Hi,

I am planning on connecting 8 computers to the internet via a cable modem.
I've been looking at some netgear hardware and am a little confused. I
always thought switches were faster than hubs, but where I looked, a Netgear
DS108 8 Port Hub is infact more expensive than a Netgear FS108 8 Port
Switch. Is this just something weird with this supplier or am I wrong about
hubs and switches?

Secondly, if I bought a router(I was looking at a Netgear RP614 Router),
could I just connect one of it's ports to the uplink port on the switch/hub
or would this mess it up?

Cheers

Jamie

On Mon, 25 Aug 2003 20:15:46 +0100, "Jamie Knight"
<James.Knight@warwick.ac.uk> wrote:

In this case, it could be something "different" about what Netgear calls a
"hub" in this case. The specs for the DS108 indicate it is much more
switch-like than a typical SOHO hub, as each port can be run at the speed of
the network card at the other end of the drop. It isn't clear that it can do
full-duplex operation, however.

Yes, you can cascade a lan port from the router/switch to a subordinate
switch.

But bottom line, you're going to need a router. The question is whether an 1+8
port router/switch is a better deal for you than something like a four port
router/switch coupled to a subordinate switch of some size.

I have a four port router/switch driving my two primary PCs, plus a WAP, and
an uplinked 8 port switch. The rest of the fleet is plugged into the switch
(which I had well before we got broadband and the router/switch). It all works
quite well, is intrinsically flexible and relatively easy to isolate/patch
around problems vs a fully integrated router/switch/WiFi based unit...

/daytripper