What or how does a switch work?

[randym431]

I needed to add more ports to my router. A 16 port router is too $$$. I see switches are like $25-$30. Would getting a switch let me add more ports to my router, without speed loss? How would it hook up to the router, and operate ie. ip address assigned to things plugged into the switch?

 

[dc5]

the switch would plug into one of the router's port. ip addresses are still managed by the router. all the switche does it add mroe ports.

diagram:
internet > router > switch > computers

 

[randym431]

Yes, doing more searches i found more on about this. What I wonder now is if your speed is lessened going from just ONE port on a router to FOUR ports on the switch? Will the speed from the ports on the "switch" be limited to less that the router is rated?

 

[ScottMac]

If all of the connected devices are going through the router (presumably to the Internet), then yes; the bandwidth of that one port is shared.

If one person is running something like BitTorrent or Kazaa, then that's going to reduce the bandwidth availability to the other people sharing that port.

If two machines are talking to each other (like a file share) and another is accessing the Internet (through the router / different port) then no, there'll be no significant impact to the Internet user.

The bandwidth available will always be limited by the slowest link in the path. If you have a three meg Internet connection, then that's the fastest the traffic can move to that endpoint .... even though the computer is connected to a 100M switch port.

FWIW

Scott