Trying to find an inexpensive (hahaha) Multiport NIC...

[Taoism]

Hi all,

For some reason it seems from my Googling that a multiport (say, 4 port) NIC (PCI preferred) is very hard to find.

Do any of you know of an online retailer I could get one (hopefully) inexpensively?

I would also work with 2 dual-port cards if I had to. I'd prefer to not spend a ton of money, since this is just a personal project.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Cheers,
Keith.

 

[ThePCGuy]

They get very expensive. I've yet to see a dual or more port network card sub-100.00 range. You can buy a bunch of realtek 8139 cards very cheap. I've got a few motherboards with 6 pci slots so it's not an issue, but I'm not sure how your machine is. You could also find usb-ethernet adapters. I don't like the idea much, and it'd be much slower than typical ethernet, but would work. What idea are you playing with if you care to share?

- Jim

 

[Restorer]

http://www.pinecomputer.com/pinecom/re4popciroca.html

I don't know whether the Windows drivers can be configured to allow each port to be used as its own interface, rather than as an "internal router". I have read that in Linux the card works as a simple four-port ethernet card. I do not know whether all the ports are seen as separate interfaces - it may just be a single interface connected to a switch, all on a PCI card.

 

[Ddruid_SMP]

Wisp-Router We use a lot of these, nice thing they are auto-mdi/x

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

Any specific reason you need this? or cant do 4 sperate nic or a single nic to a hub / switch ?

 

[Ddruid_SMP]

Any specific reason you need this? or cant do 4 sperate nic or a single nic to a hub / switch ?

Not sure what he needs them for, but we use them in our routers, most of which are 1u or 2u cases so there is only 1 or 2 pci slots available.