Organizing file sharing between devices within a single apartment or office is no longer the preserve of system administrators at large corporations. Today, any user may need to transfer gigabytes of photos from a work laptop to a home desktop PC or play a network game with a friend in the next room. Using external hard drives or flash drives in such situations is often ineffective due to slow write speeds and the need to physically move the drives. Therefore, understanding how to set up a local network between two computers via Wi-Fi is becoming a basic skill for the modern user.
Creating a local area network (LAN) via a wireless connection allows you to connect devices into a single ecosystem without unnecessary wires. Unlike a cable connection, Wi-Fi offers freedom of movement, although it imposes certain limitations on data transfer speed. However, for most everyday tasks, such as watching video from a media server or sharing documents, the bandwidth of modern standards is insufficient. 802.11ac And 802.11ax It's quite sufficient. It's just important to properly configure security and sharing settings in the operating system.
In this article, we'll cover every setup step in detail, from hardware testing to port forwarding for games. You'll learn how to avoid common mistakes when computers don't "see" each other and how to protect your data from unauthorized access. We'll cover the settings for the Windows operating system, as it's the most common platform for home networks.
Preparing equipment and checking connections
Before proceeding with software settings, you need to ensure the physical connection is possible. Both computers must be connected to the same wireless router. It doesn't matter whether they use the same frequency (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz), as long as they are within the same subnet. Connecting one computer via cable and the other via Wi-Fi is also acceptable, but for the purposes of this article, we'll focus on a completely wireless connection.
The first step is to check IP addressing. For a local network to function properly, each device within the same network must be assigned a unique IP address, for example, 192.168.1.5 And 192.168.1.10. Most often this task is taken upon DHCP server router, assigning addresses automatically. However, for the stability of servers and printers, it is recommended to manually assign static IP addresses so that they do not change after a router reboot.
⚠️ Important: If you decide to manually assign static IP addresses, make sure they are not within the range of addresses assigned by the router's DHCP server. Otherwise, an IP address conflict will occur, and one of the devices will lose network access.
To check the connection between devices, you can use a standard command line utility. Open a command prompt on the first computer (press Win + R, enter cmd and press Enter) and enter the ping command with the second computer's address. If you see the response "Reply from...," then the physical connection is working correctly, and the problem, if any, lies in the firewall or sharing settings.
Setting up a network profile in Windows
By default, the Windows operating system seeks to protect the user by assigning "Public Network" status to new connections. In this mode, the computer is hidden from detection by other devices, and incoming connections are blocked. To make a local Wi-Fi network between two computers work, you need to change the network profile to "Private." This tells the system that you are in a trusted environment, such as your home.
You can change your network type through the system settings. Go to the Start menu, select "Settings" (the gear icon), then open "Network & Internet." Select your Wi-Fi connection from the list of available connections, click it, and under "Network Profile," switch the switch from "Public" to "Private." The system will then allow discovery of the device and open the necessary ports for local data exchange.
It's also important to check that network discovery is enabled. In Control Panel, under "Network and Sharing Center," select "Change advanced sharing settings." Here, for the "Private" profile, "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing" should be enabled. Without these options enabled, computers simply won't be able to "see" each other in the network, even if pinging is successful.
⚠️ Note: The network settings interface may differ depending on your Windows version (10 or 11) and installed updates. If you can't find the desired option, search for "general" in the system settings.
Organizing shared folders and resources
Once the network infrastructure is set up, it's time to set up data access. The easiest way is to share (make public) a specific folder. To do this, right-click the folder you want to share, select "Properties," and then go to the "Sharing" tab. Click "Advanced" and check "Share this folder."
Setting permissions is crucial. Click the "Permissions" button in the same window. Here you can determine what actions network users can perform: read-only files, modify files, or full access. For maximum security, it is recommended to create a separate user with a password for network access rather than granting access to the "Everyone" group, especially if guests are allowed on the network.
An alternative method is to use the "Shared Folders" feature. In the advanced sharing settings, you can enable "Shared Public Folders." This will allow all files placed in the system directory to be shared. C:\Users\Public, are automatically made available to other computers on the network. This is convenient for quickly sharing temporary files, but less secure for sensitive data.
☑️ Check access settings
Access Method Comparison Table
There are several ways to organize data exchange, and choosing the best one depends on your specific needs. Below is a comparison of the main methods available in the Windows environment.
| Access method | Difficulty of setup | Security | Speed of work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared folder | Average | High (requires password) | High |
| HomeGroup (older versions) | Low | Average | High |
| Cloud services | Low | Very high | Depends on the Internet |
| FTP server | High | High | Maximum |
As the table shows, classic folder sharing offers a happy medium between convenience and security. Using cloud services can be slower, as data often travels through the provider's external server rather than directly between computers. FTP servers provide better performance when transferring large amounts of data, but require additional software installation or complex configuration of the built-in IIS server.
Network settings are also used for LAN gaming sessions where minimal latency is important. In this case, it's important to ensure that antivirus software doesn't block the connection. It's often necessary to add the game or platform (such as Steam) to the Windows Firewall exceptions to allow other players to connect to your server.
Why did I lose access to the folder after a Windows update?
Often after major updates (for example, upgrading from version 21H2 to 22H2), network profile settings are reset to "Public" or support for the older SMB 1.0 protocol is disabled. Check your network type and enable SMB 1.0 in "Turn Windows features on or off" if you're connecting to very old devices (NAS or printers).
Troubleshooting common problems
Even with proper configuration, users often encounter a situation where computers don't see each other in the "Network" list. One common cause is a disabled service, "Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) Function Discovery Resource Publishing" or "Function Discovery Provider Host." You can check their status by entering the following in the command line: services.mscMake sure these services are started and running in automatic mode.
Another common issue is time desynchronization. If the computers have different clocks (more than 5-10 minutes apart), the Kerberos authentication protocol may block the connection for security reasons. It's also worth checking whether IPv6 is enabled in the network adapter properties. While the network can operate on IPv4, some Windows discovery features rely on IPv6.
⚠️ Note: Third-party antivirus programs (Kaspersky, ESET, Avast) often have their own built-in firewalls that ignore Windows Firewall settings. If standard methods don't help, temporarily disable your antivirus to test this hypothesis.
If all else fails, try resetting your network settings. In Windows 10 and 11, you can do this via Settings → Network & Internet → Advanced network settings → Network reset. This will delete all saved Wi-Fi passwords and return your network adapters to factory settings, which often resolves software conflicts.
Questions and Answers (FAQ)
Is it possible to create a local network without a router, directly between two laptops?
Yes, it's possible. The technology is called "Computer-to-Computer" (Ad-hoc). However, in modern versions of Windows, creating such a network through the graphical interface has been discontinued. The command line and the command netsh wlan To create a virtual access point that the second laptop can connect to. This is more complicated than connecting via a router.
Why does the speed drop to a few kilobytes per second when copying files?
Speed may drop due to a poor Wi-Fi signal, the use of the outdated 802.11g/n standard, or interference from neighboring networks. Also, make sure both devices are operating in the 5 GHz band, which provides higher throughput than 2.4 GHz.
Is it safe to leave sharing enabled all the time?
If your computer is connected to a public Wi-Fi network (such as a cafe or airport), leaving sharing enabled is strictly prohibited, as your data could become accessible to hackers. On a home network, the risk is minimal, but it is recommended to use complex passwords for user accounts.
How to access a folder if it is not visible in Network Neighborhood?
You can access the resource directly by IP address. Open "My Computer" and enter "ip address" in the address bar. \\192.168.1.XX (where XX is the IP address of the target computer) and press Enter. If access is allowed, the folder will open.