DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

Network shows another computer connected to mine.

32 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/network-shows-another-computer-connected-to-mine.190390/

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BhargavJ Original post #1
Mar 12, 2015 at 8:42 PM
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
RCuber #2
Mar 12, 2015 at 8:45 PM
can you post the screen shots for your network and firewall ?
SaiyanGoku
Mar 12, 2015 at 8:46 PM
Check the clients connected to your wifi network from the router's interface.
B
Mar 12, 2015 at 9:26 PM
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.
A
amit.tiger12 #5
Mar 12, 2015 at 10:49 PM
i think you messed up everything... can you please explain it so I can help..
tell me in simple words..
W
Mar 13, 2015 at 5:27 AM
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.
K
kkn13 #7
Mar 15, 2015 at 1:54 PM
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
W
Mar 15, 2015 at 11:02 PM
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.
B
Mar 25, 2015 at 7:35 PM
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.
W
Mar 25, 2015 at 8:19 PM
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
mitraark #11
Mar 26, 2015 at 11:30 AM
No. of devices is not going to be a problem with WR740, go for it.

WR841 owner.
B
BhargavJ #12
Mar 26, 2015 at 9:08 PM
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?
W
Mar 26, 2015 at 9:36 PM
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
B
BhargavJ #14
Mar 26, 2015 at 9:41 PM
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.
W
Mar 26, 2015 at 9:59 PM
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.
B
BhargavJ #16
Mar 26, 2015 at 10:04 PM
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. :oops:

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
Mar 26, 2015 at 10:19 PM
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.
W
Mar 26, 2015 at 10:30 PM
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.
B
BhargavJ #19
Apr 1, 2015 at 3:54 PM
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?
W
Apr 1, 2015 at 7:03 PM
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).
B
BhargavJ #21
Apr 2, 2015 at 7:37 PM
Hello Whitestar, I did what you had asked me to do: First, I disabled DHCP in the D-Link 2730u modem. As soon as I did that, I couldn't connect to the router by Wifi by typing 192.168.1.1 in browser page. Today, I connected the GTPL cable to one of the LAN ports of the modem, and connected one side of another cable to the second LAN port of the router and the other side to the laptop. Then I clicked the networks icon in the system tray of Win 8, and when the right-hand side sidescreen opened, I entered the GTPL username and password, and I was instantly able to connect to GTPL! So what you said about the modem acting as a switch has worked. I didn't need to buy another router, at least for the time being.

I still cannot open the 192.168.1.1 page in the browser, even though I am connected to the modem by cable. Then I connected by Wifi, and the 192.168.1.1 page did open, but the connection is limited, and half the time it doesn't open. What do I do to open the page when connected by cable only?
A
amit.tiger12 #22
Apr 2, 2015 at 7:39 PM
^ reset it... start set-up again. :)
W
Apr 2, 2015 at 8:19 PM
run ipconfig /all in command prompt & post the result here for each situation(connected by cable,by wifi,192.x... page opening,net working,net not working).
B
BhargavJ #24
Apr 2, 2015 at 9:29 PM
I did reset the modem, but to no avail, the modem 192.168.1.1 page still does not open. I don't have the setup of the D-Link router on this laptop; its on another computer.

This is the ipconfig /all data; first by connecting the GTPL cable to the modem and connecting the modem to the laptop by cable and then entering the username and password for GTPL in the laptop:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : dell
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

PPP adapter Broadband Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadband Connection
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::e84d:7e40:4955:3f2e%55(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 182.237.15.170(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 8.8.8.8
4.2.2.2
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 14:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 56-5A-04-B6-A7-3A
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 12:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 16-5A-04-B6-A7-3A
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Dell Wireless 1705 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHZ)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 64-5A-04-B6-A7-3A
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-86-7A-5E-FE-EF
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::90c:2726:44e:a6f3%12(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.81(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 02 April 2015 09:15:21 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 05 April 2015 09:15:21 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.25.6.40
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 259294842
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-1A-30-37-80-74-86-7A-5E-FE-EF

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

This is after disconnecting the cable from the modem to the laptop, while the GTPL cable is still connected to the modem, and then connecting the laptop to the modem by Wifi:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : dell
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 14:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 56-5A-04-B6-A7-3A
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 12:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 16-5A-04-B6-A7-3A
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Dell Wireless 1705 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHZ)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 64-5A-04-B6-A7-3A
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::5861:37a0:c3e2:12ca%13(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.61(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 02 April 2015 09:16:28 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 05 April 2015 09:25:38 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.25.6.40
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 325343748
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-1A-30-37-80-74-86-7A-5E-FE-EF

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-86-7A-5E-FE-EF
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

When connected by Wifi only, the connection is shown as limited, and pinging yahoo gives request timed out.
W
Apr 3, 2015 at 10:08 AM
this is because:
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.81(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 02 April 2015 09:15:21 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 05 April 2015 09:15:21 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.1

for accessing modem ip address need to be 192.168.1.x & default gateway need to be 192.168.1.1.

since dhcp is disabled in modem your pc/laptop is getting ip from cable service provider as modem is now working as a switch only.you can manually set ip address in desktop to see if you can still access GPTL connection.as for wifi it is not working because wifi adapter mac address is different from ethernet(lan wire) adapter mac address of laptop(both are different hardware units inside laptop,think of it as having 2 lan cards in a desktop with different mac address).
B
BhargavJ #26
Apr 3, 2015 at 3:17 PM
for accessing modem ip address need to be 192.168.1.x & default gateway need to be 192.168.1.1.

you can manually set ip address in desktop to see if you can still access GPTL connection.

So how do I manually set the IP address, and how do I access the modem?

as for wifi it is not working because wifi adapter mac address is different from ethernet(lan wire) adapter mac address of laptop(both are different hardware units inside laptop,think of it as having 2 lan cards in a desktop with different mac address).

This means that while the D-Link modem might be working as a switch at present, in the end I will have to buy a new router, doesn't it?

At present, ipconfig /all shows:

PPP adapter Broadband Connection:

IPv4 Address....................... : 10.50.0.12 (Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

IPv4 Address....................... : 192.168.88.81 (Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.88.1
W
Apr 3, 2015 at 9:20 PM
you can manually set ip address in windows,just search help center of windows or google it.if you are tired of doing all this then you should just spend 800 & get wr740n.
TP-Link TL-WR740N Wireless Router (white) - Buy TP-Link TL-WR740N Wireless Router (white) Online at Low Price in India - Amazon.in
pkkumarcool
Apr 4, 2015 at 7:01 AM
Try one laptop with 192.168.1.20 and other with 192.168.1.21
B
BhargavJ #29
Apr 4, 2015 at 10:49 PM
I've decided to buy the TP-Link WR740N router; I'll probably buy tomorrow. But I have three questions:

1. At present, I connect the cable directly to my laptop the MAC address of which is registered with GTPL, and then login from within Windows:

*s1.postimg.org/bsq98tkuz/GTPL_Login.jpg

While WR740 supports MAC cloning, suppose I want to access the Internet from my mobile phone only - will I have to connect the laptop to the router every time, login from within Windows, clone the MAC address, and then switch the laptop off and connect the mobile phone to the router, or will I have to clone the MAC address only once, and then every time I connect any device to the router, the router will connect to GTPL with the registered MAC address?

2. Earlier, when I was using BSNL through the D-Link modem, the username and password were stored in the modem itself, and all I had to do was switch on the modem, and it would automatically connect to BSNL. Does WR740 also have the same feature? Because if it is about connecting to GTPL by using the laptop, it can be done by logging in from within Windows, but suppose I turn on the router and connect only my mobile to the router - how do I login then? Do mobiles have any such app for logging in?

There's a simulator of the modem on the net:

TL-WR740N

3. Every time I want to connect to GTPL, I have to type the username and password in the laptop which runs Windows 8. My other laptop, which runs Windows 7, has a separate login window, and it has the username and password saved in itself, and I only have to press the connect button:

*4.bp.blogspot.com/-kGjoqXxgXvg/UIKl7v9nAiI/AAAAAAAAAHw/s-bvFP7r6Oo/s1600/Broadband_dialer.jpg

How do you do this in Windows 8?

Thanks.
W
Apr 5, 2015 at 8:33 AM
only web login requires one to login first using registered device.since your connection login is simply a dialer you can save the user id/pass in router setting.after cloning mac address go to network wan settings,select connection type as pppoe & enter user id/pass.also select connect automatically & then click on connect.after this the router should connect to GPTL network whenever it is on.
B
BhargavJ #31
Apr 7, 2015 at 6:32 PM
Just got TP-Link WR740N, and configured it.

Faced a problem in the beginning: connected the Dell laptop to the router by Wifi, and kept asking it to clone this computer's MAC address, but the GTPL connection kept failing. Then saw that the MAC address I was entering was a different one: I had earlier seen the laptop's MAC address while I was connected to GTPL by directly connecting the cable to the laptop. At that time, it was the laptop's Ethernet MAC address that was being used and I was under the impression that there is only one MAC address per laptop. Now I've found out that the laptop's Ethernet and Wireless MAC addresses are different. So then I entered the Ethernet MAC address - which is the one registered with GTPL - into the router, and it immediately connected to GTPL.

Disconnected the laptop from the router, then switched off the router, started it again, and connected only the mobile, and the mobile was able to connect to the router! The GTPL username and password are saved in the router itself.

Also took some steps to secure the Wifi connection: earlier I had only changed the password for accessing the router and had created a strong security key, but this time I also added MAC address filtering, and hid the SSID as well. I thought the SSID would not show up at all, but Windows shows the network as "Hidden Network", and when clicked, asks first for the SSID and then the password. Now all the neighbouring computers must be showing my Wifi router as a Hidden Network, and someone might get curious about what this is, and try to find out, and be tempted to hack into my router. I've read on the net that Wifi security is a myth:

5 Wi-Fi security myths you must abandon now | PCWorld

So I've decided to allow SSID broadcast. Strong security key and MAC address filtering are still there.

DHCP is enabled on this router. I think its necessary if you want to connect more than one device, isn't it?

Also need some help on how to reboot this router without logging in inside the browser and pressing the reboot button. A long time ago, I used to do this with another modem by running some Telnet script.

Thanks to everyone who helped out here, specially Whitestar_999!
W
Apr 8, 2015 at 8:27 PM
i used to reboot my tplink adsl modem using telnet but i have to figure out the command by searching through various telnet commands.just use "/?" or "help" command to get list of all available commands inside telnet console after logging in though telnet.