Hi, I have a problem with Win7 Homegroups. I have a combination of a wired and wireless network consisting of 2 desktop PC's, 2 laptops and 2 netbooks. I have configured all of these machine to operate under a homegroup through the wired network but when I try to connect the laptops and netbooks, all I get in Explorer is that there are no homegroups available. Plugging in the wired connection fixes the problem but I need to have these laptops / netbooks be able to access the homegroup over wifi. All PC's can access the internet both through wired and wifi connections through a Linksys WAG320N router. The laptops are Dell XPS M1210 and Inspiron 1520. The netbooks are both Lenovo S10E. All PC's have been checked to be in the Home network using the same workgroup and running DHCP. I have turned off the firewall of one of the Lenovo's but this didn't fix the problem. The Homegroup troubleshooter can also not determine any problem. Obviously, I'm missing something still but I can't see it. Any help would be great. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Craig

Open Network and Sharing. Under "View Your Active Networks" check the type of network that has been defined for the Wifi connection (Home, Work, Public). It must be set to Home for the computer to participate in a Homegroup. If it is set to Work or Public, change it to Home. "It's a tough life... but someone has to enjoy it!"

Hi Jagade. I have both the wired and wireless networks set to Home already. This was the first thing I checked after reading some other forums about this actually. Thanks for the info all the same.

Ok. HomeGroups require that all PC's be in the same network subnet. So, the next step is to make sure that the wired and wireless computers are actually on the same network (subnet). Wireless Routers can have several virtual networks (VLAN's) running simultaneously (aka multiple SSID's, Guest Networks, etc.). So, all of your machines connecting thru the common router will have Internet access. And, they may even be able to see each other on the network (depending on the Router configuration). However, multiple network segments is a problem for HomeGroups. Verify that the wired PC's and the wirless laptops are all in the same subnet by using the ipconfig /all command on each machine. Press the Windows key and the R key. This brings up the Run window. Type in cmd and press return. In the command prompt window, enter the ipconfig command. All of the IP configurations should be the same (ex:192.168.1.x where x is the unique IP address for that machine but the rest of the IP address is common to all machines). If that does not work, then "leave" the Homegroup on each machine, reboot the machines and the Router, connect the wired and wireless computers however you see fit (in a common subnet), and then rejoin a single common HomeGroup one machine at a time. It is possible that you have more than one HomeGroup that you created while setting everything up so make sure you only have one. We are trying to eliminate any variables here."It's a tough life... but someone has to enjoy it!"

Hi Jagade, It seems to be working now for some reason. I had reset the router before but a second reset seems to have fixed it. I am thinking the router may need replacing in the near future as it occasionally loses wifi for no reason. Thanks for the advice Craig

Well, I guess this is good news. Sometimes the simplest things cause the biggest headaches. The Linksys Router you have is a fairly good model. If you lose Wifi every once in awhile, you may be getting interference from nearby sources (like neighbor's Wifi Routers). I use a software tool called InSSIDer that basically lets you scan for all active Wifi devices on both the 2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz frequency bands. It's great for detecting all the Wifi networks that are within range... letting you know who is running on what channel... and who is stepping on who... so to speak. Here's the link to get the free software. http://www.metageek.net/ If everything on your wired/wireless network is hooked up and configured properly, you should be able to use Windows Explorer to view all the machines connected to your WorkGroup. This let's you know right away if you have File and Print sharing turned on, network is operational, etc. Happy New Year"It's a tough life... but someone has to enjoy it!"

Hello, Glad to hear that you have fixed it. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know. I am happy to be of further assistance. Thanks, and have a great day! Alex Zhao TechNet Subscriber Support in forum. If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.comPlease remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.