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  1. #1
    Nobody expects the Senior Member Lemur's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Laptops + cable = LAN?

    I remember some PCs back in the day were advertsied as having "auto sensing" ethernet ports, so you didn't need to buy a crossover cable. Was that a passing fad, or is it now a common feature? I'm more of a switch/router guy, so I've never messed about with crossover cables ...

  2. #2
    The very model of a modern Moderator Xiahou's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Laptops + cable = LAN?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lemur
    I remember some PCs back in the day were advertsied as having "auto sensing" ethernet ports, so you didn't need to buy a crossover cable. Was that a passing fad, or is it now a common feature? I'm more of a switch/router guy, so I've never messed about with crossover cables ...
    What, you never had to plug one switch into another?
    Last edited by Xiahou; 04-27-2006 at 07:44.
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  3. #3
    Master of Few Words Senior Member KukriKhan's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Laptops + cable = LAN?

    Update: Jason's laptop arrived yesterday. I had already purchased a x-over cable. Once he got Windows installed, then CallofDuty2, we plugged in the Cat5 crossover.

    I got a little notification balloon "local area network detected'. He didn't. We dropped firewalls, shared file & printer.

    We both fired up CoD2, and tried to configure the multiplayer/LAN settings so we'd be sychronized. No joy. Lengthy in-game error msg, then CTD on both machines.

    It finally dawned on me that I'd patched up to v1.2, and Jason still had v1.0. By then, we'd fiddled around for about 2 hours, and it was getting late. He went home, patched up to v1.2, called me & we found each other on a low-ping server. Much joy. His monster-good new lappy + my mostly good lappy + a good 'net connection = a fine 30 minutes of hunting each other in Tunisia. After 25 minutes, the server disconnected, with the score kukri 6, electricSlurpee 6.

    He'll come over Sunday, and we'll try again the machine-to-machine connection. I have a 4-port router to try. Will advise.
    Be well. Do good. Keep in touch.

  4. #4
    The Black Senior Member Papewaio's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Laptops + cable = LAN?

    Quote Originally Posted by KukriKhan
    He'll come over Sunday, and we'll try again the machine-to-machine connection. I have a 4-port router to try. Will advise.
    Use the router... you can use it for LAN games or play online together in an MP and sit side by side... that makes for some really good team play as you can communicate easily... even better if you had a wireless router you could walk around the place and play/get a beer from the fridge etc with a wireless laptop...
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  5. #5
    Master of Few Words Senior Member KukriKhan's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Laptops + cable = LAN?

    ... you could walk around the place and play/get a beer from the fridge etc with a wireless laptop...
    Sounds best to me :)

    Sunday we'll have more time available. So we'll try to make the crossover cable work. This time, I'll try a simple text file transfer first, to see if we really are hooked together. If no joy, then the router.
    Be well. Do good. Keep in touch.

  6. #6
    Boy's Guard Senior Member LeftEyeNine's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Laptops + cable = LAN?

    Kukri, if you had router, why hassle with direct connection stuff ?

  7. #7
    Master of Few Words Senior Member KukriKhan's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Laptops + cable = LAN?

    After several failed attempts, using several configurations and re-trying LAN setup wizards - and using the advice here... I can happily report success with one game:

    HALO

    Cross-over cable. One machine selects 'IP direct connection' in-game in multiplayer options. The other types in the starter's IP address, then 'join game'. Run-and-shoot for hours. Too easy.

    So apparently, it's mostly a matter of whether the particular game supports 'direct IP connection'. If so: joy. If not, fail.

    Oh, BTW, the scores (deathmatch): 25-2, 22-7, 15-12, 12-15, 14-13 I got better over time, heehee (me the 2nd score).
    Be well. Do good. Keep in touch.

  8. #8
    Nobody expects the Senior Member Lemur's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2 Laptops + cable = LAN?

    Quote Originally Posted by Xiahou
    What, you never had to plug one switch into another?
    Um, no, the idea was that you could use standard CAT5 cabling to string one PC directly to another. It was kind of gimmicky, and I never tried it myself. The auto-sensing ethernet ports were supposed to eliminate the need for crossover cables.

    Like I said, I've always been a router/switch person, so I never had a need to play with the feature. From the strong silence I'm guessing that it was a passing fad.

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