can I add a router/hub/switch to my existing linksys router?

[substance12]

I have a linksys BEFW11S4 V2 router and I'm wondering If I can add a hub or switch or router to it, to expand the number of hard line ports?

 

[InlineFive]

I believe that you can run a crossover cable from one router to the other (assuming that both have no uplink ports). Then you can disable DHCP on one of them and it should be set to go.

 

[substance12]

so a special cable is needed?
why is it necessary to have "no" uplink ports?

the linksys router I have has 5 ports on it: 4 that go to each computer and 1 that connects to the cable modem. I'm assuming 1 of the 4 will now go to the new router, which will be the same port that would normally have connected to the cable modem.

I guess I'll have to explain my setup if a special cable is needed. modem and router are located in the living room and from there I wired cat5 to each room from underneath the house. so i'm not sure if getting a new cable will work in this situation. In one of the rooms I was hoping to connect another router or switch (if that makes sense, i'm not too familar with switches) to the wall jack/port that is connected to the main router in the living room.

 

[InlineFive]

Uplink ports allow routers to communicate with each other over regular network cable. If you don't have any you will need a special cable called a crossover cable that accomplishes this by being wired different internally from regular cables.

No, the WAN port would stay connected to the cable modem. You would interface the new router through one of the LAN ports using a crossover cable unless the new router has a Uplink port.

 

[nbarb99]

I have a similar situation with a 10Mbps hub and a wireless router plugged into my main Linksys wired router.

All you need to do is to connect the routers/switches together with a crossover cable. If the main router (your current one) has an "Uplink" port, just string a normal Ethernet cable from the "Uplink" port to any standard port on the new router/switch.
If the main router does not have an uplink port, use a special crossover Ethernet cable (you can buy these at a computer/electronics store) from any standard port on the main router to any standard port on the new router/switch.

By the way - you don't need to get a new router, just a switch. A router includes the hardware and firmware that allows multiple computers to share one Internet connection (i.e. NAT functionality), while a switch is simply a networking device. Since you already have a router, you don't need another one to add more nodes to your network.. a simple switch will do the job.

Hope this helps!

 

[substance12]

but I will have issues. If I have assessed the situation accurately, using the crossover cable won't work in my situation because I am plugging into a wall jack (that I built with cat5 that links from 1 room to another room). I believe I can get a switch for free/discounted so that's good to hear I can use that.

I'm not sure about the cat5 cable that I used when I put in the wall jacks. An electrician that did work for me, hooked me up with a few hundred feet, so I just used that. Am I correct in that I won't be able to use the xover cable?

 

[nbarb99]

If you use a crossover cable on one side of the connection (router -> wall or wall -> switch), it will work. When you add a crossover cable to a link, the entire line becomes a crossover cable because of the way crossover cables work.

A crossover cable is just an Ethernet cable with the pins inverted on one side. If you plug a crossover cable into another Ethernet cable, the data lines will still be "inverted" because they passed through the crossover cable (which sort of acts like an adapter).

As long as you don't put *another* crossover cable on the other side of the wall connection, re-inverting the data lines, your crossover link will work fine.

 

[substance12]

ahhhh... it all comes together now!

 

[TiziteLayinLow]

or just take 1 out port into the new router WAN port with straight through cable.. disable the DHCP in the 2nd router.. but if your main purpose is to expand your network with more ports.. a hub or switch will be fun..

teh difference between the hub or switch is going basically be the switch will section off your network into a different collison domain.. in other words.. the next 4 ports on the switch will be on 1 collision domain versus a hub will make all the computers frmo the hub and switch on a collision domain.. a switch would be better.. especially if they get heavy usuage.. linksys make a nice switch.

hope that helped and wasnt too confusing.

 

[JackMDS]

The general Rules of Cable connection are:

NIC to NIC - Crossover Cable. (Computer directly to second computer).
NIC to Hub/Switch - Straight Cable. (Computer to Hub/Switch).
NIC to Uplink - Crossover Cable. (Computer to Uplink on a HUB/Switch).

Hub/Switch (regular) to Hub/Switch (regular) - Crossover Cable.
Hub/Switch (regular) to Hub/Switch Uplink - Straight Cable.
Hub/Switch Uplink to Hub/Switch Uplink - Crossover Cable.

Cable/DSL Router WAN Side is an Uplink jack.


This link is for Wireless Routers, but the same idea can be used with Wired.

Link to: Using a Wireless Cable/DSL Router as a Switch with an Access Point]

:sun:

 

[viking1966]

i have a smc router connected to my cable modem, this router has a 8 port switch, i have 6 computers connected to the switch and i also two 5 port switches connected to the 8 port switch, all the ports on all 3 ports auto detect a crossover or straight cable so it is a no brainer.. any cable works from switch to switch.. on one of my 5 port switchs i have a linksys wap11 (access point) and on the other 5 port switch i have a wireless router (belkin brand) the belkin has dhcp disable and is set to be a access point so one if its switch ports is connected to one of the 5 port switch ports..

..

I wll stop there.. just get a cheap autodetect 5 port switch..

 

[TiziteLayinLow]

and you need 16 wire ports and 2 access points in your.. house?

and i thought i was bad.. lol (2 servers and 2 workstations)

 

[dchakrab]

Er guys, WAN does NOT = uplink.

An uplink port, or an autosensing port, or a port with a uplink switch, does the crossover internally. That means you can use regular ethernet cabling for your connection, if ONE of your ports is either an uplink, able to become an uplink, or able to intelligently decide to be an uplink. If both of the ports you're connecting are "regular" ethernet ports, you'll need a crossover cable.

Hope that helps,

Dave.