Network shows another computer connected to mine.

[BhargavJ]

The OS is Win 8, with Bitdefender Total Security 2015 installed.

Two days ago, I got a new GTPL connection. I haven't bought a router yet, and so I connect the GTPL cable to the laptop directly and then enter the ID and password in the Connections section of the screen that comes up on the right side when I click the network icon in the system tray.

Today, I noticed that in Explorer, in the Network section, there are two computers shown: one is Dell, which is my laptop, and the other is "INTEL-PC". When I double-click it, a new windows opens "Windows Security", which asks me to enter the username and password for this network/computer; it also shows "Domain: DELL". This was never there earlier.

I disconnected, then disconnected the LAN cable, and the Intel entry vanished. After I reconnected, the entry came back. Is it someone connected to my computer, or is it just something that happens when you connect the GTPL cable?

Also, I have a D-Link DSL - 2730 ADSL router which I used to use the BSNL Internet connection. The WAN pin on that router is the smaller one, while the GTPL cable has the larger pin, I think its called RJ-45. The GTPL guy told me that I would have to buy a new router; my older router won't work. Will I really have to buy a new router or is it possible to use the router I have with the GTPL cable?

Thanks.

 

[RCuber]

can you post the screen shots for your network and firewall ?

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Check the clients connected to your wifi network from the router's interface.

 

[BhargavJ]

I'm attaching screenshots. The first one shows the Windows message:

*s1.postimg.org/xt2iok46z/INTEL_PC.jpg

After I had unplugged and replugged the LAN cable, this is what it showed:

*s2.postimg.org/l9v9u7af9/Windows_cannot_access_INTEL_PC.jpg

Then it went back to showing the first image (asking for username and password).

As for firewall screens, Bitdefender doesn't display the settings; the settings are pretty basic: Earlier, when I was using Comodo, there were a whole lot of settings. Here's what Bitdefender shows:

*s14.postimg.org/z6edynod9/Bit_D_Settings.jpg

*s18.postimg.org/a4oo0d6hx/Bit_D_Rules.jpg

*s28.postimg.org/pimo48eix/Bit_D_Adapters.jpg

And the side panel:

*s29.postimg.org/4xalx8903/Side_Panel.jpg

I've turned off file sharing; now, when I refresh Network in Explorer, I get a message at the top "Network discovery and file sharing are turned off. Network computers and devices are not visible. Click to change..."

The laptop is directly connected by cable to the network; there is no router.

 

[amit.tiger12]

i think you messed up everything... can you please explain it so I can help..
tell me in simple words..

 

[whitestar_999]

this is because you have set your broadband connection type to home/office instead of public(3rd image under firewall settings).all cable broadband connections are like a big LAN so if you set your connection type to home/office your pc as well as those who have same connection type set in their pc using same cable broadband provider will be able to see each other.however connecting requires account info of the other pc to which one is connecting.for home/office connections Network discovery and file sharing are turned on by default so instead of turning them off for home/work network,change network type to public where Network discovery and file sharing are turned off by default.

 

[kkn13]

Also, I have a D-Link DSL - 2730 ADSL router which I used to use the BSNL Internet connection. The WAN pin on that router is the smaller one, while the GTPL cable has the larger pin, I think its called RJ-45. The GTPL guy told me that I would have to buy a new router; my older router won't work. Will I really have to buy a new router or is it possible to use the router I have with the GTPL cable?

thats true but i believe there are adapters to use the existing router itself
I would still go in for a new one because i dont trust chinese make adapters much
you can use the old one as a router extender

 

[whitestar_999]

there are only 2 types of ports for all modem/router:RJ11(telephone line,only present in adsl modem/router) & RJ45(lan wire) & any adsl modem with more than 1 lan port/rj4 port can work with any cable broadband service.

 

[BhargavJ]

I need help buying a router. The GTPL guy suggested TPLINK WR740N and TPLINK WR841N - the first one is 150 mbps, and the second is 300 mbps. I'm thinking of buying the 150 mbps wr740n one, but I don't know how many devices it allows to be connected to it by Wifi at the same time. Can anyone using it please help? Also, any major difference between these two, apart from more range?

Also, if anyone is using a router of another company which they feel is better than the ones I've mentioned, please do tell.

 

[whitestar_999]

range would be similar,main difference is increased bandwidth which is of no use as far as internet connections in India go compared to developed nations where one may have a 50mbps wifi net connection.the no. of devices theoretically allowed to connect is a big no. but in reality it depends on type of device(smartphone or smart tv) & the usage(simple browsing or HD media streaming).for a typical user though any decent wifi router is enough(tplink models are good).

 

[mitraark]

No. of devices is not going to be a problem with WR740, go for it.

WR841 owner.

 

[BhargavJ]

Before I buy the new router, I thought I'd experiment a bit; see if I can use my current router to use GTPL's RJ45 cable. The modem I have at present is D-Link 2730U, which has the smaller telephone line input instead of RJ45. I started following the instructions on this page:

How to use your WiFi ADSL Modem cum router as a Wireless access point only

However, GTPL only allows access to registered MAC addresses. At present, only my laptop's MAC address is registered, and so I can connect only through the laptop. I have another laptop, and I've emailed GTPL twice to add the MAC address of the other laptop, but they still haven't done it. I've heard there's something called MAC Cloning. Where in the settings page of D-Link 2730U can I find it? I read on another webpage that 2750 has MAC Cloning, but 2730 doesn't. Those using 2730 - can you please confirm this?

If the modem itself doesn't have this option, is there any other way to do this?

 

[whitestar_999]

if modem does not have mac cloning feature then you can see if your laptop wifi adapter supports changing mac address(lan port/ethernet adapter usually does).
How (and Why) to Change Your MAC Address on Windows, Linux, and Mac

 

[BhargavJ]

Even if the laptop does support MAC Cloning, I don't see how that will help. What I want to do is: connect the GTPL RJ45 cable to the DLink modem and use that internet connection, and use it by Wifi. Once the DLink modem can connect to GTPL, I'll connect my other laptop and my mobile, which have different MAC addresses not registered with GTPL, to the modem, and use GTPL's internet connection on these devices.

 

[whitestar_999]

if you can connect to GPTL through modem(with dhcp turned off) using registered laptop mac address then you can also connect other laptop(with cloned mac address),you just have to manually set ip settings in laptops based on the one you get when successfully connected to GPTL network.

 

[BhargavJ]

I can't connect to GTPL through modem at all, because its MAC address is different from the one my laptop has. Right now, I connect my laptop directly by plugging in the RJ45 cable into the laptop.

If you are suggesting that I should change the other laptop's MAC address to that of the one I'm currently using to connect to GTPL by cable, that's something I never thought of.

Is it possible to do this with mobiles as well?

But the problem still remains: what if I want to connect more than one device at the same time? Then I'll have to use the router, and I can't do that if it doesn't support MAC Cloning. So all those who have the DLink modem I mentioned, can you please confirm whether or not it supports MAC Cloning. Also, all those using TP-Link WR740 or WR841, can you also confirm this, because I'd like to buy a router which supports MAC Cloning.

Thanks.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

You should:
Connect the laptop (registered MAC address) to the modem/router
Clone that mac address into the modem/router
Try connecting again using the modem/router.

 

[whitestar_999]

that's what he wants to confirm,he couldn't find mac cloning feature in 2730u.

[MENTION=155768]BhargavJ[/MENTION],my point was to check whether your modem can act as switch,in which case the mac address of the pc/laptop connected to it will pass to the isp not its own mac address.just disable dhcp in modem,connect laptop to modem using another lan port on modem & see if you can connect to GPTL network.

 

[BhargavJ]

I've decided to buy TP-Link WR740. This site says the maximum number of Wifi connections it supports is ten:

Compare TP-LINK TL-WR740N with TP-LINK TL-WR841N

I don't think I'm ever going to connect ten devices to the router at the same time. Also, WR740 and WR841 have the same range. WR841 has more bandwidth or whatever its called - 300 mbps, but that will be of use only for internal data transfer between devices, and not for the Internet connection. I have a 1 mbps connection, and the 150 mbps router will suffice.

WR740 also has MAC address cloning, as seen here, in Network > MAC Clone:

*www.tplink.com/resources/simulator/TL-WR740N_v1&v2/index.htm

What I plan to do is, once I get this router, I'll connect the Dell laptop (the MAC address of which is registered with GTPL) to the router, and clone that MAC address so that the Dell laptop's MAC address becomes the same as the router's. My question is, once I have cloned the MAC address, will it stay, or will the router only have the GTPL-registered MAC address as long as the Dell laptop is connected to the router? Suppose the Dell laptop is switched off, and I switch on the router and connect another device to the router - the router will still use the GTPL-registered MAC address, won't it?

 

[whitestar_999]

you clone laptop mac address into router settings making router mac address look like laptop mac address.after that one you login from laptop then you can connect other devices as well as turn off laptop.you may also try logging in from another device but if your cable isp use some sort of web page login then you have to login first from laptop & after that you can turn it off.if your isp does not use web login then you can simply use any pc/laptop to login through router(having isp registered laptop cloned mac address).