Hubs, routers, switches? Need some help in decisions

[Laxer]

Hey y'all. Just wondering if I could get a few quick explanations on the differences between hubs, routers, and switches.. technical differences and applications. I'm mostly looking to set up a LAN for purposes of surfing, gaming, transfers, etc. I've heard that routers are better than hubs because you can have multiple IP addresses.. so if I were to share DSL with other people in my apartment/house, that might be a better way to go. Also, is it safe to assume that I should only look for 10/100 Mbps unless I am only going to use the network for web surfing.. in that case, I could just go with a 10 Mbps? I think I'll probably be looking for a Linksys or Netgear since those two names seem to pop up quite a bit.. any other good brands out there for cheap?

Thanks for your input.

 

[ChicagoMaroon]

A router, as its name implies, routes packets from one destination to another. One of the things a router can do is natural address translation (NAT) which allows multiple computers on an internal LAN to use one IP address and broadband connection.

Hubs connect computers together, but it passes all packets along the wire. All data will be broadbast to all the computers hooked up to it regardless of whether the data is meant for that specific computer.

Switches have some level of intelligence, meaning it will direct data meant for a specific computer only to that computer. Switches are generally faster than hubs (no packet collisions).

The price difference between 10Mbs Ethernet and 100Mbs Ethernet is so minimal that you should go with a 10/100 network. The same thing for hubs vs. switches, I doubt a switch costs any more than a hub these days (unless you're buying a big Gig-E swtich from, say, Extreme Networks or Foundry Networks).

Here's the setup I have for my home network:

DSL from Pac Bell --> DSL modem --> Netgear RT311 router --> Linksys 10/100 switch --> computers.

 

[Tsaico]

All the above, and I would suggest getting a switch over a hub anyday. Cost wise is close (about 20 or so bucks from cheapest hub to cheapest switch), but performance is a big gain. TO make something clearer, when the infor is broadcasted to all comps, the bandwitch is split amongst all the ports, where in a switch, it is all independant. And as side note, I would also suggest against getting a router with built in switch. If you get multiple IPs, then all you will need is the dsl/cable modem and the switch.
My rig
dsl modem------->switch-------->comps with unique ip's

 

[Laxer]

Hey Tsaico, thanks for the explanation. Why do you have both a router and a switch? Does the switch speed up the directing of information that has passed through the router to the various computers on your network? At any rate, if I wanted to construct my LAN, would I be able to use (standalone) either a router or a switch in the same fashion? Yeah, I guess I am looking for something more like a router/switch than a hub.

 

[Svet]

Many ISPs only give you one IP address. If that is the case you will need the router to connect more than one computer. To the ISP the router is the only thing it sees. Inside your network the router assigns each computer an internal IP that the outside does not see. Also, the use of a router will give you a firewall which will protect your system from the outside. If your ISP will give you multiple IPs you can just go with a switch and use a software firewall. I have an 8 port Linksys router/switch. I don't need 8 ports, but I will need more than 4 someday.

 

[Laxer]

Svet- Ok.. I'm starting to understand the diff between routers and switches. I guess my next question is.. can't you use software to create the impression of different ip addresses if your DSL provider only gives you one? (so you don't have to have a router) I think I've seen this done at work in a pinch because they only had a hub...

 

[wezal]

Laxer,
Windows has internet sharing software, but if you can afford ~100$, get the router, it is faster, easier and you will not have to rely on the one computer to be up to access the net from the other computers. Just my opinion.

 

[Tsaico]

I usually like to keep my components seperate. You could get routers that will perform just as well as a switch and router pair, but if one dies, then you are just sol on everything. My own personal preference and many others will tell you that you don't need to be as paranoid as I am. And yes, you can get software to assign IP's, but then you need to have one comp as a server and the others as cliets, meaning that theserver one will have to be up and running in order for the others to have a connection.

 

[Wik]

To do it with software one computer will have to have 2 NICs and act as the Gateway. WindowsICS is a very good NAT softwate to use.

"get the router, it is faster"

Faster I would not say is true. WindowsICS is actually faster at handling a larger load then the home Gateway Routers do.

I have tried several methods of sharing my cable modem with 4 or 5 computers and I choose to use one of my old systems running Freesco (a linux based software router that fits on a floppy disk) and a 10/100 switch.

Each method has its advantages.

The small home Gateway Routers are simple and do not take much room but may cost around $75 to $100. Also they may have its limitations in port mapping and firewall control.


Windows ICS built into Win98SE,ME,and 2K is there but still requires 2 NICS and a switch. The extra NIC and Switch may cost almost the same as a 4 port Router from Netgear/Linksys/SMC.Also one computer has to be up and running for the others to access the net.

Freesco is free software and an old 486 are a dime a dozen. It has by far, the most features. But there again you will need 2 NICs in it and a switch.

 

[Laxer]

Hey Wik,
if I wanted to not deal with additional software and configurations, would getting a router be an easier/simpler way of getting my computers hooked up?

 

[Wik]

Oh yeah, they are a snap to set up. You buy it you plug go into the setup with your browser, and you are set. I purchased one after getting tired of having to use one computer as the gateway, and I loved using it untill I found Freesco. I will still hang on to it for a backup in case I loose my Freesco box and do not regret buying it. Mine is a NetgearRT311 which is a single port version of the 314. I already had a 10/100 switch so this is why I took the 1 port version, at the time there was a huge price discount between the 1 port and 4 ports. And also the 4 port ones at the time were built in hubs instead of a switch.