10.x.x.x IS the private LAN IP.And this has nothing to do with switches/versus hubs per se...my area had switches, but sharing and pinging was possible, now it is not.See, you can still ping anyone who is on the same switch (ie in the same building), but if someone is on the same network but on a different switch, the only way to his switch is through the gateway, which blocks these requests (this practice was not in force earlier). So no sharing is possible, unless done via regular internet channels, which will be at slow speeds (whatever b/w your connection is), apart from the fact that they will charge you for it.The simplest excuse for them here is:a) They are under no obligation to allow you to use their LAN for any purpose other than connecting to the internet via a Sify connectionB) It helps prevent viruses from spreading over the networkYes, it sucks, but there is little you can do about it.