# advantages of going from modem-->switch==>wireless router



## Easy Rhino (Jun 10, 2008)

as the title says i would like to know what the advantages are of going from a cable modem to a switch and then to a wireless router.


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## Deleted member 3 (Jun 10, 2008)

Advantages? Are you suggesting that this is some common setup? The only reason you'd put a switch in between is when you wish to connect many computers. However most AP's have a switch built in already. So the only reason to create such setups is when cabling asks for it.


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## CarolinaKSU (Jun 10, 2008)

I dont see how it would matter. If you run a Cat6 cable directly from your modem to your router there is nothing to bottleneck you. Most higher end routers are coming with gigabit ethernet ports on the back of them and these 4 ports are in fact a switch so you can plug in your wired devices and still have an unempeded connection to the modem.


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## niko084 (Jun 10, 2008)

CarolinaKSU said:


> I dont see how it would matter. If you run a Cat6 cable directly from your modem to your router there is nothing to bottleneck you. Most higher end routers are coming with gigabit ethernet ports on the back of them and these 4 ports are in fact a switch so you can plug in your wired devices and still have an unempeded connection to the modem.



Cat6 is generally not a good idea... It's not required for gigabit and it breaks very easily, cat5e is perfectly acceptable.

But as Dan said, its not going to do you any good unless you have a lot of computers on a network, if anything it will slow your ping.


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## Easy Rhino (Jun 10, 2008)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> Advantages? Are you suggesting that this is some common setup? The only reason you'd put a switch in between is when you wish to connect many computers. However most AP's have a switch built in already. So the only reason to create such setups is when cabling asks for it.



i am not suggesting anything, just asking a question. i have heard it recommended to use a switch between a modem and a wireless router (i cant remember where i read this/heard this so i am asking here.) i agree that there probably is no real advantage of doing so.


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## Easy Rhino (Jun 10, 2008)

CarolinaKSU said:


> I dont see how it would matter. If you run a Cat6 cable directly from your modem to your router there is nothing to bottleneck you. Most higher end routers are coming with gigabit ethernet ports on the back of them and these 4 ports are in fact a switch so you can plug in your wired devices and still have an unempeded connection to the modem.



yea, i am running a cat6 cable from my modem to my router. just curious if there would be any advantage to using a switch as well.


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## Easy Rhino (Jun 10, 2008)

niko084 said:


> Cat6 is generally not a good idea... It's not required for gigabit and it breaks very easily, cat5e is perfectly acceptable.



really? that is the first i have heard of it. 



> But as Dan said, its not going to do you any good unless you have a lot of computers on a network, if anything it will slow your ping.



that is what i figured.


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## niko084 (Jun 10, 2008)

Ya cat6 is considered a "laying" cable... It's best to leave laying down and never with any sharp bends or any place you can step on it. It's fine if its just there, you just have to be careful with it. I have it run myself, but there is really no need for it.


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## Polaris573 (Jun 10, 2008)

Traditional architecture is Modem -> Router -> Switch -> Networked Devices.  There would be no benefit to putting a switch in between the router and the modem, and all of the devices connected to the switch and not the router would be exposed to the internet.


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## Gam'ster (Jun 10, 2008)

niko084 said:


> Ya cat6 is considered a "laying" cable... It's best to leave laying down and never with any sharp bends or any place you can step on it. It's fine if its just there, you just have to be careful with it. I have it run myself, but there is really no need for it.



First time ive heard that, cat6 or any cat cable either comes in patch or structured UTP or STP, structured usually has a solid core to stop kinks and sharp bends from occurring. We all know the rest .

Gam


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## niko084 (Jun 10, 2008)

Gam'ster said:


> First time ive heard that, cat6 or any cat cable either comes in patch or structured UTP or STP, structured usually has a solid core to stop kinks and sharp bends from occurring. We all know the rest .
> 
> Gam



I think it has to do the the twists being so tight especially with the larger gauge wire, makes it really extra easy to break, especially if the wire is cheap.


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## Gam'ster (Jun 11, 2008)

I cant remember how many extra twists it has per meter but moral of the story dont use cheap cable , But on topic switch is only usefull if ur adding more pc's or network printers and what polaris said .
Also rhino if ur thinking of selling/upgrading ur opty in around 5 weeks let me know  .
Gam


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## lemonadesoda (Jun 11, 2008)

Perhaps ER has seen such a setup. If so, please explain where... and we may be able to clue in on why it was being done.  Perhaps you mean:

modem > hub > router > AP

The hub is there for "sniffing" everything going in and out of the router. But a switch wouldnt work.


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## Easy Rhino (Jun 11, 2008)

lemonadesoda said:


> Perhaps ER has seen such a setup. If so, please explain where... and we may be able to clue in on why it was being done.  Perhaps you mean:
> 
> modem > hub > router > AP
> 
> The hub is there for "sniffing" everything going in and out of the router. But a switch wouldnt work.



well i dont know if i have seen one. i must be remembering incorrectly. you say to go with modem > router > ap , but what if your router has an AP ? would it be better to go modem > router/AP > switch ? and why would you use a hub ?


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## lemonadesoda (Jun 11, 2008)

If you have a built in wireless, then fine. But built in wireless is usually less reliable than separate AP. If you already have an all-in-one consumer product, then fine. But if you are building from scratch, the pros will tell you to separate router and AP. And separate AP usually has more security management features, like MAC lock, port limitation, HTML redirect (public access point, PAP), and allows for network BRIDGING.

I think I explained why to use a hub in the previous post. If you need a more detailed explanation, no problem, but best to hit a wiki for a more thorough explanation. http://wiki.wireshark.org/HubReference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_sniffer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Bridge
http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Building_a_Wireless_Access_Point
http://www.uninformed.org/?v=2&a=3&t=pdf


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## Easy Rhino (Jun 11, 2008)

lemonadesoda said:


> If you have a built in wireless, then fine. But built in wireless is usually less reliable than separate AP. If you already have an all-in-one consumer product, then fine. But if you are building from scratch, the pros will tell you to separate router and AP. And separate AP usually has more security management features, like MAC lock, port limitation, HTML redirect (public access point, PAP), and allows for network BRIDGING.
> 
> I think I explained why to use a hub in the previous post. If you need a more detailed explanation, no problem, but best to hit a wiki for a more thorough explanation. http://wiki.wireshark.org/HubReference
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_sniffer
> ...




hrm...well i have an older hub that is 10 years old i guess i could use. i dont know what kind it is. for example, my school's DHCP server would sign each PC an external (real) IP address. but we only had 1 port in each room so we used a hub to split the connection. would something like that work?


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## Mussels (Jun 11, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> as the title says i would like to know what the advantages are of going from a cable modem to a switch and then to a wireless router.



i'm going to answer rhinos post, and ignore others for now. sorry guys. I am technically Cisco certified as a network engineer, except that the course was cancelled due to lack of students so we never got the final certificate. I do understand all the various methods used by people for these setups, so if people have questions, i can answer them.


The 'advantage' is that users connected to the switch get IP addresses from the modem directly (assuming the modem gives out more than one local IP, meaning its really a router itself)

Otherwise, systems after the wireless would be on a seperate network, and features such as port forwarding would not work.

Cable router -> switch (cable routers IP range) -> wireless router -> any connected systems are from the wireless routers IP range.

a wireless access point would do the same task, without adding an extra IP range.


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## Deleted member 3 (Jun 11, 2008)

CAT6 cables don't break that easily, however it is less flexible than CAT5.


What lemonade says is not true per se, however it is true that most all-in-one products are lower end products which often are less reliable (this basically only applies to the wireless part) If you require a reliable wireless connection investing in a decent AP might not be a bad idea. However, if you only use wireless to do some interwebbing on your laptop you shouldn't care 
Besides, most cheap devices offer all options you require, they can filter on MAC address, they support NAT, and can therefor also block ports of choice. What "HTML redirect" is I wouldn't know, as HTML has nothing to do with networks or routers.
As for the hub sniffing things, it does no such thing, it is basically a multi port repeater. Signal comes in and goes out on all other ports. The hub has no clue what it forwards or to where. A switching hub (which most devices are nowadays) has some more intelligence and forwards to the right ports, lowering network load by a huge factor when there are more than 3 devices.

@easyrhino, an external IP isn't more "real" than an internal one. A hub doesn't do anything on IP level either, nor split anything. Perhaps it helps if you explain your situation, ie existing cabling, computers, location of devices.
Draw a map of your home and tell us where everything is located.



Mussels said:


> i'm going to answer rhinos post, and ignore others for now. sorry guys. I am technically Cisco certified as a network engineer, except that the course was cancelled due to lack of students so we never got the final certificate. I do understand all the various methods used by people for these setups, so if people have questions, i can answer them.
> 
> 
> The 'advantage' is that users connected to the switch get IP addresses from the modem directly (assuming the modem gives out more than one local IP, meaning its really a router itself)
> ...



That is of course not true per se, I have a wireless AP downstairs doing close to nothing. It has router functionality and all which I don't use. It is connected to my network using the built in switch, since the internal DHCP server is disabled all DHCP requests go to the same DHCP server as the rest of the computers in my network. I can access anything connected wireless like any other machine.

You're assuming the internal network is connected to the WAN port of those devices, which has never been suggested.


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## Easy Rhino (Jun 11, 2008)

Mussels said:


> i'm going to answer rhinos post, and ignore others for now. sorry guys. I am technically Cisco certified as a network engineer, except that the course was cancelled due to lack of students so we never got the final certificate. I do understand all the various methods used by people for these setups, so if people have questions, i can answer them.
> 
> 
> The 'advantage' is that users connected to the switch get IP addresses from the modem directly (assuming the modem gives out more than one local IP, meaning its really a router itself)
> ...




what if it is a cable modem and not a cable router and my isp only assigns me 1 external IP ? the modem assigns my house the external IP and it goes to the switch. the switch assigns wired devices attached to it internal IP addresses. then the wireless AP (which is wired to the switch) gets an internal IP address which assigns its own set of internal IPs to wireless devices. am i understanding this correctly? i still dont get why that is an advantage.


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## Deleted member 3 (Jun 11, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> what if it is a cable modem and not a cable router and my isp only assigns me 1 external IP ? the modem assigns my house the external IP and it goes to the switch. the switch assigns wired devices attached to it internal IP addresses. then the wireless AP (which is wired to the switch) gets an internal IP address which assigns its own set of internal IPs to wireless devices. am i understanding this correctly? i still dont get why that is an advantage.



If it forwards the external IP to your computer it's in bridging mode. My Zyxel ADSL modem does such things by default as well. However it has far more options via the telnet interface than via the web interface, one of them being routing and a DHCP server. When being a router it acts as your computer on the WAN itself, your internal network will have a completely different range of IP's (most commonly 192.168.x.x or 10.0.0.x). From there on the internet can be ignored, as that part isn't relevant anymore.

Switches can't assign IP's, DHCP servers do that. Most routers feature internal DHCP servers. (personally I use a win2k8 DHCP server, since I require it for various services and you shouldn't have multiple DHCP servers)

If your cable modem can't function as a router I would recommend connecting it directly to the WAN port of your wireless router. From there you have a single network consisting of both the wireless network and the wired ports. If you require more wired ports connect your switch/hub to one of the routers wired ports, no extra configuration required for that.


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## Easy Rhino (Jun 11, 2008)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> If it forwards the external IP to your computer it's in bridging mode. My Zyxel ADSL modem does such things by default as well. However it has far more options via the telnet interface than via the web interface, one of them being routing and a DHCP server. When being a router it acts as your computer on the WAN itself, your internal network will have a completely different range of IP's (most commonly 192.168.x.x or 10.0.0.x). From there on the internet can be ignored, as that part isn't relevant anymore.
> 
> Switches can't assign IP's, DHCP servers do that. Most routers feature internal DHCP servers. (personally I use a win2k8 DHCP server, since I require it for various services and you shouldn't have multiple DHCP servers)
> 
> If your cable modem can't function as a router I would recommend connecting it directly to the WAN port of your wireless router. From there you have a single network consisting of both the wireless network and the wired ports. If you require more wired ports connect your switch/hub to one of the routers wired ports, no extra configuration required for that.



my setup is very basic. i am just curious as to what other options i have and if there would be any advantages to them. my isp only gives me 1 IP which the cable modem handles and that is connected to my wireless routers WAN port. and the dhcp server on the router does all my work.


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## Deleted member 3 (Jun 11, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> my setup is very basic. i am just curious as to what other options i have and if there would be any advantages to them. my isp only gives me 1 IP which the cable modem handles and that is connected to my wireless routers WAN port. and the dhcp server on the router does all my work.



ie exactly as I suggested, leave it that way, it's the most logical setup. Putting anything in between the router and the modem won't do you any good.


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## Mussels (Jun 11, 2008)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> You're assuming the internal network is connected to the WAN port of those devices, which has never been suggested.



Indeed i was, as thats how i assumed people would connect them. I offered the only reason WHY a person would connect a switch beforehand - if they werent using the WAN portion, it wouldnt spread the wireless unelss it was in AP mode - making it not a router (and negating the original question of WHY put a switch there)

as dan said, you want as few pieces of hardware as possible.

Good setups:

All in one router (VERY common here in aus, less common in USA)
Modem-> wireless router
Modem->router->wireless AP


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## mrhuggles (Jun 11, 2008)

if you only had junky routers that couldnt get multiple ips, or were very low performance, you might want to have a switch after your modem and then hook up multiple routers to the switch so each could get its own ip adress and provide for their own little networks

if that was the case tho you would probably save money from getting a better router, better routers are actually cheaper than inferior ones now a days


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## Mussels (Jun 12, 2008)

mrhuggles said:


> if you only had junky routers that couldnt get multiple ips, or were very low performance, you might want to have a switch after your modem and then hook up multiple routers to the switch so each could get its own ip adress and provide for their own little networks
> 
> if that was the case tho you would probably save money from getting a better router, better routers are actually cheaper than inferior ones now a days



switches do not provide IP addresses. that is what routers are for. connecting multiple routers? wtf? that would segregate the network and make it impossible to use port forwarding, and disable any local LAN features. also if the original modem only had one IP address to give, it cant share it to multiple routers. If it could, it would be a router anyway/


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## mrhuggles (Jun 12, 2008)

lol sorry i think i might have expressed that wrong or it was interpreted from my poor english wrongly [heh im from america :?]

what i mean is like ok, modem, then say switch, then say 2 routers, then each router would get its own individual IP
i know plenty of people that do that becuase their routers cant handle multiple ip adresses on their WAN

dude i run openWRT white russian 0.9 so im good im just saying thats what other ppl do cuz their routers are like useing VXWorks or something  *cries for pplz*

oops and also sorry, umm, sometimes modems are simply a modem and you get ip adresses from the ISP and the modem is unaware of ip adresses really

i guess it depends on if your cable or dsl or whatever else they have and what modem it is and what protocals they are useing etc


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## Mussels (Jun 12, 2008)

ISP's give one IP address usually.
A modem forwards that directly to a PC
A router shares it, changint it to a local IP range and doing NAT translations for port forwardings.

If you have a modem to a switch... only one device connected can get the IP address. it simply wont work.


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## Psychoholic (Jun 12, 2008)

Switches do not provide IP Addresses?  Sure they do..  They have built in DHCP Servers aswell.  




Mussels said:


> switches do not provide IP addresses. that is what routers are for. connecting multiple routers? wtf? that would segregate the network and make it impossible to use port forwarding, and disable any local LAN features. also if the original modem only had one IP address to give, it cant share it to multiple routers. If it could, it would be a router anyway/


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## Mussels (Jun 12, 2008)

Psychoholic said:


> Switches do not provide IP Addresses?  Sure they do..  They have built in DHCP Servers aswell.



no. no they do not. switched hubs do NOT have dhcp AT ALL.

seriously, go find a regular switch and connect a PC to it. you'll just get a 'limited network connectivity' report from windows, and an IP address assigned by windows.


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## CrackerJack (Jun 12, 2008)

i use, modem> wireless router> switch. Just because i've only got one 15ft cable and not two, so they can reach mine and my wife's computer. And plus i like to keep the router away from the computers, better signal.

Mussels is right switches do not create DHCP, only routers do. Switch is more like a splitter than anything. But if it's behind a router than you'll get a DHCP address only because of the router.


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## Mussels (Jun 12, 2008)

aimed at psycho

http://www.duxcw.com/faq/network/hubsw.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_switch

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router

notice how the switches and hubs have NO mention of DHCP servers or giving out IP adresses? thats because thats a feature of routers.

This link is about a different topic, but it has a clear point related to this.
http://www.neon.com/LS_appnote2.html


> An SNMP router or common device (server, printer, etc.) isn't included.
> Switches return the table of known Ethernet addresses. Since switches know nothing about IP addresses (they operate on layer 2, not layer 3), it is essential that other nodes on the network can provide the mappings between Ethernet addresses and IP addresses.


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## CrackerJack (Jun 12, 2008)

^ bet me too it 

nice!!!


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## Psychoholic (Jun 12, 2008)

I work with cisco 2900 switches all the time..  we have to configure DHCP on them.  Thanks for your information though.


BTW a switch and a hub are two totally different animals..  HUBs do not issue IP addresses.



Mussels said:


> aimed at psycho
> 
> http://www.duxcw.com/faq/network/hubsw.htm
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_switch
> ...


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## Mussels (Jun 12, 2008)

Hubs are a more traditional splitter - data comes in one hole, and out all the others. If one person sends data, all other ports receive it.

In a 5 port network environment with 5 PC's, that means if PC 1 sends data, all other ports/PC's get it and have to discard it if it wasnt intended for them.

More or less, one PC transferring to another PC can blanket the whole network and make it congested, and slow as feck for everyone else.

A switched hub (or switch) sends it ONLY to the intended recipient - PC 1 sends data to PC 5, and the other guys get nothing, leaving them their full speed/capacity.

edit: those cisco switches are not traditional switches. if they have DHCP, that means they're actually a router. its possible they're a managed switch with routing functionality added in - cisco are well known for not following the rules.


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## Psychoholic (Jun 12, 2008)

These are the switches we work with.  DHCP is a feature of the cisco ios..  I have had many exams over this.. hehe

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk648/tk361/technologies_tech_note09186a00800f0804.shtml


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## Mussels (Jun 12, 2008)

Psychoholic said:


> These are the switches we work with.  DHCP is a feature of the cisco ios..  I have had many exams over this.. hehe
> 
> http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk648/tk361/technologies_tech_note09186a00800f0804.shtml



mostly that talks about DHCP clients - receiving an IP address. on that page in several places it says router.



> Configuring DHCP/BootP Relay Agent Feature on Cisco IOS Router



Its a router, with multiple ports. so you could call it a router with a built in switch.


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## Psychoholic (Jun 12, 2008)

LOL

it says router because the switch is directly connected to a router, traffic cant be routed across different networks without the routers.

I'll leave this to you guys though.


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## mrhuggles (Jun 12, 2008)

arrg i didnt mean to undermine mussles cuz hes 98% right, a hub is a really simple device that hooks stuff together in a network, a switch is the same thing, even a managed switch isnt much more than that, it doesnt perform any services, only management

what i was meaning is like ok, sometimes your isp will give you multiple static ips, and back in the days on comcast we used to get multiple ips befor they put in the whole 1 MAC per modem thing,..
but even still, you can get multiple static ips from your isp, usualy in the business packages
some routers can get multiple ip adresses, and some cant, and for the ones that cant some people have multiple routers, and like, especialy that way if you have roommates a good way is for each roommate to have their own ip and router..

but yeah, switches dont give out anything, they are just about shareing is all just like a hub.


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## Psychoholic (Jun 12, 2008)

While a switch can issue ips, the majority of the time it is acting as a relay agent for a dhcp server that is elsewhere(Probably on a router), but there is a feature of the IOS that will start a DHCP service on any cisco catalyst switch...  heck, log into a management port on a cisco switch if you have access to one, and in privileged mode type "show ip dhcp server statistics" You will see it, even if it isnt running.

Anyways, sorry for the thread derailment..  im out.




mrhuggles said:


> arrg i didnt mean to undermine mussles cuz hes 98% right, a hub is a really simple device that hooks stuff together in a network, a switch is the same thing, even a managed switch isnt much more than that, it doesnt perform any services, only management
> 
> what i was meaning is like ok, sometimes your isp will give you multiple static ips, and back in the days on comcast we used to get multiple ips befor they put in the whole 1 MAC per modem thing,..
> but even still, you can get multiple static ips from your isp, usualy in the business packages
> ...


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## mrhuggles (Jun 12, 2008)

if you have 2 devices behind a switch to a modem its not the switch that issues ips, its well, the modem if it has DHCP can issue them but otherwise it would just be the isp hmm, question re: OP did you need to get more than 1 ip in this way? heh.


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## Deleted member 3 (Jun 12, 2008)

Mussels said:


> switches do not provide IP addresses. that is what routers are for. connecting multiple routers? wtf? that would segregate the network and make it impossible to use port forwarding, and disable any local LAN features. also if the original modem only had one IP address to give, it cant share it to multiple routers. If it could, it would be a router anyway/



Actually routers don't supply IP addresses either, DHCP servers do. Routers connect different networks. Given, most routers have a DHCP server built-in.


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## niko084 (Jun 12, 2008)

And when we are talkig about Switches/Hubs there is a lot of difference.
Also remember we have non managed and managed switches.


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## Mussels (Jun 13, 2008)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> Actually routers don't supply IP addresses either, DHCP servers do. Routers connect different networks. Given, most routers have a DHCP server built-in.



technically, yes.

In home environments, routers always have a DHCP server. we are talking about home setups based on the original post, but i dont mind clarifying that since you brought it up.


Mrhuggles: your setup of modem-> switch would usually mean that only one device can get an IP address. Your ISP would need to provide more than one WAN adderss (rare these days, often charging you more)

The common solution is that true modems are next to impossible to find these days (at least here in australia) and they're more a 1-port router (a router without a switch/extra ports)


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## mrhuggles (Jun 13, 2008)

i didnt invent the idea of having a switch to go to multiple routers so each router could get its own ip to share among its own network.

also i didnt start this thread either!!! i was just,.. trying to show why someone would do that in accordance with the original post. also mussles: what is your avatar pic from? it looks like a robot ive never seen befor :?


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## A Cheese Danish (Jun 13, 2008)

mrhuggles said:


> also mussles: what is your avatar pic from? it looks like a robot ive never seen befor :?



i believe its an iron.

If you have a modem, you can not put a switch right off of it. It will just configure the computers connected on the switch with the same IP. My friend once thought you could just put the switch off the modem. You need a router, of course with the DHCP built-in, and then, off that you can put the switch.


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## Mussels (Jun 13, 2008)

A Cheese Danish said:


> i believe its an iron.


That it is. it simply looks like a face, thus calling it iron man.



A Cheese Danish said:


> If you have a modem, you can not put a switch right off of it. It will just configure the computers connected on the switch with the same IP. My friend once thought you could just put the switch off the modem. You need a router, of course with the DHCP built-in, and then, off that you can put the switch.



thats what i've been trying to get across. i have a high understanding of how it all works, but explaining it isnt my strong point.


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## mrhuggles (Jun 13, 2008)

i am not good at explaining either i dont think.


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## skroged (Oct 28, 2008)

*Routers, Switches*

In this setup: (Cable Modem) --> (Routher with 100Mb/s swith) --> (1Gb/s switch) --> (comps with 1Gb/s cards), the router's 100 Mb/s is plenty fast for internet, but are computer to computer transfers done at 1Gb/s? Or is everything transfered through the router and bottlenecked at 100Mb/s?


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## Mussels (Oct 28, 2008)

they take the shortest path. In that setup, the PC's would communicate via the gigabit switch.
You have the optimal setup.


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## IggSter (Oct 28, 2008)

I will try to answer all the questions here as ive been a network consultant for nearly 20 yrs now and have a pretty good grasp of how these things work (I hope)

*1.* The modem supplied from any ISP be it cable or DSL is a fairly dumb device and its sole purpose is to convert your home network type to that of the ISP.

example: USB > DSL, Ethernet > DSL, Ethernet > Cable (coax)

*2.* The modem does not care about IP addresses so for the purposes of home networking, all you need to worry about is...what type of connector do i need to plug into it.

*3.* The modem MAY have an IP address BUT this is for management purposes only (so the ISP can remotely access, get stats etc (see point 2.)

*4.* If your modem supports DHCP or has Switch ports...it is NOT a modem. It is a multi function device...modem + router + switch + wireless as an example.

*5.* What can i plug into my modem?.

*Your PC.* This is good because this gives your PC a direct connection to your ISP (simple and less things to go wrong). This is bad because you can not plug anything else into the modem so are limited to the one PC. This is bad because your PC will have a PUBLIC IP address (assigned by your ISP) and thus is visible on the Internet - thus you will need very good security measures (Firewall, Anti Virus, Intrusion detection etc)

*A router.* (with switch/wireless as most include this functionality). This is good because your router is the device that talks to the ISP and recieves the PUBLIC IP address thus allowing you to have a PRIVATE address space locally. This is good because it allows you to have many PRIVATE IP addresses and thus many network devices on your LAN. This is good because your devices with PRIVATE addresses are not directly visible to the internet. This is bad because it will introduce a latency in communications (negligible in most cases) and will make your configuration more complex.

*A hub/Switch.* This is good because it will allow you multiple direct connections to your ISP (Only useful if your ISP offers multiple PUBLIC IP addresses or for diagnostic purposes). This is bad because if your ISP does NOT offer multiple PUBLIC IP addresses and you connect more than one device, one or all ISP connections will likely fail. This is bad because it increases complexity and can introduce latency.

*Cabling.*

Please note that all the following are the recommended specifications and as we all know these can be quite flexible depending on configuration/environment. (PC overclocking is another example)

*Cat V or Cat 5* is a 100Mbit only cabling. The cable itself comes in 2 distinct types:- Solid (backbone)and braided (Patch). The total maximum length from end to end is 100m. with a max of 90m solid core cable and 10m braided.

*Cat V+ or Cat 5 plus*. Is basically the same as normal Cat V but with support for Gigabit ethernet.

*Cat 6*. This was designed to support Gigabit ethernet and is known as a channel solution. This means very little in a home/soho environment as cable runs are typically few and relatively short. However in a true structured cabling location with 100s/1000s of cables, many floors and long (>100m) runs, all the components should be matched. ie. Lucent cable, Lucent faceplates, Lucent connectors. It is a VERY bad idea to mix and match Cat 6 components.

Some general points.

If you need Cat 5/6 cabling and it will be permanent/semi permanent (ie running to another room in your house) always use solid core UTP
If the cabling is to connect 2 devices together over a short (>5m) distance and gets plugged/unplugged a lot, always use braided UTP. 

If you are running 100Mbit or 1000Mbit ethernet, do not allow your devices to auto negotiate the speed or duplex mode...always manually set them at the router/switch/PC.
Autonegotiation (especially between devices from different manufacturers) can be a lottery and can cause intermittent problems, slowdowns, reconnections etc.

If your are having *wireless range/speed problems* there are some very simple things to try.

Move your wireless router a few cm/inches. Sometimes this is all it takes to drastically change the range/speed. (Place router on a book for example, or move it away from wall/PC by a small distance)
Move a piece of furniture - this can change the way the wireless signals are reflected or absorbed. (for a while I would lose wireless access in one of the bedrooms in my house and this was caused when my wife parked her car in a certain spot outside the house)

I hope this has been somewhat useful and please feel free to ask for clarification or more information 

Also please note that I've simplified or skipped over a great deal so please dont see this as an exhaustive networking guide.


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