question re small network in house

[dfarrales]

my current setup has my broadband modem in the garage downstairs. i have one cat5 line from the modem to the office upstairs. from there, it's connected to a router then out to 3 pc's. i'd like to now have 1 pc in one of the rooms downstairs. first thing to come to my network-illiterate mind is to put the router downstairs in the garage w/ connection from the modem to the router, then the router to the line that leads upstairs. this way i can run a line from the router in the garage to one of the rooms down there. but what about the small network upstairs? can i hook up another router between the line going up there and the 3 pc's?

thanks... deo

 

[skyking]

Either run a cable downstairs from the router, or put the router downstairs and a switch or hub upstairs.

 

[dfarrales]

i know a hub will limit bandwidth (correct?), will a switch limit it also?

 

[JackMDS]

Neither will limit the bandwidth.

If Network is comprise of ten or more computer, switch is more efficient. Otherwise it does not make a difference.

 

[dfarrales]

Originally posted by: JackMDS
Neither will limit the bandwidth.

If Network is comprise of ten or more computer, switch is more efficient. Otherwise it does not make a difference.

really? when i was using a hub and measured bandwidth (dsl reports) compared to when i switched to a router, it was considerably faster w/ the router. what other reason could this be? quality of the hub? can you guys recommend some brands/models of hubs and switches?

thanks... Deo

 

[JackMDS]

Well I do not know the reason.

However your DSL is probably, give and take, 1Mb/sec.

Regular Hubs or Switches today are rated 100Mb/sec. Old Hubs use to be 10Mb/sec.

In other word even if you have using an old decrepit Hub it is still 10 to 100 times more capable then your DSL.

If you are technology oriented you might enjoy this.

Log here, and click on Switch vs. Hub. scottmac.net

Using DSL online metering to evaluate the bandwidth is like conducting life according to coffee mud readings.

I would not count too much on any of the online speed tests. Log to a fast site (Microsoft .com IBM.com ) and download 10MB file.

Look at the down load stable speed the rule of thumb is x10 if you get a download speed of 200KB/sec your download connection is about. 2Mb/sec.

 

[dfarrales]

thanks for the great info guys!

my ISP is surewest (formally winfirst) and i have their service that that claim is fiber. the reason i say 'claim' is b/c whenever i bring it up to people, they always tell me that it's not actually a fiber connection going into my home. here's the info if anyone's interested: http://www.surewestbroadband.com/wf/products/data.html

anyway, here my question: if the router or switch is rated at 10mbps, is that split over the 4 ports or is it for each? i guessing each but i just want to make sure.

thx... deo

 

[JackMDS]

You are very excited about you supersonic DSL. (I would be too). May be you should do some reading about the issues involving LAN, and sharing the Internet.

Mainstream Entry level LAN hardware is rated 100Mb/sec. If it is not fast enough you can spend more and build a 1000Mb.sec. LAN.

Entry Level Cable/DSL Routers are rated 100Mb/sec. on the LAN side, and 10Mbsec. on the WAN side (WAN is where the Internet coming from). If this is not fast enough you can buy high speed commercial hardware (we are talking $1000 and more).

The Content of the Following Links Might Help:

AnandTech - FAQ. Basic Options for Internet Connection Sharing

AnandTech - FAQ. Hubs, routers, switches, DSL, LANs, WANs...?

AnandTech - FAQ. What do I need for wireless Networking?

 

[WeeWolf]

For a Hub the bandwidth of the hub is shared ie 100mb hub with 10 ports with all ports connected gives 10mb to each port. A 100mb switch is 100mb to each port regardless of ports or connections. These days it's actually harder to find a hub than it is to find a switch. I suggest that you get a switch and watch out for 'switching hubs' it reads the destination address of each packet and then forwards the packet to the correct port, which is not the same as a switch and the bandwidth is still shared.
While a hub or switch makes no difference if you are simply sharing internet it makes a big difference if you are sharing files between your home machines.
good luck