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Thread: Router to switch connection?

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    isn't trying to wind U up Shooty*'s Avatar
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    Router to switch connection?

    Guys,

    I'm about to move house, hopefully, at the end of January.

    We're moving into a smaller house, but having some work done to expand it.

    I'm hoping to install a wired network when the building work is being done, to replace my current home plugs with a proper permanent wired gigabit network. My wife, sadly, fears this idea for some reason i've not been able to fully fathom. It might be cost. But I wouldn't have thought it'd add much to the build cost, especially if I buy the cables, faceplates, etc, myself.

    Anyway... at the moment, we have
    1. Desktop PC
    2. Laptop
    3. Wii
    4. Server
    5. HTPC

    all connected to a standard O2 broadband router. The wii and laptop connect wirelessly.

    What I want to do is put in network connections for my kids rooms (future proofing), and I'm going to get a Wii USB Wired network adapter. That will result in a total of 6 wired connections, and one wireless.

    So far so good. I think I'm going to get a nice gig ethernet switch for this, as the router only has 4 ports.

    Now, I recall reading somewhere that to connect the switch to the router will take two ports on each. Is that right? And will either of them require any set up, typically, for the internet connection to be available to the PCs on the network swtich, or should it just work once the router is connected to the switch?

    I've not used a switch before. I assume that they normally have an IP address like a router, and one can log on to configure as one would with a router?

    At the moment, with the home plugs, I'm getting 6 meg a second transfer rate (i.e. one mp3 a second. I've never got the hang of mb or Mb or MB or whatever). Can I expect a boost with a wired network, if all PCs have gig ethernet connections on board? Can anyone give me an idea of a realistic speed?

    And finally, if anyone has any general hints and tips I should bear in mind, please let me know.

    Someone has recently suggested to me that I should look to lay 2 - 4 connections to each room, to totally future proof, even if I don't actually connect the wires to the face plate yet. I'm bearing that in mind.
    My HTPC: Linky

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    Switches come in two flavours. Managed and Unmanaged. Neither will require two connections.
    An unmanaged switch has no IP address and no configuration options, you simply plug it in. There will be no configuration required from either the router or the switch.
    A managed switch does have configuration options, these can be accessed either by a serial connection or by a web browser. If the switch uses a web interface then it will have an ip address. Actually managed switches tend to classed as either fully managed (this also entails a large price tag) or smart. The smart versions tend to be for home of small office use, they dont have all the options of the fully managed versions and normally use a browser interface.
    For a home network, an unmanaged switch will be sufficient.

    If all your devices require gigabit, then you will need to go buy an 8 port switch, if some of them (the wii for instance, i believe is only 100mbs) don't need gigabit then they can stay connected to the router, so with a 5 port gigabit switch you have
    3 100mbs ports on the router spare (one used to connect to the switch)
    4 gigabit on the switch (one used to connect to the router)

    Running extra wiring is probably not a bad idea, but where are you going to be running it all back to? If you are going to end up with 30 ports in the living room then you probably don't want to do that. If however, you can end up with 30 ports in a cupboard (did I hear someone say cooling?) somewhere then that might be okay. You can always add more switches as needed. My network starts in the living room with my router. From there wiring runs to the dining room, and to the boys bedroom. In the dining room I have a switch. Currently the only PC upstairs is the boys PC, so it is connected directly, later though I will add a switch in their room to allow me to connect through to the bedroom next to theirs (my nearly 5 year old daughter doesn't yet require her own network connection )

    Last warning. I have a desktop netgear 5 port gigabit switch, works great. Except it won't negotiate gigabit speeds if connected to the onboard LAN of an nforce chipset motherboard (I have only tested this with older chipsets, I haven't tried anything newer than nforce 6). I am sure there are other brands that will disagree with each other as well but this is the only one I have come across. Of course, this is where a managed or smart switch could be useful because you could go and prod it, maybe even do a firmware update. Probably wouldn't be able to fix the issue, but would at least feel like you could do something.
    Last edited by pipTheGeek; 30-12-2009 at 11:48 AM.

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    Jay
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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    In short..

    you can wire the switch to the router with one cable and all the PCs to that switch and it will work, you can also still use the ports on the back of the router.
    □ΞVΞ□

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    You can ofset the cost of wiring by selling the homeplugs.

    Probably make a profit and have a much better network

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    You all rock, esp pip.

    my son is 3. My daughter is one year and 2 weeks old. So, yea, I'm looking a wee few years into the future.

    My plan is to convery the attic, and have telephone connection, router and switch all upstairs. I was looking at this : http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Netge...thernet-Switch

    ALL my mobos are Nforce, I think. Not sure what gen. I know the server is an M2N68-AM plus, as I've spend the last week trying to get the thing to work. That's NVIDIA Geforce 7025/nForce 630a with a Realtek RTL8211CL. At present, that always says that it's connected at 100meg when I plug the network cable in.

    Actually, that's a point: if I go into the LAN adapter properties screen in device manager, it doesn't even given me an option for 1000mb duplex stuff, just 10 and 100. Haven't looked into that yet as it's not an issued with only the home plug network. Is it reacting to the max speed of my home plugs, do you think, or something else?
    Last edited by Shooty*; 30-12-2009 at 01:01 PM.
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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    I don't think that GS608 supports jumbo frames.

    Get a GS108 instead similar price, but better.

    Config could be an issue, but spec your house seperately, you will want gigabit for future even if your current hardware isn't up to it. CAT6 wiring and gigabit switch is not expensive.

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    If device manager doen't give you the option of gigabit then you probably don't have a gigabit capable network card. I would still get gigabit switch(es) though.
    Cat5e cable is sufficient for gigabit. Cat6 is some extra future proofing but you will have to decide that based on the cost.

    I did try pegging my nforce NIC at gigabit, it would then work until the PC restarted. After a restart it would then show as cable disconnected, until it was set back to auto negotiate.

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    Quote Originally Posted by pipTheGeek View Post
    I did try pegging my nforce NIC at gigabit, it would then work until the PC restarted. After a restart it would then show as cable disconnected, until it was set back to auto negotiate.
    IIRC the Gbit standard requires an interface to be configured with auto-negotiation for compatibility reasons (eg no guarantee it will work if pegged at 1000/whatever).

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    *scratches head*

    The mobo specs SAY the NIC is gigabit capable. No idea why it's not showing up.
    My HTPC: Linky

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    Quote Originally Posted by pre View Post
    IIRC the Gbit standard requires an interface to be configured with auto-negotiation for compatibility reasons (eg no guarantee it will work if pegged at 1000/whatever).
    The actual option was "auto negotiate for 1000mbps full duplex". Not sure in what way it was different to full auto negotiate. I actually have no idea how the negotiation is done, or how mdi/mdi-x works.

    The mobo specs SAY the NIC is gigabit capable. No idea why it's not showing up.
    My only suggestion is to try updating drivers.

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    And it's a good suggestion, but I have the most up to date ones.

    ...

    I'll tinker.
    My HTPC: Linky

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    Re: Router to switch connection?

    For gigabit speeds yopu need all four pairs - some cheap ethernat cables only enable two cores. cat5e cable is fine for Gigabit networks, and easier to work with than Cat6. You could also have two switches, one for upstairs ports, and one for downstairs, and link them with a single cable (if that makes life easier- and is what I did) although if you can select a central place and rumn all cables beck there, it is more convenient.

    There are a number of threads about home networking on Hexus, so a search might be useful; (there was a recent one by S.Kinto, for example)
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