Netgear 5 Port Switch $9.99

[kamranziadar]

Buy.com has the Netgear FS605 5 port 10/100 switch with auto uplink for $9.99 after rebate, free shipping.


$10 rebate Exp 12/31/04


Link: http://www.buy.com/retail/prod...0321217&dcaid=1688

 

[techwanabe]

Any reason I couldn't plut a switch into my cable modem and then two computers in to the switch? I used to plug switches in to extent the network a work all the time.

 

[Coraanu]

Originally posted by: techwanabe
Any reason I couldn't plut a switch into my cable modem and then two computers in to the switch? I used to plug switches in to extent the network a work all the time.

Shouldn't have any probs, the switch will just pass all the traffic. Check the uplink port(s) or use a cross-over if you have any connectivity issues with the hosts on the switch.

 

[amdskip]

techwanabe, unless you have multiple IP addresses from your cable company, you will need to purchase a router instead of a switch. A router is a smart switch with a built in DHCP server that will assign IP addresses.

 

[ngp]

Here's what I have setup, will this still work for me:

I have the DSL line going into the DSL router, which then goes to a dumb hub. From there, one patch cable is going to my primary PC. The dumb hub goes through the rest of the house. In one bedroom, I want to basically just split the jack that's coming out of the wall so that it can be connected to two different computers. If I just simply place this switch between the wall plate and the two computers in the bedroom will it allow for me to split the signal?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BenJeremy]

$10 for a 100mbps hub/switch isn't that hot... Most new motherboards are coming equipped with gigabit (1000mbps) ethernet, which will require a gigabit switch (Buy.com recently had one for $29 after rebates).

Even so, you still want a decent router between your system and the modem, because it provides a nice hardware firewall. I have a wireless 802.11g router (very cheap these days, an 802.11b could be had for $5 at CompUSA last weekend), to that, I have attached a 5 port gigabit switch (the one I mentioned), and to THAT I have my gigabit ethernet equipped PCs. Between the PCs, I get 1000mbps, and to the cablemodem, I get "whatever" it does. The other devices are switched in through the wireless router, since they only top out at 100mbps anyway.

The router provides firewalled internet access through the cablemodem, wireless connectivity for my laptop (work), and DHCP services to all of the computers on the network. The gigabit switch provides high speed connectivity between all of the PCs capable of it.

You don't need a hub for now though... a decent router also serves as a hub, too. If you get additional PCs equipped with gigabit ethernet later, you can opt to upgrade with an additional switch later, and the router will still be quite useful.

I guess, in short, I'd advise against getting a 100mbps switch/hub. Unless you can get them for free, don't bother... get a decent router instead (the wireless 802.11b routers are cheap, since it's slightly outdated... but just on the wireless side - and they usually include a 4 port wired hub integrated in)

 

[ngp]

BenJeremy,
If I use a router, would I need a cross over from the wall to the router and then use regular patch cables to the PCs? Also, is there anything in particular that I need to do on the router's config to get this work?

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: BenJeremy
$10 for a 100mbps hub/switch isn't that hot... Most new motherboards are coming equipped with gigabit (1000mbps) ethernet, which will require a gigabit switch (Buy.com recently had one for $29 after rebates).

Even so, you still want a decent router between your system and the modem, because it provides a nice hardware firewall. I have a wireless 802.11g router (very cheap these days, an 802.11b could be had for $5 at CompUSA last weekend), to that, I have attached a 5 port gigabit switch (the one I mentioned), and to THAT I have my gigabit ethernet equipped PCs. Between the PCs, I get 1000mbps, and to the cablemodem, I get "whatever" it does. The other devices are switched in through the wireless router, since they only top out at 100mbps anyway.

The router provides firewalled internet access through the cablemodem, wireless connectivity for my laptop (work), and DHCP services to all of the computers on the network. The gigabit switch provides high speed connectivity between all of the PCs capable of it.

You don't need a hub for now though... a decent router also serves as a hub, too. If you get additional PCs equipped with gigabit ethernet later, you can opt to upgrade with an additional switch later, and the router will still be quite useful.

I guess, in short, I'd advise against getting a 100mbps switch/hub. Unless you can get them for free, don't bother... get a decent router instead (the wireless 802.11b routers are cheap, since it's slightly outdated... but just on the wireless side - and they usually include a 4 port wired hub integrated in)

A gigabit NIC will work with any standard network speed. In addition, gigabit speeds have little impact on a home network.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I remember paying $50 for one of these things. True, GigE on the desktop is getting more popular, but the prices on GigE switches aren't that great yet. One of these little babies is perfect for a (small) LAN-party or local network for sharing internet. So I think it's a reasonably hot deal.
(If there really are FAR 10/100 5-port switches floating around though, I'd love to hear about them.)

 

[BenJeremy]

Originally posted by: ngp
BenJeremy,
If I use a router, would I need a cross over from the wall to the router and then use regular patch cables to the PCs? Also, is there anything in particular that I need to do on the router's config to get this work?

I believe it's a regular cable, between the router and the cable/DSLmodem (WAN device)

There's usually no real configuration, unless you need to use non-standard ports for a service, like hosting a deathmatch, or sharing files over Bit Torrent. For that, there's usually a built-in web-based server on the router, which you can access on your "local" machine pretty easily.

 

[BenJeremy]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
I remember paying $50 for one of these things. True, GigE on the desktop is getting more popular, but the prices on GigE switches aren't that great yet. One of these little babies is perfect for a (small) LAN-party or local network for sharing internet. So I think it's a reasonably hot deal.
(If there really are FAR 10/100 5-port switches floating around though, I'd love to hear about them.)

Well, there was the thread about the CompUSA deals this past weekend.... you buy one 802.11b wireless router (4 port wired 10/100mbps router as well) for $5, then you got a coupon that you could use for another router (I forget the whole deal.... I think it involved returning a second purchased router or somthing). At any rate, the guy bought a huge pile of stuff (wireless routers, PCI cards and PCMCIA cards) for basically $5.

Even though it's 802.11b, for the price, nobody should really be completely without rudimentary wireless support on their home networks (I picked up my 802.11g wireless router for $25 six months ago).

 

[ngp]

Great, thanks for your help BenJeremy!