Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 65300 2006-01-13 11:48:00 switches for my home network bizzack (7739) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
420718 2006-01-13 11:48:00 At the moment I have a small network at home connected via a 4 port router. I have just had an extra person move in and they need to use the internet too. Can I just purchase a switch and hook that up? Is that all I would need to do?
Thanks!
bizzack (7739)
420719 2006-01-13 12:00:00 You should be able to just buy a switch and plug it in as you say. I think with older routers IIRC they usually had a specific uplink port on them, in saying that, i don't think home networks have that anymore. DangerousDave (697)
420720 2006-01-13 22:53:00 Yep, easy just plug the switch into the router and then the PC's into the switch.

Should be a very easy swap e.g windows will pick it up with no further configuration.
superuser (7693)
420721 2006-01-14 11:32:00 cool, thanks I thought it was like that, just wanted to make sure :thumbs: bizzack (7739)
420722 2006-01-14 19:13:00 i think you need to have a cross-over cable between the router and the switch
if your router or switch can't cross over the cable electronically

correct me if i'm wrong..
heni72847 (1166)
420723 2006-01-31 03:00:00 Most switches will have one port marked "uplink", or will have one with a switch marked "X", or will autodetect. Each of these means no need for a crossover cable. Crossover cables are not something sane people want around a network. There are enough things which can go wrong without having "special" cables. :D Graham L (2)
420724 2006-01-31 03:51:00 Cross-over cables are not unusual, though as Graham states they're becoming a bit passe'.

I used to use colours to distinguish 'em. Black/white for normal, some arbitrary colour, such as green/purple for cross-over. I've also seen small plastic rings used for the same affect.

It's conceivable to tie a MAC address to a router/switch port, to stop the very thing you're trying, but this is only for secure environments.
kingdragonfly (309)
420725 2006-01-31 06:13:00 U shudnt need to worry about uplink ports on any modern hardware, just grab any old network cable and connect the router and switch together. Most modern network gear these days can also detect a crossover or straight through cable and make the appropriate adjustments. Pete O'Neil (6584)
420726 2006-01-31 12:23:00 my flat mate has another router, can I just hook that up to my current router so that i have enough ports for everyone else, without having too much trouble? bizzack (7739)
420727 2006-02-01 00:04:00 I'd be inclined to try it. If it has multiple ports they are actually the ports of a switch. ;) (A router just deals with which side a packet is intended for. It needn't have more than two ports to work as a router). One side is connected to the internal switch. You might need to tell it not to do any routing, though it might twig that it hasn't got another side ("WAN") to connect to. Graham L (2)
1 2