Can I use an ethernet router as a hub?

[Muse]

My Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 wireless router has only 4 ethernet connections, and I could use some more. I'd like to support a 2nd desktop and an HD Homerun dual TV tuner, which is 3 more connections. I'm told I can get a switch ("better than a hub"), but I'm wondering if I can just use my old D-Link DI-704P ethernet router as a hub. Would that work OK? It has a "WAN" connection, which I figure I can use to connect it by ethernet to my Buffalo, and 4 ethernet connections. Would it work?

 

[mammador]

Hubs are hardly used these days are really are a 1980s/pre-Ethernet technology.

Most modern nodes need a unique collision domain, so a switch is the best way to go.

 

[Muse]

Hubs are hardly used these days are really are a 1980s/pre-Ethernet technology.

Most modern nodes need a unique collision domain, so a switch is the best way to go.

Cool, thanks. I've never used or seen one AFAIK. Can I get recommendation(s)?

 

[mammador]

I don't know of specific models, but a major consideration is how many hosts will be needed. For example, if there is a segment of 5 workstations, 2 printers and a camera than an eight port switch will suffice (or a 12/16 port switch to make things scalable).

 

[Gillbot]

Check the freebies thread, you can typically find one on there if you need one. Heck, I may have one in my closet.

 

[Demo24]

Could you? Most likely yes, but you'd need to tweak it somewhat to work properly.

Easier to just get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833704042

Plug a cable from the existing router to the switch, boom 7 more ports.

 

[Eug]

I sometimes use my old routers as switches, in a pinch. If you're going to do this, then turn off all the routing functionality, and don't use the WAN port.

 

[mammador]

I sometimes use my old routers as switches, in a pinch. If you're going to do this, then turn off all the routing functionality, and don't use the WAN port.

This.

As for a wifi router as a wired switch, I'm not sure. though this depends on the model, since some wifi routers have both wifi and wired capability.

 

[ch33zw1z]

This.

As for a wifi router as a wired switch, I'm not sure. though this depends on the model, since some wifi routers have both wifi and wired capability.

it will work the same regardless of hte wifi function. disable the wireless if you don't need it

 

[Carson Dyle]

I'm wondering if I can just use my old D-Link DI-704P ethernet router as a hub. Would that work OK? It has a "WAN" connection, which I figure I can use to connect it by ethernet to my Buffalo, and 4 ethernet connections. Would it work?

Yes, it can work, but you'll save yourself a lot of headaches by buying an inexpensive ethernet switch. If you do use the DI-704P, the most important things to do are:

a) Disable the internal DHCP server. Having two DHCP servers on your network isn't necessary, and is likely to cause addressing conflicts and other confusion.

b) Unless you can disable routing on the DI-704P, don't use the WAN port. If you connect the router using the WAN port, then the LAN ports will be on a different subnet and computers and devices on that subnet won't easily communicate with your existing network. Instead, connect the router to your existing network through one of the LAN ports, which will leave you with only three additional usable ports.

 

[Muse]

Could you? Most likely yes, but you'd need to tweak it somewhat to work properly.

Easier to just get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833704042

Plug a cable from the existing router to the switch, boom 7 more ports.

That looks nice. Thanks for the recommendation.

Edit: Uh, that's a 5 port switch. Wouldn't that effectively give me 4 more ports?

 

[Muse]

Yes, it can work, but you'll save yourself a lot of headaches by buying an inexpensive ethernet switch. If you do use the DI-704P, the most important things to do are:

a) Disable the internal DHCP server. Having two DHCP servers on your network isn't necessary, and is likely to cause addressing conflicts and other confusion.

b) Unless you can disable routing on the DI-704P, don't use the WAN port. If you connect the router using the WAN port, then the LAN ports will be on a different subnet and computers and devices on that subnet won't easily communicate with your existing network. Instead, connect the router to your existing network through one of the LAN ports, which will leave you with only three additional usable ports.

Oh, so that would actually work? I think I'll just get the switch.

If I disable routing on the DI-704P, can I use the WAN and LAN ports to effectively get 3 more ports? If I can't use the WAN port, I effectively only get 2 more ports, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Carson Dyle]

That looks nice. Thanks for the recommendation.

Actually, to get 7 more ports, you'd need the 8 port version of that switch.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...tem=33-704-043

One thing to keep in mind... Your Buffalo router has only a 10/100 Mbps switch. You'd be best off connecting any computers or other devices capable of 1000 Mbps (gigabit ethernet) to the gigabit switch, so that you can potentially achieve faster data transfers between those gigabit devices.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Oh, so that would actually work? I think I'll just get the switch.

That's by far your best bet. See my post above about 1000 Mbps ethernet.

If I disable routing on the DI-704P, can I use the WAN and LAN ports to effectively get 3 more ports? If I can't use the WAN port, I effectively only get 2 more ports, if I'm not mistaken.

I believe you could get an extra port, but I'm not positive. The idea is that all ports would have to be on the same subnet. But I do know the DI-704P has one WAN port and four LAN ports, not 1 + 3.

 

[Demo24]

That looks nice. Thanks for the recommendation.

Edit: Uh, that's a 5 port switch. Wouldn't that effectively give me 4 more ports?

oops, thought I had linked in the 8pt model. :sneaky:

 

[Muse]

Actually, to get 7 more ports, you'd need the 8 port version of that switch.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...tem=33-704-043

One thing to keep in mind... Your Buffalo router has only a 10/100 Mbps switch. You'd be best off connecting any computers or other devices capable of 1000 Mbps (gigabit ethernet) to the gigabit switch, so that you can potentially achieve faster data transfers between those gigabit devices.

So, how would I hook things up to take advantage of the gigabit ethernet? Would I run my ADSL modem to the 8 port switch and then an ethernet cable from that to my wireless router to service my laptops, connecting the devices in my computer room by ethernet to the switch's LAN ports? Currently I have the ADSL modem connected directly to the router's input.

The laptop I'm using right now does have wireless n, but I suppose I can't take advantage of it because my router is onlye 10/100 (wireless g).

 

[Carson Dyle]

So, how would I hook things up to take advantage of the gigabit ethernet? Would I run my ADSL modem to the 8 port switch and then an ethernet cable from that to my wireless router to service my laptops, connecting the devices in my computer room by ethernet to the switch's LAN ports? Currently I have the ADSL modem connected directly to the router's input.

The laptop I'm using right now does have wireless n, but I suppose I can't take advantage of it because my router is onlye 10/100 (wireless g).

Go ADSL -> router -> switch. All devices and computers need to be "behind" the router, so that they're all on the same local subnet controlled by the router. The router also functions as a firewall.

To take advantage of the gigabit ethernet you just need to make sure that all of your gigabit capable devices are connected to the ports on the switch and not to the router. Of course, any wiring to those devices will also have to be gigabit capable, but for those that are connected directly to the switch by only a patch cable, that should be fairly simple.

You can still use the router's ports, if you need them, but only connect 10 or 100 Mbps capable devices to these. You should end up with ten usable ethernet ports - seven of them 10/100/1000 and three of them 10/100.

 

[Muse]

Thanks, that sounds good. I only need 5-6 high speed ports right now, really only 5.

I'm curious why they call this thing a switch and not a hub. It's function intuitively to me is a hub, not a switch. A switch generally is an either or function. This thing appears to splay things out in all directions, right?

 

[ch33zw1z]

Thanks, that sounds good. I only need 5-6 high speed ports right now, really only 5.

I'm curious why they call this thing a switch and not a hub. It's function intuitively to me is a hub, not a switch. A switch generally is an either or function. This thing appears to splay things out in all directions, right?

No, each switched port is it's own collision domain. Switches are Layer 2 devices, hubs are Layer 1 devices. Google for details.

 

[serpretetsky]

Thanks, that sounds good. I only need 5-6 high speed ports right now, really only 5.

I'm curious why they call this thing a switch and not a hub. It's function intuitively to me is a hub, not a switch. A switch generally is an either or function. This thing appears to splay things out in all directions, right?

The way I think of it, intuitively anyways, is imagine the networking world is MUCH slower, and that you can see network packets arriving and leaving the switch.

In a hub, those packets are simply multiplied out each port indiscriminantly. But the switch will choose the correct actual port for the data packet to go out of. It's as if the network cables are rail tracks, the packets are cargo loads, and the switch is a train station, and whenver a cargo load comes in someone has to actually SWITCH the incoming tracks and connect them to the correct outgoing tracks.

 

[aarodav1]

The way I think of it, intuitively anyways, is imagine the networking world is MUCH slower, and that you can see network packets arriving and leaving the switch.

In a hub, those packets are simply multiplied out each port indiscriminantly. But the switch will choose the correct actual port for the data packet to go out of. It's as if the network cables are rail tracks, the packets are cargo loads, and the switch is a train station, and whenver a cargo load comes in someone has to actually SWITCH the incoming tracks and connect them to the correct outgoing tracks.

This is correct. And like a previous user said, a switch works at layer 2 by keeping a table of mac addresses and the related ports that they are on. This is so that when a packet comes in, a switch is able to read the destination address in the ethernet header and send it to that specific port and that port only. A hub will simply retransmit any packet that comes in on a port out to every other port. It doesn't even look into the packet and thus is a layer 1 device.

 

[Muse]

This is correct. And like a previous user said, a switch works at layer 2 by keeping a table of mac addresses and the related ports that they are on. This is so that when a packet comes in, a switch is able to read the destination address in the ethernet header and send it to that specific port and that port only. A hub will simply retransmit any packet that comes in on a port out to every other port. It doesn't even look into the packet and thus is a layer 1 device.

And so, I presume, a switch is in some fashion much more efficient than a hub? Faster?

 

[ch33zw1z]

And so, I presume, a switch is in some fashion much more efficient than a hub? Faster?

more efficient, "smart" hub. Hubs are dumb repeaters, switches direct traffic at a hardware level, using MAC addresses. And breaks up the network a little bit to keep traffic flowing faster

You'd be hard pressed to actually find a hub nowadays..

 

[aarodav1]

Exactly, it cuts down dramatically on traffic since you don't have all those unnecessary packets being sent to all the other machines its not destined for.

 

[Muse]

Go ADSL -> router -> switch. All devices and computers need to be "behind" the router, so that they're all on the same local subnet controlled by the router. The router also functions as a firewall.

To take advantage of the gigabit ethernet you just need to make sure that all of your gigabit capable devices are connected to the ports on the switch and not to the router. Of course, any wiring to those devices will also have to be gigabit capable, but for those that are connected directly to the switch by only a patch cable, that should be fairly simple.

You can still use the router's ports, if you need them, but only connect 10 or 100 Mbps capable devices to these. You should end up with ten usable ethernet ports - seven of them 10/100/1000 and three of them 10/100.

Question (I'm just installing it now):

My desktop, for instance, does have gigabit LAN. Now my router, as stated, is a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 wireless router, which is not gigabit, just 10/100mbps. So, I assume I plug my DSL modem's output to the input of the router. I then plug one of the router's outputs into the input of the switch (I have the TP-Link TL-SG1008D 8-Port Unmanaged Gigabit Desktop Switch). So how would my desktop get gigabit performance when the router only has 10/100mbps performance?