How should I connect my router?

[spazntwich1]

^%&*(^&!@#@$^$^...

Sorry, I just had an entire LONG message typed out, but, wunderful as the anandtech forum system is, it doesn't save the entries in text fields if you accidentally leave the page and click back...

Ok, to make this as short as possible, and to keep me from breaking my computer, I need to know this:

If I get a switched router to access the internet for a 2 computer LAN through 1 of the computers w/an internal DSL modem, will I take a large performance hit compared to doing it by having an external modem directly CAT5'ed to one of the router's ports?

It would be easier to do it the 1st way, but I do alot of online gaming, and if it would kill my ping time, I obviously need to do it the second way. What are people's experiences?

 

[ScottMac]

I think the only way you could possibly slow it down more would be to throw in an LocalTalk segment....

With few exceptions, everything that data passes through delays it to some extent. When you pass it through something that is adapted (like a PC proxy/firewall)...there's alot of delay because of the processing involved....and noone uses their best/fastest machine for a dedicated gateway, so it's usually an older slower machine....

Anyway, sorry to ramble, the fewer things in the way of the data the better, and, dedicated devices and devices that are "designed & built" for the function, will (usually) give you the best performance.

If you can swing it, use the router/switch directly.

FWIW

Scott

 

[Zoltarc]

My understanding is that a dedicated hardware router would be better than a PC used as one.

The hardware router was designed to...er....just rout packets and nothing more. A PC has to perform a long list of non-router related tasks. A true router is so much easier to have, as it doesn't make any noise, take up much space or require any sort of complicated setup; Just plug in and go.

 

[WoundedWallet]

spazntwich1, I think you got it all backwards. It is much easier and faster to connect the modem to the router and them to the pcs than to make one of the pcs into a router.

Also, I just surfed to cnet and used the back button and my whole post is still here. So I don't really understand why it happened to you differently.

 

[guaraguao]

spazntwich1: Buy an external dsl modem. See if your isp will let you snag multiple IPs. If not, buy/setup a dedicated router. What ISP do you use? I know for a fact that bellsouth gives out crappy cheap usb/pci modems to their residential customers, and gives better external ones to their business customers. (They also don't seem to care about how many ips they give out) If you do, in fact, use bellsouth, than do a search on e_bay for "Alcatel 1000", which I used to use and works like a charm. You should be able to pick one up for about $40. Hmm, that reminds me, I need to put mine up for sale. . . .