How to Connect Two Computers Together with an Crossover Cable
The internal wiring of Ethernet crossover cables reverses the transmit and receive signals. It is most often used to connect two devices of the same type: e.g. two computers (via network interface controller) or two switches to each other. Crossover cable can be use to connect two computers and transfer data.
In order for this setup to work, there are a few things you need to make sure are setup or configured properly. I will try to go through all the different steps in this article.
Configure IP Addresses
You have to make sure that both computers have IP addresses that are on the same subnet. For example, if you give one computer an IP address of 192.168.0.1, then you should give the second computer an IP of 192.168.0.2.
Lastly, the value for the default gateway should be the same on both machines. You can pick which IP address you want to use, but use it on both computers for the default gateway. Below is how my setup looks for one computer:
It’s worth noting that you could technically leave the Default Gateway and Preferred DNS server fields blank as you really don’t have to connect to any device outside the local network.
Local User Accounts
If you’re having problems accessing files both ways, you may have to create a user account on each computer that has the same name and same password.
Make sure the accounts are administrator accounts also!
Disable Firewalls
You should disable the firewall on both computers to ensure that none of the file sharing ports are being blocked.
Crossover Cable
Finally, plug one end of the Ethernet cable into one computer and plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into the other computer.
That’s about it! If you follow all these steps, each computer should be able to access the other properly. You should now be able to go to My Network Places or Network in Windows Explorer and access the other computer. You’ll also need to setup a shared folder if you want to transfer files.
In order for this setup to work, there are a few things you need to make sure are setup or configured properly. I will try to go through all the different steps in this article.
Configure IP Addresses
You have to make sure that both computers have IP addresses that are on the same subnet. For example, if you give one computer an IP address of 192.168.0.1, then you should give the second computer an IP of 192.168.0.2.
Lastly, the value for the default gateway should be the same on both machines. You can pick which IP address you want to use, but use it on both computers for the default gateway. Below is how my setup looks for one computer:
It’s worth noting that you could technically leave the Default Gateway and Preferred DNS server fields blank as you really don’t have to connect to any device outside the local network.
Local User Accounts
If you’re having problems accessing files both ways, you may have to create a user account on each computer that has the same name and same password.
Make sure the accounts are administrator accounts also!
Disable Firewalls
You should disable the firewall on both computers to ensure that none of the file sharing ports are being blocked.
Crossover Cable
Finally, plug one end of the Ethernet cable into one computer and plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into the other computer.
That’s about it! If you follow all these steps, each computer should be able to access the other properly. You should now be able to go to My Network Places or Network in Windows Explorer and access the other computer. You’ll also need to setup a shared folder if you want to transfer files.