Thoughts on my home network?

[amaunator]

I'd like to see some opinions if my home network setup is good. The reason I ask is I have built my new computer, and I am currently moving data from my old computer to the new. The switch I am using to expand the ports is getting alot of collisons.

I have a Linksys WRT54G after the cable modem. Two wires come out of this with one going to my wife's computer in one part of the house and another wire coming up to my office. From my office, the wire goes into a Linksys PSUS4. This only has 4 ports with one being used by the incoming wire. I have my old computer and work laptop attached to the PSUS4. The last port on the PSUS4 then goes to an old Kingston EtheRx KNE-8TP/WG Hub with two network printers attached to it as well as the new computer.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bluestrobe]

With how big your sig is, I thought there were two posts there. Might want to use the Anandtech feature for listing computer systems.

I would probably drop the hub as this can create problems. I would probably invest in a nice 8 port switch. Hubs were nice but they can be troublesome when running different speeds of networks and data routing. A hub can flood a network with information trying to get it to one computer while a switch does a better job at data management and directing everything where it needs to go. The WRT54G is fine where it is.

 

[robmurphy]

I would also drop the hub. If you are not using the USB port on the PSUS4 I would drop that as well. 8 and 16 port 10/100 switches are cheap. I paid about 15 UK pounds for a generic 16 port 10/100 switch about a year ago. The chances are that the hub is causing the collisions, as a hub just passes on all incoming traffic on a port to all the other ports. A switch learns the mac addresses associated with a port and only passes traffic to the port with correct mac address.

I would also check how you PCs are connecting. Check that they are connecting at full duplex. If you are just using full duplex and have replaced the hub with a switch you should see little or no collisions.

Rob.

 

[amaunator]

I use the Linksys PSUS4 as a print server for an HP Officejet 7130, and I also have two older laser printers directly plugged into the hub.

Hate to be a newb, but where do I find out if I am at full duplex? Also, any recommendation on a switch or any will do?

 

[JackMDS]

On a peer-to-peer network with few computers. Hub or switch does not make any difference what so ever; do not spend any extra penny on this issue.

 

[InlineFive]

I agree with JackMDS. While it's not the cleanest setup it's plenty fine. Unless you have the itch to mess with it I would just let it go.

 

[robmurphy]

Hi amaunator

You say you are getting collisions. Could you explain what piece of equipment this is on, and how it is indicating you are getting collisions.

Rob.

 

[Madwand1]

If your computers already have gigabit NICs, then you can take advantage of them for occasional very large local transfers even without a gigabit switch by connecting them with direct wire - crossover cabling is not needed for gigabit.

If you're doing large transfers frequently, you should get a gigabit switch, and if/when you add a gigabit switch, that'd be a good time to get rid of the hub.