Need to connect to router via cables and not wireless

Belloni · 19 Dec 2011 at 18:28

Hi guys, just been asked by my dad to sort his computer out.

It's connected to the router wireless at the moment, but today he's been drilling through the house walls etc to stretch a cable to the router, i guess because the connection signal is poor. The computer is in our basement and the router is 2 floors up in my room.

How do I go about making the router connect via the cable?!

Belloni · 19 Dec 2011 at 18:45

Ok my bad, it's Local Area Connection but it's not allowing me to connect to it!? Cable is plugged in etc.

marc2003 · 19 Dec 2011 at 19:18

make sure you disable the wireless (restarting the computer wouldn't hurt if you do need to do this).

and what OS is it? any specific errors?

Belloni · 19 Dec 2011 at 19:26

When i go to manage network connections, the Local Area has an 'X' on it.

When you say disable the wireless, do you mean on the computer i'm trying to connect it to, or my entire internet?

OS is Vista.

marc2003 · 19 Dec 2011 at 19:44

i just mean on the computer. you said it was connected via wireless but you now want to use wired. having both connections active will confuse it.

i'd actually go into device manager and disable it. start>search>devmgmt.msc click ok. now look under network adapters, right click, disable.

Belloni · 19 Dec 2011 at 19:56

Oh ok, yeah it's connected to our router wireless.

On my router where the cable is connected, only our main ethernet port is lit up, the other one isn't, so maybe a cable fault? When i diagnose the Local Area, it says to connect cable so?

ots3go · 19 Dec 2011 at 20:00

If you're not getting activity lights on the Ethernet port at either end, either a port is disabled, or the cable is at fault.

marc2003 · 19 Dec 2011 at 20:04

if after disabling the wireless and restarting it still doesn't work, then you need to eliminate the fault using good old common sense. first of all does the cable work with another computer? you say the router is in your room so i'd assume you have your own computer connected? try that.

Belloni · 19 Dec 2011 at 21:50

How would i enable a port on the router?

3dcandy · 19 Dec 2011 at 23:44

you shouldn't need to. sounds like a cable fault to me. Stretching a cable as you put it in the OP isn't a good idea!

Belloni · 20 Dec 2011 at 13:34

Right tried another cable, the light on both router and the computer come on now, which is a good sign so must have been the cable.

Now how do i go about connecting to the Local Area? On the Local Area when right clicked, i've got enable is that the same as connect to then? I've disabled the wireless now, and am still connected to the internet so i guess it's going via the cables now? Silly question probably!

3dcandy · 20 Dec 2011 at 13:55

yup, you're connected and nothing to do...

Belloni · 20 Dec 2011 at 14:51

Brilliant, he will be pleased! Thanks for the help fellers as always.