BT Home Hub and ethernet hub/switch recomendations

[Stoke192]

Hi,
I've recently installed a BT HH and as you may or may not know it only has 2 ethernet ports.Now this in it's self shouldn't ordinarily cause a problem as you'd connect a hub/switch and connect your other devices and away you go.

My setup is like this......

HH connected to master socket in the hall.
Xbox 360 connected via ethernet 2 in the lounge.
Laptop connected via wireless.

All these work without any problems at all

The problem starts when i try to connect my pc and other xbox upstairs .
I've run a ethernet cable upstairs via ethernet port one and connected a switch (5 port and 8 port) to connect my other devices.Both refuse to connect to the internet when connected to the switch/s but connect without any probs when directly connected to ethernet port one

So......Have any of you guy's have any recomendations for a switch/hub that has full functionality when used with the BT Home Hub.

P.S both switches work with out any probs when i use them with my Netgear DG834PN wireless modem router.

P.P.S Why not use the Netgear router......i hear you say ?....because i'll loose free evening and weekend calls via the hub phone.

[Dogers]

Sounds like you might need to get a cross over cable instead..

Although I'm surprised the switches either don't have a button to swap over a specific port (usually the first or last) to be cross over which would make the cable you have work!

[Mr X]

Hi SToke, Im using a netgear 8 port gigabit switch which also has a 5 port netgear giagbit switch plugged into it and all deviced work fine using just one ethernet port on the BT home hub.

If you need themodel numbers I can dig them out

[beerhunter]

Cross overs were designed for PC to PC. Straight through is the norm. However some modern boxes can detect cross-over cables and adjust accordingly.

I've used lots of different switches with HHs and they all worked fine and some were really cheap ones. The one that this is going through is an SMC SMCFS5.

I'd be inclined to check your cables. One may be a cross over connected to a box that can't sense or you could just have a broken cable.(I've had broken cables right out of the packet) If you don't have a cable tester, try substitution by trying to move the fault.