[gilbates]

we currently run a fairly complex and full network system here at home and i am in need of an upgrade so i would appreciate a pointer or 2 please guys as i`m not currently in step with whats available in the network world

our setup is thus

3 PC`s hard wired ground floor into a ADSL Linksys WAG200 Gateway + i have a small network hub connected to the linksys for the extra ports , so thats all 4 posrts used on the Linksys

we also have an xbox hard wired and small server hard wired to the above hub + we have 2 more PC`s wifi from the Linksys, upstairs , not to mention the other wifi stuff like a Wii and Philips wifi stuff around the house lol

all is well and dandy and works fine , so this isnt a lost my connection post

but what is throwing me out at present is we have decided to get one of my lads his own xbox for chrimbo and i really dont want him to have wifi access as its not the best for speed or reliability , i want to hard wire it but i`m out of ports

now thinking ahead i`m sure in time my other lad will prolly end up with his own xbox so what currently is a good product that can replace my small hub ??

i need something that i can just plug into my Linksys access point , be reliable and as fast as possible and not be short of sockets ( thinking ahead )

any ideas please guys

[vsmora]

I suggest you get an 8-port Gigabit switch. Netgear GS608 is my preferred brand but DLink do the DGS-1008D if you are concerned over electricity consumption. Both of these are approx £40. Linksys have a similar product, but it is roughly £10 extra, and I can't see a reason why. At this level there's not much to pick between brands.

You could save a little by only going for 100Mb speed as much of your equipment won't benefit from Gigabit. You might benefit if your PCs and server are moving large files around and have Gigabit adapters. The cost difference is so small that I think it is worth it for the future potential.

All the above will plug straight in to your Linksys with no config required. The next size up from 8-ports is 16, but that puts you in business territory and so cost more than twice as much; you'd really have to need those extra ports.

[gilbates]

Thank you vsmora

elec consumption when there is this much and more connected here is little concern , in for a penny in for a pound

but we will be shipping around large files and streaming HD content so the faster the better , i tried to give my lad one of our HP films i have backed up from my HTPC but at 26gb , 1 slight drop in the wifi connection and its start again

i then tried to stream it to him and although the pic was perfect the usual glitches could be seen

and with the soon arrival of his xbox , a decent hard wire solution is the only way forward , it would certainly save me alot of hasstle in the future as well

the business solution could well be the answer for us as you briefly touched upon there , could you suggest something in that line and perhaps where i may find such animals

its getting that bad here , i am seriously contemplating a proper cabinet and reworking of the whole lot , its not thats its untidy or messy , i am a stickler for no wires so everything is pretty well laid out and workable

but as time moves forward , so does technology and the need for ever more complex home networks , and thats why i am interested in anything you may suggest in the business line of things

[vsmora]

Happy to help you gilbates!

Having seen typical wifi transfer rates on lots of networks, I'd be amazed if you were able to stream high-bit-rate video over stock wifi with other bandwidth-draining kit in range. Most WAPs drop down the signalling rate for all devices, to match what the current slowest device can manage. For example even if the Xbox is right next to the Linksys, when the Wii at the far side of the building is connected and only achieving 1Mb wifi signal rate, then the Xbox will also be slowed to 1Mb, regardless of how little bandwidth the Wii is actually using at the time.

Definitely go wired as much as possible. For 16-port devices I'd suggest either a Netgear GS116, or if you want something to bolt into a small rack, go with JGS516. If it's going somewhere with people in it, then the first one might be better because a few reports I've read say it is fanless and silent. Both units have a decent lifetime replacement warranty too. If your server is the main media store, then it will be worth upgrading the controller to Gigabit if it's not already. Even if the other devices aren't GbE yet, you will still benefit when several devices request data from the server simultaneously.

As for where to buy, I don't purchase retail often, so can't recommend anything concrete. I've bought a little from Scan in the past and they were fine; their prices are competitive if not always the absolute best. They sponsor AVF so you can get free delivery (search for guide) and lots of users like the fact that they reply to queries on here too.

[damiant]

Originally Posted by vsmora

Happy to help you gilbates!

Having seen typical wifi transfer rates on lots of networks, I'd be amazed if you were able to stream high-bit-rate video over stock wifi with other bandwidth-draining kit in range. Most WAPs drop down the signalling rate for all devices, to match what the current slowest device can manage. For example even if the Xbox is right next to the Linksys, when the Wii at the far side of the building is connected and only achieving 1Mb wifi signal rate, then the Xbox will also be slowed to 1Mb, regardless of how little bandwidth the Wii is actually using at the time.

Definitely go wired as much as possible. For 16-port devices I'd suggest either a Netgear GS116, or if you want something to bolt into a small rack, go with JGS516. If it's going somewhere with people in it, then the first one might be better because a few reports I've read say it is fanless and silent. Both units have a decent lifetime replacement warranty too. If your server is the main media store, then it will be worth upgrading the controller to Gigabit if it's not already. Even if the other devices aren't GbE yet, you will still benefit when several devices request data from the server simultaneously.

As for where to buy, I don't purchase retail often, so can't recommend anything concrete. I've bought a little from Scan in the past and they were fine; their prices are competitive if not always the absolute best. They sponsor AVF so you can get free delivery (search for guide) and lots of users like the fact that they reply to queries on here too.

i believe that anything in a blue tin box with netgear now has a lifetime warranty gs108 8 port gs116 16 port

[gilbates]

Thanks guys

i have had a look at the netgear specs and i just had to chuckle to myself ...8,000 mac adresses that should suffice i rekon

many many thanks

Gil

[blue max 2]

I got this one for the same reason as you. Why don't they make routers with more hard wired ports

NETGEAR GS108 ProSafe 8-Port Unmanaged Gigabit Switch

I am really happy with it. It does feel quality. You could try Ebay for a bargain, although I got mine from the link after asking them to match a price - about £60.

Graham

[gilbates]

actually thats a good question BM2 why dont they ??? if they did it would certainly be a best seller

i guess the manufacturers still think that 4 ports is enough , which i guess it is for some

[t72bogie]

they dont make routers with 8 ports, because it would add to the cost...and the avg home user doesnt need more than 4 ports....so you would end up adding £5-10 onto the price of a router to accomodate 0.1% of the buyers and then lose loads of sales just down to price

its just how marketing and consumer hardware works - just about any combination of computer network based product is buildable, but could you sell enough to make it cover its development costs in todays cut throat market where its just a few quid profit and volume based

shame really ...as Im sure we could all think of our "ideal" device for our home network .....I want a super fast sturdy adsl router box, with 2 gig connections, 8 gig ports, N wireless, dect basestation on SIP VoIP service, print server, 4 bays for networked drives in hardware RAID ...and of course I want all that for under £100 but cant seem to find it anywhere for some reason

[gilbates]

Originally Posted by t72bogie

shame really ...as Im sure we could all think of our "ideal" device for our home network .....I want a super fast sturdy adsl router box, with 2 gig connections, 8 gig ports, N wireless, dect basestation on SIP VoIP service, print server, 4 bays for networked drives in hardware RAID ...and of course I want all that for under £100 but cant seem to find it anywhere for some reason

if the 4 bays was upgradeable i would also be interested

[vsmora]

Like t72bogie says, other router designs are not financially competetive to what is already established. Also if all your devices are connected directly to the router, they all risk being kicked off the LAN everytime it needs a reboot. Switches are nice simple devices that don't need software updates or reboots to keep them happy. I wish the same could be said for routers. Hence for larger networks it is better to keep the functions seperate.

As for the "ideal" network appliance, if it comes in piano black then we may have a deal!

[blue max 2]

Whilst I'm perhaps not the 'average' user, I do think that it is becoming increasingly easy to use more than four ports these days.

I use: 2 x computers, printer, voip phone and nas. Streaming media is becoming more mainstream and can take many more people over the four.

I am sure that someone deemed four ports to be enough for anyone, but that was something like 20 years ago!!!

Wonder what making one with 6 ports would actually add to the cost and if there might be a market for it. After all, we do tend to buy more 'just in case' these days. And it does make you look like a power user

Graham

[gilbates]

* GULP *

Buy Cheap Cisco CISCO1801W-AG-E/K9 Router ADSL With 8Ports POTS


i`l just add a switch i think

[t72bogie]

..that ones got the "Cisco tax" included I see (similar to the "Mac tax") where you pay a premium for a box with identical off the shelf components as another

Netgear version here, for the small business, without deep pockets

Scan.co.uk: Netgear DGFV338-100UKS ProSafe Wireless ADSL Modem VPN Firewall 8-Port 10/100 Mbps Switch Router

[blue max 2]

And it was only 100mb I think!

A switch is just fine, but remember you lose a port to connect it up to your router, so you only have seven left if you buy an eight port one.

Graham

[mickevh]

The more ports there are on a switch, the faster the processor inside them needs to be and the more memory they need to have to buffer the frames. Which of course, all equals cost. As you get into the realms of commercial switches (where saving 5-10 GBP on th purchase is less of a concern) the manufacturers start quoting "switching rates," "number of MAC addresses" etc as capacity becomes more important when planning purchases.

Same for routers too - I bear the scars of hanging a Netgear router on a line with a hundred plus downstream computers hammering youtube. It couldn't cope. Step up to 500 GBP "proper" router with loads more memory and processor horsepower and there's no problem - even though the speed of the lines (ADSL & Ethernet) was the same.

The Cisco box linked earlier is a "proper" full features routing device such as this for corporate environments and things link branch offices without dedicated WAN links. It's not simply a case of charging hundreds more for adding a few more ethernet ports and a Cisco badge. It would be like comparing an Aston Martin and Vauxhall Vectra and saying the Aston is simply an overpriced Vectra with a few extra cylinders.

3Com used to sell devices in their "office connect" range that had 8 ports for less that 100 GBP. I'd be surprised if NetGear and D-Link didn't.