I need more ethernet ports

[Stoner51]

? I have a linksys wrtsl54g router I have a need for more wired ethernet ports. I just need to purchase a switch and plug one cable from the lan to one of the ports on the switch correct.
these are the products i have

router Linksys wrtsl54g

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Sate...967848&pagename=Linksys/Common/VisitorWrapper

modem motorola sb120

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16825122106

switch I am considering linksys 16 port 10/100 switch

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124028

I have one printer, 3 computers, xbox, xbox 360, ps2, voip. and who knows what in the future.

 

[SavageBasher]

that will work fine

 

[MVC]

If you don't think you'll ever need to move large amounts of data between your computers that switch would work fine. But, if you do need to move lots of data a gigabit switch would be a good investment. Moving gigabytes of data on my home network is a lot faster now with the Linksys EG008W gigabit switch than it was when I was just using the 10/100 connections on the router.

 

[ErikD]

Going to Gigabit requires more than just a gigabit switch though. You need total hardware support for it, from end to end, or it will jut slow down to the lowest common speed.

That would mean all gigabit NICs (or at least in the PCs involved in gigabit transfers), at least CAT 5e cable done properly to the TIA 568A/B standard, and a switch. Then all of the computers you want to operate at gigabit would need to be on that switch. If you move a lot of data around internally it might be worth looking into.

 

[MVC]

Going to Gigabit requires more than just a gigabit switch though. You need total hardware support for it, from end to end, or it will jut slow down to the lowest common speed.

That would mean all gigabit NICs (or at least in the PCs involved in gigabit transfers), at least CAT 5e cable done properly to the TIA 568A/B standard, and a switch. Then all of the computers you want to operate at gigabit would need to be on that switch. If you move a lot of data around internally it might be worth looking into.

True enough, but just about every motherboard made in the last 2-3 years is capable of gigabit speed. Older machines would transfer data slower, but even upgrading them wouldn't be all that expensive if you needed/wanted them to transfer data faster. As for the cables, Monoprice has Cat 6 cables at very reasonable prices and you could probably replace every cable you've got for under $20-$30, which is a small price to pay considering the price of the switch.

My main point was that buying a 16 port switch is a considerable investment and that if you're going to make that investment you might as well ensure that you can use the hardware for as long as possible. Since gigabit is the current standard that's what I'd suggest buying. A 10/100 switch might be fine for today, but in 2-3 years it might be the bottleneck in the whole network so then you'd be looking for a replacement and spending even more money. So, long term, I think buying the gigabit switch now is the better answer since it wouldn't need to be replaced until after something faster becomes the standard and I don't think we'll be seeing 10 gigabit (or faster) networks in the home for quite some time

 

[Stoner51]

cable will be run through the attic. Not really sure I will use gigabit. Two of the computers don't have gigabit so I will stick with 10/100. thanks for the replies