Stooopid Wifi Question?

[BobMCT]

Someone asked me the other day if it was possible to simultaneously connect and use TWO different Wifi Networks on the same laptop. My immediate response was NO thinking that there is only one radio in the onboard Wifi adapter. Later I was thinking about it and I thought some additional research was in order. My thought is that a 2nd wifi adapter could be plugged in and enabled allowing two simultaneous connections. On the other hand I thought that I might be misinformed and thought that I would ask here of the enlightened readers. I ask in the Windows 7 forum because this particular user specifically referenced Windows 7.
Can anyone please confirm or dispute my response? Any additional thoughts/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[karlisi]

Yes, if there are two wireless cards. In general, wireless connection have no differences from another type of network interfaces.

===
Karlis
ECDL; MCSA

 

[goombawaho]

You COULD have it set up that way, however, it might be a real mess in terms of ip addresses. Having two network addresses possible in two different subnets might cause some strange behavior trying to connect to different things.

WHY would anyone want to do that on a laptop? Usually only servers have multiple IP addresses.

 

[Sympology]

The only reason I could imagine for this is for bridging networks or packet sniffing (or more worryingly, Man-In-The-Middle attacks). Network guys do this sometimes, stick one card in promiscuous mode and send the data out via the other.
Man in the middle attacks you set one card as a fake AP and forward the info onto the real AP, so the end user doesn't know any different.

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[BobMCT]

FYI - this requirement is for a volunteer group who use laptops to provide services at various locations that have their own WLAN but the printing is wireless through a private WLAN to their own router with a wired network printer.
Hope this clears up the reason. No man in the middle other than the physical volunteers.

 

[goombawaho]

And you wouldn't use the same network card to connect to both?? I'm not suspicious, but I don't get it. But never mind.....

 

[BobMCT]

Well, met with the volunteers and think we've solved it. We're going to trash the separate wireless router that connects the printers and replace the printers with printers with built in wireless capability. That way the printer(s) can connect to the site's WLAN as do the laptops. Thanks for the feedback and I hope I didn't confuse too many of you.

 

[DrB0b]

Depending on what wireless routers you have, you may be able to bridge them so they are on one network as well. I know it is really easy to do with 2 Wrt54GL and DDWRT firmware.

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