. Allow sharing of the folder.

Actually, save the settings - and your disk becomes visible to the entire local network. Now you can copy files from it (see Fig. 15).

Rice. 15. Transferring a file locally...

Internet sharing for local network

This is also a very common problem that users encounter. As a rule, one computer in the apartment is connected to the Internet, and the rest gain access from it (unless, of course, a router is installed :)).

1) First go to the tab “ network connections» ( how to open it is described in the first part of the article. You can also open it by entering the control panel, and then entering “View network connections” in the search bar.).

Rice. 16. Internet sharing.

By the way, you might be interested in an article about options for connecting a PC to a local network: (the topic of this article was partially touched upon there). And I’ll call it a day. Good luck to everyone and easy setup :)

There are situations when you need to connect two computers over a network, but there is no network equipment through which you can do this. In this case, I’ll give you some tips on how to connect two computers on your own.

If one of the computers has two network cards installed, then it will be possible to open Internet access on both computers.

Let's consider two connection options. The first option is when both computers have only one network card installed. The second option is when one of the computers has two network cards installed, in which case it will be possible to connect the Internet to both computers.

What do we need to connect two computers over a network?

1. Of course, two computers that we will connect to the network.

2. Cross cable for connecting computers directly.

3. A pair of straight arms.

If you do not have a crossover cable, you can purchase one at any computer store or radio market. If you want to make it yourself, I’ll give its pinout below

The finished cable looks like this:

If you have a cable, you can start setting up a network between computers.

Connecting computer + computer (with one network card)

The first and most common option is when each of the connected computers has only one network card. In this case, computers can be connected to each other, but they will not have access to the Internet. The connection diagram is shown in the picture below:

After physically connecting the computers with a crossover cable, you need to configure the network. If you know how to set up a network on a computer, then you just need to set up the network as shown in the picture. If you don’t know how to set up a network, read on.

To configure the network, go to Control Panel — Network and Internet- click on the link “ Change adapter settings“.

Double-click on the network connection (I have two of them, a physical card and a virtual one from)

and open the connection properties

In the window that opens, you need to open the properties “ Internet Protocol version 4 TCP/IPv4”

In the window that opens, check the box “ Use the following options” and indicate the network parameters

IP address: 192.168.0.1

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Main gate: empty

After that, click “OK” - “Apply” and do the same manipulation on the second computer, only specify 192.168.0.2 in the IP address.

After this, the computers will start working on the same network. You can check this using ping. Open a command prompt on the second computer (Win+R - “cmd” command) and enter the following:

ping 192.168.0.1

in response you should receive a report about the successful exchange of packets:

Check in the same way from the first computer, specifying the address 192.168.0.2. If you see the same thing, it means you did everything correctly and now you have two computers on the network. If the ping does not work, check what you did wrong. I also draw your attention to the fact that a firewall or antivirus can block the network.

We connect a computer + a computer with Internet access to the network

Now let's talk about how to connect two computers over a network with the ability for both to access the Internet. All this is possible provided that an additional network card is installed on one of the computers, into which an Internet cable will be plugged

The settings are similar to those described above, the only difference is that you will need to specify the gateway on both computers.

Also, on a computer that has Internet access, you need to configure Internet distribution over the network. To do this, go to the properties of the network connection (in which the address 192.168.0.1 is indicated) and in the “ Access” check the box

That's all, after this the Internet should work on both computers.

As you can see, connecting two computers over a network is not so difficult; if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to help in the comments.

Between themselves. I would like to say right away that you can use several methods to perform this operation. In this article I will describe a method using twisted pair. I will also provide one alternative method using a wireless network. So, next you will learn how to connect two computers to each other.

Preparation

Surely you have at least once been to an Internet cafe or a computer science classroom at school. And there you observed many separately located computers that could somehow interact with each other. For example, produce combined or correspondence. So, in most cases in such places a built-in local network is used. Interaction is achieved using a special UTP cable (or, as it is popularly called, “twisted pair”). In places like computer clubs, there is also a router. To connect two computers to each other, such a device does not need to be used. Since it is necessary to connect more than two PCs. Also, of course, it is necessary that it be installed in both computers, otherwise the wire will simply have nowhere to insert it. Below we will describe how to connect two computers to each other via a twisted pair cable.

Instructions

First of all, prepare both PCs. Turn them on and, preferably, place them next to each other first (to observe the changes). Now let's get down to the instructions themselves.

Alternative method

Previously, you learned how to use a cable. But now we live in a world of high technology. Therefore, in some cases it is not advisable to use a primitive cable. Therefore, I suggest you try a Wi-Fi wireless communication system. It allows you to achieve the same results as through a cable, only without a physical connection. In this case, you will have to incur additional costs for the purchase of a Wi-Fi router (as well as for receivers, if they are not provided in the equipment). The most difficult thing about this method is setting up the dispenser. There is no point in giving precise instructions for this process, since the setup will depend on the brand of equipment.

Conclusion

The need to connect multiple PCs may vary. For example, to join a local network in order to play games together. Or maybe you want to save on internet costs using one connection. One way or another, this can be done, and very quickly. I hope you understand how to connect two computers to each other.

If you want to play on two PCs without using the Internet, instantly transfer files from different devices without USB drives, then you need to know how to create a local network between two computers. This technology of connecting two PCs has been used for quite a long time, and even today it has not lost its relevance.

Local network example

A local network is a group of interconnected devices: PCs, televisions, printers, usually located no further than one room. The devices use shared memory and servers, thus complementing each other. This connection allows you to create a gaming area for several PCs, easily and fairly quickly transfer any data, print documents if one common printer is installed, and do much more. Connecting devices today most often occurs using a router, but other connections can also be used, which you can read about below.

Creating a connection

Creating a connection is quite easy, and also in different ways: through a router or cable. Setting up devices for both methods is quite similar. The difference lies mainly in the connection method: via cable or via Wi-Fi.

Communication via Wi-Fi, which is used much more often today, can be much more convenient, but connecting two PCs with a cable will cost less if you have not yet installed a router for some reason.

Connection via cable

The oldest type of communication between two machines. All you need to do is connect an RJ45 network cable. The cable must be a crossover cable, although regular straight cables can often work for modern computers. Still, when purchasing, it is better to check the type of cable with the seller. When you add the ends of the crossover cable, the colors of the ends of the wires will differ - this is its main difference. Also, the connection requires network cards on both devices, but today they are already installed. You just have to note that if the network card is already occupied by connecting to the Internet, then you won’t be able to use it.

This connection was just used before to play. But it may be convenient for some today, especially if you still have Windows XP, which has difficulty supporting wireless connections.

After connecting the cable itself, you need to know how to set up a local network between two computers:

Control Panel, select the item related to network connections.
We select what we created there, right-click on it, select “Properties”
Next, depending on “Windows”: for Windows XP select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), for Windows 7/8/10 - Internet Protocol version 4.

Manually enter the IP address: 192.168.xxx.xxx. You can enter the last six digits yourself, the main thing is that they are not repeated on different devices.

On Windows 7, you will also need to go to the Network Control Center, there, through the “Settings” item, select “Private” for our network.
Then in Control Center, enable file sharing, network discovery, and turn off password access protection.

After this, you also need to set up sharing. This is done so that PCs can exchange any files. The methods vary on different OSes. On WindowsXP:

Section Network connections, go to “Tools”, select “Folder Options”.
“View” tab, check the box next to “Use simple file sharing”.
Next, go to the “System Properties” window: RMB on “My Computer” - select Computer Name.
Click “Change”, select “Is a member” of the working group. We come up with a common group name for both PCs.
My computer, right-click on the hard drives (for example, Windows (C:)), in the “Access” tab, click on the link, set the sharing permission.

That's it, access to the files on the selected disks is completely open. With Windows 7/8/10 we proceed as follows:

Control Panel, then Folder Options.
Check the “Use Sharing Wizard” checkbox.
The following steps will be the same as for XP.

Connection via router

This is the most convenient method, since it allows you to connect not only two, but a larger number of computers or other devices that support Wi-Fi. You can play over this connection without lengthy settings.

IP addresses for such a connection will be set automatically. To use shared files, you will only need to share the files, and then add two computers to one workgroup, as described above.

Now, to transfer files, you just need to enter the computer name using the address bar: \\name\. You can also do this through the Network Connections section. It is also worth securing your personal or especially important files so that no one can access them from a nearby computer. To do this, it is best to specify drives that do not contain information important to you. For example, it is better not to make the disk that contains user account data open to everyone, or, using the file and folder settings menu, restrict access to them: RMB on the desired folder, then select the sharing settings there.

Playing on a local network

So, we managed to connect two devices to the same network without the Internet, allowing them to exchange files. How to start playing on a local network?

To do this, as a rule, you do not need to make any additional settings. We just turn on the game and, if you can play over a local connection, select the appropriate item, and then play over the one we have already created.

Connection to a shared server may vary for different games. You will need to enter the IP or PC name somewhere. For Minecraft, Counter Strike, for example, you will need to create a server. But as a rule, everything is done quite simply.

Hamachi

This happens quite rarely, but sometimes a game does not allow you to play over the Internet, but allows you to play it over a local network. Don’t despair, even if it turns out that your friend lives far from you.

The Hamachi program allows you to emulate a local connection and thus connect a PC to it via the Internet. To do this, you just need to download the program, register, and then create a new connection, give it a name and, if necessary, a password. After this, you can easily use this network to play.

As you can see, connecting computers into a local network is a fairly easy process. It won’t take you much time, and you can connect two PCs, and then play with your friends, both being away from them and being in the same room with them.

A local network or LAN is two or more computers connected to each other directly or through a router (router) and capable of exchanging data. Such networks usually cover a small office or home space and are used to share an Internet connection, as well as for other purposes such as file sharing or online gaming. In this article we will talk about how to build a local network of two computers.

As it becomes clear from the introduction, you can combine two PCs into a local area in two ways - directly, using a cable, and through a router. Both of these options have their pros and cons. Below we will look at them in more detail and learn how to configure the system for data exchange and access to the Internet.

Option 1: Direct connection

With this connection, one of the computers acts as a gateway for connecting to the Internet. This means that it must have at least two network ports. One for the global network, and the second for the local one. However, if the Internet is not required or it “comes” without the use of wires, for example, through a 3G modem, then you can get by with one LAN port.

The connection diagram is simple: the cable is plugged into the corresponding connectors on the motherboard or network card of both machines.

Please note that for our purposes we need a cable (patch cord) that is designed for direct connection of computers. This type is called a “crossover”. However, modern equipment is capable of independently determining pairs for receiving and transmitting data, so a regular patch cord will most likely also work normally. If problems arise, you will have to redo the cable or find the right one in the store, which can be very difficult.

The advantages of this option include ease of connection and minimal equipment requirements. Actually, we only need a patch cord and a network card, which in most cases is already built into the motherboard. The second plus is high data transfer speed, but this depends on the capabilities of the card.

It's a stretch to call the disadvantages such - they reset the settings when reinstalling the system, as well as the inability to access the Internet when the PC, which is the gateway, is turned off.

Settings

After connecting the cable, you need to configure the network on both PCs. First, we need to assign a unique name to each machine in our local area. This is necessary so that the software can find computers.

Now you need to configure shared access to resources on the local network, since by default it is limited. These steps also need to be performed on all machines.

Right-click on the connection icon in the notification area and open "Network and Internet settings".
Let's move on to setting up sharing parameters.
For a private network (see screenshot), enable discovery, enable file and printer sharing, and let Windows manage connections.
For the guest network we also enable discovery and sharing.
For all networks, we disable general access, configure encryption with 128-bit keys, and disable password access.
Save the settings.

In Windows 7 and 8, this block of parameters can be found like this:

On the first PC (the one that connects to the Internet), after going to the parameters (see above), click on the menu item "Configuring adapter settings".
Here we select "LAN connection", right-click on it and go to properties.
In the list of components we find the protocol IPv4 and, in turn, move on to its properties.
Switch to manual input and in the field "IP address" enter the following numbers:
In field "Subnet mask" the required values will be automatically entered. There is no need to change anything here. This completes the setup. Click OK.
On the second computer, you must set the following IP address in the protocol properties:
We leave the mask as default, but in the fields for the gateway and DNS server addresses we indicate the IP of the first PC and click OK.

In the "seven" and "eight" you should go to "Network Control Center" from the notification area, and then click on the link "Change adapter settings". Further manipulations are carried out according to the same scenario.

The final procedure is to allow shared access to the Internet.

Now on the second machine it will be possible to work not only on the local network, but also on the global one. If you need to exchange data between computers, you will need to perform one more setup, but we will talk about this separately.

Option 2: Connection via router

For such a connection, we will need, in fact, the router itself, a set of cables and, of course, the corresponding ports on the computers. The type of cables for connecting machines to a router can be called “direct”, as opposed to a crossover cable, that is, the cores in such a wire are connected “as is”, directly (see above). Such wires with already mounted connectors can be easily found in retail stores.

The router has several connection ports. One for receiving the Internet and several for connecting computers. It’s easy to distinguish them: LAN connectors (for cars) are grouped by color and numbered, and the port for the incoming signal stands apart and has a corresponding name, usually written on the case. The connection diagram in this case is also quite simple - the cable from the provider or modem is connected to the connector "Internet" or, in some models, "Link" or "ADSL", and computers to ports signed as "LAN" or "Ethernet".

The advantages of this scheme are the ability to organize a wireless network and automatically determine system parameters.