Switch or Hub to Router for 3 devices

[phlydude]

Way off-topic but maybe I can get some assitance here...

I have a 25 ft Cat-5 ethernet cable running from my router on one side of the basement to my PS3. This works well and serves its purpose.

Now, I have decided to re-hook my old XBox and just recently acquired a Wii.
I am looking to connect each of them to the internet as well but don't want to run 2 more 25ft cables back to my router.

So I am under the realization that I need another bridging device to connect the other 2 devices (and future devices) back into the network without going wireless.

But I am stumped...I don't know if I need a switch or a hub to connect the ethernet from my router and pass the signal through to the 3 devices (all at different times - maybe some overlap if PS3 calls for a folding unit while I am connected with one of the other units).

Anyone have any advice?

Also, if I use one or the other, would I need pass-through or cross-over cables? Which for connecting what to what?

I'd ideally like to avoid wi-fi if possible (on PS3 and Wii)...I like my D-link router but when it loses signal, it requires a hard boot from time to time and I find wired to be much more stable in my situation/neighborhood.

Thanks

[Herr Schmidt]

If your running your ps3 off a router just get a switch.at the end of the 25 ft cat5 and go from there.should work fine for you

[melikefish]

Originally Posted by phlydude

Way off-topic but maybe I can get some assitance here...

I have a 25 ft Cat-5 ethernet cable running from my router on one side of the basement to my PS3. This works well and serves its purpose.

Now, I have decided to re-hook my old XBox and just recently acquired a Wii.
I am looking to connect each of them to the internet as well but don't want to run 2 more 25ft cables back to my router.

So I am under the realization that I need another bridging device to connect the other 2 devices (and future devices) back into the network without going wireless.

But I am stumped...I don't know if I need a switch or a hub to connect the ethernet from my router and pass the signal through to the 3 devices (all at different times - maybe some overlap if PS3 calls for a folding unit while I am connected with one of the other units).

Anyone have any advice?

Also, if I use one or the other, would I need pass-through or cross-over cables? Which for connecting what to what?

I'd ideally like to avoid wi-fi if possible (on PS3 and Wii)...I like my D-link router but when it loses signal, it requires a hard boot from time to time and I find wired to be much more stable in my situation/neighborhood.

Thanks

Well, a hub is probably all that you need - plug one end of the 25 ft cable to the hub, the other to your router (so basically unplug the 25ft cable from your ps3 and plug it into the hub). Then connect shorter cables from your ps3 to your hub.

I assume your router is what is acting as a dhcp server, and you have that configured so it can assign multiple ip addresses... if so then adding just a jub and a few shorter cables should work just fine.

[kjack]

Switch. Just redid my home for Gb ethernet and 802.11n.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by kjack

Switch. Just redid my home for Gb ethernet and 802.11n.

^^I'm looking to do this before long myself.

What hardware did you decide to go with and why?

[kjack]

Originally Posted by JTK

^^I'm looking to do this before long myself.

What hardware did you decide to go with and why?

I went with separate D-Link boxes

cable modem --> router w/wireless --> 8-port gigabit switcher


Had an integrated box from Linksys that did it all, but every time internet went down, it brought down my entire network. Network also seems slower than it should be. So went with separate boxes to fix it. D-Link switcher had better performance than the Linksys according to reviews, and my experience is the same -- much faster network operation as two ports doing 100 don't slow down the other ports wanting to do 1000.

I'm much happier now! Turns out my laptops already had 802.11n built-in...

[phlydude]

thanks for the responses

any switch recommendations?

[camper]

You want a switch, not a hub. Hubs share bandwidth between devices wheras switches ensure each device gets it's own share. Switches generate less overall traffic, too. Granted, 3 devices is nothing so it's not a big deal so I wouldn't worry TOO much but the cost difference is minimal these days so why not go with the switch?

In fact, just buy this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1149206843192

Or if you need more than 5 ports, this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1201306975174

You also do NOT want crossover cables, you just need simple ethernet cables.

Also, if you're running your cable from your router to your PS3, why not just move your router to where your PS3 & other devices are? I assume that your router plugs into your DSL/Cable modem, just take that end of the cable where the PS3 plugs into the router, plug it into the modem, and then move the router to the other end?

Then all you need is 2 more ethernet cables; one for the Xbox and the Wii.

I hear you on the wired vs wireless, I'm not a fan of wireless myself.

~Camper

[phlydude]

too much equipment, not enough room PLUS the way I have my phone wired (VOIP with all wiring home run to the outside demarc box and spliced there) makes it tough with the phone jack availability

I like my wall entertainment center but there is no where to put my technological stuff (I got the 56" tv, the wife picked the furniture it went on - we were limited because not much fits a 56" LCoS RPTV and she wanted curio cabinets on the sides - handing my balls in now )