Right - I'm going to show my networking ignorance now...

Currently I've got a Netgear DG834 ADSL router. This has served me very well for several years, but now I've run out of ethernet ports. At the moment I've got the ports filled with my big desktop, a laptop, a network printer and a WiFi box. I have one more device to plug in now, and I plan to get a network storage device of some sort in the near future.

I can run the laptop via WiFi but it doesn't perform very well, especially when using BBC's iPlayer. The laptop is fairly feeble and also doesn't have a huge amount of memory, so it all conspires to slow things down.

So now I want to add some more ports so that I can give all devices a wired connection - 4 more should cover future needs, but more would be a bonus.

I don't know what sort of box I'd need, but I guess it would connect to one of the router's ports. I would want all ports - router and add-on box - to be on the same subnet (if that's the right term) so that I don't need to faff about when trying to get communication between all of my machines, and to the outside world.

Where do I start? Any recommended devices?

BTW: I don't plan to spend a head of money!

[Edited on 18/7/12 by David Jenkins]

An 8 port switch hanging off one of the router ports? Bit of config to ensure the DHCP admin is still handled by the main router will ensure all are the same IP range. I currently have this setup at home. Actually that's a slight lie, I used an old second hand non-wifi router as the switch - it's not quite as fast but works fine.

just done the same and my security cameras and San Storage are in the loft and 1 wire to 3 com router.

ccl is you freind ( i have the 5 port version )

Link

Hope that helps Agriv8

all you need is an ethernet net hub , these days usually called an ethernet switched hub, they used to be very expensive but now you will find them for under a tenner on Ebay They are particularly useful if you are using Homeplug networking over power-line adaptors.

To get a better wireless connection switching your router to work on another less crowded wireless channel, try channel 7 or 8 as these channels are usually less used.

[Edited on 18/7/12 by britishtrident]

Yup just a plain Ethernet hub or switch (Switch is better IMHO) turn off any DHCP server in the new hub/switch (if it has one).

Just run it off a spare port on your existing switch / hub.
Manually decide which machines have the heavy / light loading, and spread the machines out arcordingly to level the load across the switches.
or if running the two hubs in series, put the lightly loaded machines on the secondary hub / switch.

My ADSL modem (BT Homehub) has 4 ethernet ports, so it would be better to run one hub / switch of each port on the BTHomehub, or whatever ADSL main router / hub you have.

Just make sure your DHCP list has a sufficiently big enough group to cover the total number of IP addresses you will need for your network (its a simple job).

Its a bit weired....I just got a secondary switch delivered today off Ebay, and done exactly this, about an hour ago!
As Both my sons are back home again

Just my 2d's worth.

Right - just put an order in for a 5-port Netgear switch - that'll give me a total of 7 ports, which is more than enough for now. And it will blend in with the other bits & bobs I've got on the corner of my desk!

Thanks to all...

Just remember if your current switch or the new switch does not have an uplink port or a switch on it to enable a uplink port you'll need a crossover cable connecting the two switches. Don't worry about DHCP this will still work across both switches as it the same Vlan.

Try and stay away from hubs they are old and slow(only device can talk at a time with a hub).

[Edited on 18/7/12 by Flintstone]

quote:

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Originally posted by Flintstone
Just remember if your current switch or the new switch does not have an uplink port or a switch on it to enable a uplink port you'll need a crossover cable connecting the two switches.

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My Netgear switch arrived today - and the installation instructions were brief, to say the least!

1. Open box, check you've got all the bits.
2. Plug in power supply.
3. Connect a cable from the router to any switch port.
4. Connect devices to other switch ports.

And that's all it took! No configuration, no problems - it just worked.

Thanks again to everyone.

[Edited on 22/7/12 by David Jenkins]

Get one of these....

Now that's just greedy!

Picked it up off freecycle for nowt!