Connecting laptops to each other. Connecting laptops via Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi connection

In today's article we will consider a situation where we need to connect a laptop and a PC for an equivalent exchange of information. In principle, a laptop is the same computer, so we will just need to create a network between two computers, but more on that a little later.

First, I would like to say that a laptop is not a flash drive and you can’t just plug it into a USB connector; we’ll have to make a full-fledged network. So let's get started.

Connecting two devices

The first thing you will need is an Internet cable (twisted pair) crimped on both sides; it looks like this:

Now we find the network card connector on the back of the computer:

And a similar connector on the back of the laptop:

We connect the two network cards to each other with a cable and go to the settings of the Windows operating system.

OS setup

In order to connect a laptop to a computer correctly, you need to ensure that these devices there were different names, different IP addresses and one workgroup.

In order to change the name of the computer and workgroup, go to “Start” and right click click on the item “Computer”, from the drop-down menu select the item “Properties”

In the window that opens on the left, select the item "Advanced system settings":

In the window that opens, in the tab "Computer name" click on the “Change” button:

If necessary, change the name of the computer and workgroup:

Now let's figure out IP addresses and others network settings. Everything that I will describe will need to be done both on a computer and on a laptop.

Right-click on the network status icon (near the clock) and select .

We are looking for our connection by local network and right-click on it, select “Properties”.

Looking for a component in the list "Internet Protocol Version 4", select it and click on the “Properties” button

We put the switch in position "Use the following IP address" and enter the IP address – 192.168.1.2, and the subnet mask 255.255.255.0. This is what we enter for the computer:

For a laptop, we simply set a slightly different address: 192.168.1.3, the subnet mask remains the same:

Checking the created connection

In theory, after these settings, the connection between the computer and laptop should be established. Let's check if this is true and ping the network. To do this, press the Win+R key combination on your PC and write the command cmd in the window that opens.

IN command line enter the command ping 192.168.1.3 (the IP address of the laptop that we indicated above). If there is no packet loss and you get normal responses, then everything is fine:

If there is packet loss, then there is no connection, and you will have to disable Windows Firewall or another firewall that you have installed.

We also go to "Network and Sharing Center" and in the left column click on the item "Change Extra options general access"

There in the section "Home or Work" enable all parameters as shown in the screenshot:

And also turn off general access with password protection. If this is not done, then you will not be able to connect the computer to the laptop, where on the operating Windows system there are accounts with passwords (How to set a password on Windows 7).

Create shared access

Once you've done all this, you can't just drag and drop information from your laptop to your computer and vice versa. To do this, you need to open public access to sections hard drive or separate folders.

To hard drive partition

To open access to hard section disk, you need to right-click on it and select the item from the drop-down list "Sharing - Advanced settings...":

In the “Access” tab, click on the button "Advanced setup..."

We put a bird near the point "Share this folder". If you want it to open full access To this disk from another computer with the ability to change information, you can additionally click on the “Permissions” button and check the box next to “Full Control”. And in the main window, click on the “Apply” button and click “OK”.

Let's see, now the icon of our section has changed slightly, two people have appeared next to it. This means that public access is open.

To folder

To share a folder, right-click on it and select "Shared Access - Specific Users":

Add all users and click on the “Sharing” button. If you want information to be able to be changed in this folder from another computer, then we give all users the rights "Read and Write".

We are given a message that the folder is open for public access:

We do all the manipulations described above both on a computer and on a laptop (I will repeat).

Login from one device to another

Everything is set up, now all that remains is to figure out how to get from the laptop to the computer and vice versa. To do this, go to Explorer and look for the “Network” item in the right corner, or simply write in Explorer the IP address of the computer to which we want to connect as follows: 192.168.1.2. If everything is in order, then we should see the folders and drives we have shared:

If you forgot to disable password protected sharing, you will see the following window:

In this case, either create a password for the user or disable password-protected sharing.

That's all, I explained all the main nuances of how to connect a laptop to a computer via a cable.

And also watch a video on the topic:

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Webmaster. Higher education with a degree in Information Security. Author of most articles and computer literacy lessons

    In fact, you can transfer data between two computers using any of the peripheral connectors of a computer, in particular a laptop. Each method has its own characteristics, let’s consider them in descending order of their prevalence and ease of use:

    • "Regular" network (EtherNet, IEEE 802.3). “Native” method in the sense that the network connector is intended exclusively for communication with other computers. Available on any modern laptop; for an ancient device without a built-in network adapter, you can easily purchase an external PCMCIA one. To connect a laptop directly with another computer you will need the so-called. crossover cable, which is a regular “twisted pair” cable with a different wiring from the usual one. Available at any more or less decent computer company. Cable length - up to 100m. After connecting two machines with such a wire, these machines are able to see each other in a network environment. This may require setting up a network connection. The method is supported by the overwhelming number of operating systems; it can be said that it is platform independent. The theoretical speed of the most common EtherNet version is 100 Mbit per second; a gigabit network, as the name suggests, is capable of more; the speed is determined by the slowest adapter on the network.
    • IEEE 1394, also known as FireWire and i.Link. Usually a digital video camera or external storage, but it can also be a way to connect two computers directly using the appropriate cable. The IEEE 1394 interface is not very often found in laptops (external PCMCIA solutions can also be used), but if it is available, pay close attention to it, because the theoretical speed limit of the protocol is 393 Mbit per second, almost 4 times faster than the usual 100- megabit network. Cable length - no more than 4.5 m. Support from the operating system is required, and this support is not available everywhere. Under WindowsXP, a connection via FireWire is established without problems, “pretending” to be a regular EtherNet network.
    • The USB connector also provides the opportunity to connect two computers, but is somewhat less convenient. There are two types of USB-Link cables. The first, the simplest, only provides the opportunity to “see” the contents of another computer connected with such a cable from a simple program that simulates a standard " Windows Explorer" and drag (only from this program) files with the mouse from one machine to another. The second, more expensive, is actually two USB-to-EtherNet controllers connected to each other by a network cable. Of course, in this option we will get a regular network connection, however If there are built-in network adapters on both connected devices, this option seems to be a "redundant entity": it is easier, faster and cheaper to use a regular network connection (see above). The theoretical maximum connection speed via USB is 480 Mbit per second, however, the functionality of the interface greatly reduces actual speed, which is lower than IEEE 1394 speed.
    • One of the most practical options for transferring information from or to a laptop is, oddly enough, the indirect method using a USB flash drive as an intermediate medium. It would seem that this method has only one disadvantage compared to the direct connection of two computers - additional operations, lower speed, limited storage capacity. However, the wide distribution and ease of use of USB flash memory drives (always at hand, really working Plug-and-Play) reduces all these disadvantages to the level of insignificant ones.
    • Wireless LAN, aka wireless network, aka Wi-Fi, aka IEEE 802.11. A modern wireless way of “communicating” computers (and not only) with each other. Features are discussed. The speed in the most common modern version (802.11g) is 54 megabits per second, the communication range is within 30 meters. At the operating system level it is represented by a network connection of the EtherNet type. Supported by the vast majority of modern operating systems.
    • Bluetooth (bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.1) is not very good as a method of connecting two computers. Not very high speed (no more than 723 kilobits per second in one direction), short range (up to 100 meters in the open air, highly dependent on the environment), not the most easy setup, worse interference and burglary protection compared to Wi-Fi make using Bluetooth to transfer data between two computers not very convenient. On the other hand, if you need to connect a laptop to a PDA or mobile phone- bluetooth would be a good option.
    • IrDA, also known as infrared port. Historically the first wireless method of communication. On new laptops it occurs less and less often (due to competition with other methods), but on laptops that came out before it occurs quite often. The speed is low (most quick options, so-called Fast Infrared - 4 Mbit per second, "regular" - only 115 kbit per second), typical communication range - 5-60 cm, while there must be direct visibility between the transceivers (within approximately a 30-degree cone) and the absence of them direct solar illumination. Therefore, it is used only for transferring small amounts of data, and more often not with another computer, but with a mobile phone, for example. IN technically is a type of serial interface.
    • LPT-link, also known as LapLink cable, also known as parallel direct cable connection, also known as “direct cable connection via a parallel port”, IEEE 1284. Historically, one of the oldest ways of connecting computers with each other, therefore it has practically no problems with use under various operating systems. Currently dying due to the dying of the interface itself; but where an LPT connector is present, you can use it without problems. The cable length is limited to 2-3 meters. The speed depends significantly on the type of LPT port and can reach 2 megabytes per second, although on older machines without ECP/EPP support the speed will be an order of magnitude lower.
    • COM-Link, aka

    Currently, a laptop is present in almost every home, because it is the most convenient and practical type personal computers. However, sometimes users need to transfer files from laptop to laptop, and there may not be suitable media at hand. In this case, the best solution would be to connect two laptops to each other via a local network, and in this article we will look at everything possible ways connecting mobile PCs.

    So, there are two most common ways to connect and/or exchange information between two personal computers.

    How to connect laptop to laptop via wifi?

    The easiest way to create such a local network is to connect a laptop to a laptop via wifi. Since all modern laptops are already equipped with a built-in wifi module, you can only get by standard means operating system, and you don’t need any additional software or hardware.

    To connect 2 laptops wireless communication necessary:

    • - on one of the computers (for example, from which data will be transferred), open “Network and Sharing Center” - “Change adapter settings”;
    • - on an existing network, call up the menu and select “Properties” from the list presented;
    • - then open the properties of “Internet Protocol 4 (TCP/IP)”: the parameters for obtaining the “ip address” should be set to “Automatic”;

    Next, on both computers, open “Change advanced sharing settings” and in the drop-down list, make sure that the items shown in the following figure are active (these settings open network sharing).

    In addition, you should disable password protection in the “All Networks” section;

    Now you need to create: open the “Command Prompt” (Win+P then cmd) and enter the command “netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=____ key=____”, where “ssid=” is the name of the network to be created, “key=” - this is the security key for connecting to the network;

    Now all that remains is to start the network: for this, use the same “Command Line” with the command “netsh wlan start hostednetwork”;

    The network is active, now from the second laptop search for available " wifi networks"and connect to the network created in the previous step by entering the security key;

    To connect to the target device, enter address bar“Explorer” - double slash \\ + : it may look like this \\192.168.1.2, the address can be found in the “Network Status” - “Information” section.

    How to connect laptop to laptop via network cable?

    The second method involves insignificant costs for the purchase of a “LAN cable”, crimped in a crossover method (reverse), and the process of setting up a local network between laptops is much simpler than described above. But you will have to pay for the connection speed with local network mobility. And the settings will really take no more than a couple of minutes:

    • - connect the laptops to each other with a “LAN cable”;
    • - in the “Network and Sharing Center”, open “Change adapter settings” - properties of “Internet Protocol 4 (TCP/IP). IN network connections You can also get there with the command “ncpa.cpl”;
    • - enter 192.168.0.1 in the “ip address” line, the subnet mask will be determined automatically, and the default gateway can be left blank;

    • from the second computer, do the same steps, only in the “ip address” line indicate as for the first laptop, but one more - 192.168.0.2;

    The local network between the two laptops is configured. You can connect to a computer using the same principle: \\ip_address or open “My Computer” - “Network” and find the laptop you need in the list.

    If the desired device is not detected, check whether you have checked all the network discovery boxes in the “Change advanced sharing settings” section.

    In combination with this method, you can use third party programs for transferring files from laptop to laptop: perfect for this job free program"HFS" (HTTP File Server), which does not require installation.

    How to connect laptop to laptop via USB?

    If these options are not suitable for you, you can use the “Easy Transfer Cable” adapter to connect laptops to each other, using “ usb ports» laptops.

    The cost of this cable is low: for a decent, proven option you will have to pay about 500 rubles (for example, “Windows Easy Transfer Cable” from “ST Lab”).

    So, to connect a laptop to a laptop via USB, connect the computers with an “Easy Transfer Cable” adapter and run the “Total Comander” program on both PCs. Next, on each computer, open the “Network” submenu and select “Establish a connection via LPT/USB port.”

    Now you need to choose which laptop will act as a “Server” and which one will act as a “Client” (a kind of flash drive).

    But this method is not ideal; it also has its disadvantages:

    • - the computer that will receive the file may be unavailable until the transfer is completed;
    • - errors may occur when transferring between different-bit operating systems (between 64-bit and 32-bit or vice versa);
    • - errors when transferring files between OSes with different languages.

    Of all the methods described above, the best option creating a local network laptop - a laptop is wireless option connections. It is more portable because it does not require any wires and does not have a significant impact on the performance of laptops. In addition, when connecting a laptop to a laptop via wifi, you can connect an unlimited number of devices with enough high speed data transmission.

    You can connect computers to a network different ways. This can be a local network via cable, or, if there is a router in the room, then through it you can connect computers to shared network. If there is no router, then you can connect two laptops via Wi-Fi using their wireless adapters. In this case, it is not necessary to have access to the Internet.

    The need for communication between devices arose as technology developed, information volumes increased, and areas of use expanded. computer equipment. And if, as a rule, you need to purchase a wireless communication module for a desktop computer, then laptops usually have such built-in equipment.

    How to tie wireless connection- in our new article

    In laptops, the Wi-Fi module is usually combined with Bluetooth, which also allows you to exchange data between them, only at a lower speed, limited distance and with low functionality. Wi-Fi allows you to set up a full-fledged local wireless network.

    Connecting laptops using a router

    Through a router, you can connect laptops and desktop computers to a common local network, no matter how they are connected to the router - via Wi-Fi or a network cable. In this case, each device will have its own IP address and Internet access, and they will also be able to exchange data with each other. To connect two laptops if you have a router, do the following:


    By default, only part of the contents of the local disk is accessible. Full access must be configured manually:

    1. Right-click on the folder or drive that you want to access from another laptop.
    2. Go to the "Sharing" menu, then "Advanced sharing settings" if it is a drive. Or in the sub-item “All users (read and write)”, if this is a folder.
    3. In the case of a disk, select “All users” in the window that opens and check all the permissions boxes.

    Thus, it was possible to connect individual computers into a local network and now you can move between laptops and exchange information without restrictions. In addition, both are connected to the Internet. With this method of connecting laptops to each other, some difficulties may arise, for example, connection errors, password requests, etc. Windows is very capricious in the field of security. Please note the following:

    • Firewall and antivirus settings - these may be blocking the connection. Disable them completely to make sure they are not the problem.
    • Account settings. Try creating on both devices Accounts with the same names and passwords. Don't use a blank password. And you can also create a Guest entry and assign all permissions to it.
    • There are times when problems arise seemingly due to such a trifle as a discrepancy between dates and times on 2 computers. Check this setting just in case.

    You can check the connection using the command line:

    • To begin, in the “Network Map” window, move the mouse to the laptop icon and a window with its IP address will appear.
    • Press WinKey+R, enter cmd, the command line will appear.
    • Type the ping command followed by the IP address of the laptop, separated by a space.
    • If the packet exchange is successful (a message will be displayed on the command line), then the network is working.

    If there are no losses, you did everything right

    Connection via wireless module

    If you don't have a router and you're out of Wi-Fi range, it's still possible to connect two laptops to a local network. IN Windows Vista and above there is a special Connection Creation Wizard for this. The computers will communicate via a built-in wireless module, creating a Wi-Fi connection between themselves.

    In this case, one laptop needs to be configured to transmit the signal, and the second will receive it. Pay attention to their location; concrete walls and other obstacles create obstacles to broadcasting. To avoid mistakes, place both computers next to each other, configure them, and then experimentally determine how far from each other they can be.

    Turn on the Wi-Fi module on both machines and start setting up the first laptop:

    1. Go to Network and Sharing Control Center. You can do this by clicking on the icon wireless network from the tray in the lower right corner.
    2. Start setting up a new connection.
    3. In the connection type, select “Computer-Computer”. Next, the system will explain to you that this is a temporary network for data transfer, and if you are already connected to some network, then the connection may be broken. In addition, the OS will advise you to place computers within 10 meters. But as said earlier, for tuning it is better to place them closer.
    4. Further, by analogy with Wi-Fi setup through the router you will be asked to come up with an SSID, that is, the name of the network, select the encryption type and come up with a password. One of the most reliable protocols is WPA2, but you may not need to use password protection at all. If there are no other users within range, you can connect your laptop without it. If you are in a public place, it is better to use encryption, otherwise strangers may gain access to your data.
    5. A window will open to complete the setup process. The network is now saved in the list possible connections and works as long as all users are in it.

    Before connecting a second laptop, you need to change the data access settings. By analogy with how you set up a local network through a router, you need to go to the settings of the folders or required drives and allow all users full access. If desired, of course, you can allow, for example, only viewing files without changing them. You also need to enable network discovery.

    Now on the second laptop you need to search for Wi-Fi networks, select the one you need and click “Connect”. You will need to enter a password (the one we created earlier), after which you can enter any files and folders to which access is allowed.

    In this way, you can connect as many laptops as you like, not necessarily just one. On the dealer Wi-Fi computer in the tray there will be a message “Waiting for users to connect,” which indicates that the Computer-to-Computer network is ready to work.

    Using the described simple actions you can quickly transfer files from one device to another without the use of wires, flash drives, removable drives, even while somewhere outside the city without an Internet connection. If you have a router in the room, then it would be more logical to set up a permanent connection of all devices to each other. A full-fledged wireless local network will allow you to work on different computers, edit and move documents, view photos and videos, provide many other opportunities and eliminate the need for repeated rewriting to removable media.

    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 simplest 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 on your PC LAN card- this is to use some utility to view the characteristics of the PC (for 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:

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

    To set these settings, go to " MY COMPUTER» ( or this computer), then click the right mouse button 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 panel Windows management, address: .

    Actually, next you should see your network adapter, if it is connected to another PC with a cable, then no red crosses should light up on it ( see fig. 6, most often, the name of this 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:

    1. IP address: 192.168.0.1;
    2. 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:

    1. IP address: 192.168.0.2;
    2. Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0;
    3. Default gateway: 192.168.0.1;
    4. 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 working group (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 the drive 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.

    PS

    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 :)