Newby needs a spec check :-)

[jason44mag]

Hey All,

I have a dog aged modem/router that I think is holding back my home network. Seeing as I dont know the first thing about modems/routers I really need your help to get this weakpoint fixed.

My modem router (DSL-G604T) is in the spare room and my Macbook, Airport Express & Apple TV are all feeding off it wirelessly.

My main issue is that streaming to the apple tv can be slow and music via AE drops our frequently and download speeds are pretty slow.

My big ask is
1) Can you guys take a look at my existing modem/router specs and confirm (or deny) that it is worth upgrading and by doing so will really boost my home network.

specs are here D-Link DSL G604T Specs (wireless router - DSL - 802.11b/g - desktop) - Routers - CNET Reviews

2) If question to number one is yes, then can you suggest a really good replacement?

3) and finally, would it help to run a cable from the modem/router to some kind of hub or switch and then hard wire apple tv & airport express to the modem via this long cable?? would that make a huge difference? if so what product would you recommend and will a long cable stretching from the modem/router to the hub/switch slow the network speed down at all?

I would be eternally greatful for any help you can give as i have just discovered the magic of XBMC and the slow network is now stopping me from enjoying it

 

[themediaman]

The router specs seem OK to me, however your wireless devices wont be communicating with the most recent wireless N technology, which your devices can no doubt do, but just not with your current router, so i would consider an upgrade if you will be using wireless often........


for best results hard wiring everything would be best, but I would of thought not entirely necessary just for music streaming....

wireless N would definitely help with that......

 

[jason44mag]

Thanks man, anyone else provide an opinion on this?

Would a gigabyte router make a difference?

 

[mickevh]

It's "gigabit" not "gigabyte." Gigabyte are a hardware manufacturer, rather than a measure of network link rate.

Anyway, a router with gigabit ports will offer link rates 10 times faster than "fast" (100mbps) ethernet ports for any devices you connect which are also gigabit ethernet capable. It'll have no affect on your ISP (Internet) link rates or wi-fi. They all have their link rates negotiated separately.

In the sort of data networking environment one has at home, each ethernet/wi-fi device negotiates it's own link rate with the communicating peer when they connect, and those rates are all independent of each other.

It's bit like the road network: Just because road "A" connects to a junction with a 30 mph speed, there's no reason why all the other roads leading to the same juntion cannot have different speeds.

 

[jason44mag]

Another quick question, would I get better results by getting a seperate modem & router? by better results i mean better network speeds etc?

 

[mickevh]

Probably not so that you'd notice either way.

Technically I'd expect the "separates" option to be slightly slower as there's an extra "hop" in the pathway (between modem and router) for traffic to/from the Internet (local LAN traffic wouldn't be affected.) But we're talking an uber-geek level extra few microseconds that you'd seriously have to go out of your way to even measure. Compared to the (existing) latencies elsewhere on the Internet, the extra hop will be bearly detectable. I certainly wouldn't expect it to go any faster with separates.

If you're really interested in separates, then a separate router and gigabit switch would give you better performance for local wired traffic, (as long as your local devices have Gigabit network cards installed of course,) if your existing router "only" has 100mbps ports. A Gigabit switch is probably going to be cheaper than a new router (you could keep your existing router, though of course that means you won't get better than your existing b/g wi-fi.)

 

[jason44mag]

Thanks guys, just one more question....

I purchased some CAT6 FLAT NETWORK CABLE (ETHERNET LAN UTP LEAD) to run from the modem/router to the living room so my questions are:

1) Is this cable the right/best one to use (i.e. will it slow down speed in any way running it a long distance)

2) What gadget do I need at the living room end to connect multiple devices to (apple tv, Airport express etc)? and again will this slow the operation down any? (i.e. slower than connecting directly to the modem/router?

Sorry again for all the questions!

Cheers
J

 

[themediaman]

The cable is fine.....

A network switch is what you need at the living room end and it won't slow anything down either....

 

[mickevh]

Ethernet performs at fixed rates irrespective of the cable you use (as long as it meets the minimum "cat5e" standard of course.) There's no sense that an "inferior" quality/brand is going to "work, but slower." Ethernet either works at full chat, or not at all.

As long as you buy "cat5e" or better UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair - what the cable is called,) you should be good for ethernet at 10, 100 and 1000 mbps (gigabit) link rates up to a distance on 100 metres per cable run (more than enough for your average UK residence.)

"cat5e" is a standards kite-mark that asserts that anything defined as cat5e meets a particular set of standards of performance (which are good enough for the aforementioned 10/100/1000 mbps ethernet.)

Most of the time, if you get problems with wired ethernet, it's down to poor termination (bad punching, dirty connectors, etc.)

 

[jason44mag]

Is the network switch a manual thing or am I right in assuming that they can be auto and switch over automatically?

Anyone know of a good brand/model to buy (again I am not sure if the make/model makes a difference to speed or wether they are all much the same?)

Thanks again for your help, I feel much more comfortable about what I need to do

 

[mickevh]

A (data) network switch is a "switch" in the sense that it is a "switching centre" that "switches" data packets towards their destination, as opposed to something like a light switch or even the (more complex) ignition "switch" in a car.

Data travels around the type of networks we are likely to have at home in discreet little units called "packets" and a network switch makes decisions about which packet to send where as it receives them. It's rather like a sorting office in the real-work postal system.

You probably already own an ethernet switch - the "LAN" ports in your "router" are an ethernet switch. The switching operation is completely automatic.

 

[jason44mag]

Thanks Mick, I was aware of the switch aspect on my modem but wasnt sure how this worked for a seperate unit that I will be placing in the living room (i.e. away from the modem/router).

Are there any specs I should look out for when buying a network switch/hub?

 

[mickevh]

I can't speak from experience, but at the SOHO end of the market, I'd expect most little 4/5 port switches to be much of a muchness.

I'd personally buy a 10/100/1000 (gigabit) version rather that 10/100 as the price difference these days isn't much

Doubtless most are "auto-negotiating" (link rate mostly) - it must be a decade since I saw any ethernet device that didn't. I'd look for auto-MDI/MDI-X (sorts out cable crossing or not on 10/100 links) but again, most kit tends to do this these days.

After that, it's all about how many ports you want (don't forget the uplink port required to connect to your router - and the "loss" of a port on the router - sounds obvious, but it's easy to forget,) price of course, warranty, how "pretty" do you want it to be, etc. etc.

4/5 port switches tend to be fanless so noise shouldn't be a problem, though most seem to run on wall-warts (as opposed to internal PSU's) and of course you'll need a handy mains socket.

Unless you really want to get into a "numbers game" and start trawling the datasheets for bandwith, switching rates and all the really geeky stuff, but TBH for a lightly loaded SOHO LAN and wouldn't fret over such things much. A web site called "SmallNetBuilder" have a lot of tables of a fairly wide selection of stats. of such devices - you could do worse than look there.