getting multiple computers, do I need a switch or a router?

I actually had it plugged into a surge protector at the time, but the box was probably 7 years old so it may not have been up to par anymore. I bought a new Belkin SP with a solid review rating to replace it. But the fact the HDD baked while nothing else suffered damage could've been a sign the HDD was wearing out too. Needless to say I have another unused HDD sitting in a drawer should anything happen to this one. As far as malware, I haven't had anything since installing Spybot and going through its immunization process. My last malware infection was a file lodged in Firefox cache so regardless of how people seem to dislike Spybot I think it's at least doing some good. I haven't had any malware infection in some time. It was the issue with Windows Update that gave me the most recent trouble. With this PC, the major problems have been few and far apart, but typically big.

I considered media streaming but I'd still prefer to have each device connected direct to the internet to stream on its own. As I said, I don't want one PC reliant on another. If one goes down the other isn't cut off nor do I have to run one to use the other if I wish. I can change the setup later if I wish. I think the switch I ordered should suffice for my needs.

Diosoth said:

I considered media streaming but I'd still prefer to have each device connected direct to the internet to stream on its own. As I said, I don't want one PC reliant on another. If one goes down the other isn't cut off nor do I have to run one to use the other if I wish. I can change the setup later if I wish. I think the switch I ordered should suffice for my needs.

That's fine, but I think you might be misunderstanding what I and a few others that have responded to you so far are saying. The "4 ports" on the back of a home "router" actually are entirely a "switch." If you so chose not to plug the router into your modem, it would function purely as a switch so as to allow your computers to communicate with each other and nothing more. By plugging said "router" into the modem, you will give simultaneous "Internet connectivity (aka. Wide Area Network (WAN))" as well as "PC-to-PC (aka. Local Area Network (LAN)) connectivity" to all devices plugged into the "4 ports."

Anyway, it seems as you're happy with your choice so I'm going to consider this problem solved but I will leave it followed in case you have other troubles with the networking side.

I'll have my TP-Link switch in the mail Thursday, we'll see how it all works when I hook it up. If all the reviews I've read on it are any indication, I hook it to the modem, then hook my PC and the Pi to it and they should each have internet access.

Diosoth said:

I just bought a used refurbished Dell PC with XP installed, and am also considering a Raspberry Pi. Provided I would want to hook all 3(well, 2- I have 2 monitors and can only run 2 at a time at most) to the internet so I'm not using one at a time, would I need a switch or a router for this? We'll assume I'm not setting up a LAN for the devices to communicate direct to each other, I just want them online together.

Switches cost less but I don't want to buy it and find it's not what I need.

Hi.. I think you need a router for this. I will help you in accomplishing the things you want

If I understand things correctly, my Comtrend modem is also a router, albeit a single port router

SG :: Comtrend CT-5072T DSL Router

If that's the case then I think a switch will suffice? That was what I was advised earlier in the thread. If this is indeed a router than adding a second router wouldn't really work and it'd have to be configured as a switch regardless.

If I do need a router then the switch will have to be returned for a refund so I can purchase a router.


edit: if I'm seeing this right, the modem is already set up for DHCP for multiple devices, I just need a switch since it only has one port

Diosoth,

You are correct, that is a router/modem in one device; in the future I will try to remember to ask more questions before posting answers, bear with me as I'm new to actually having some solutions.

Also, just to help out from the perspective of someone who has posted numerous times in the past looking for help; on your OPs in the future, the more information you can provide up front, the fewer incorrect answers and wrong troubleshooting tips you will get. Trust me this is a huge problem in some cases because if you type the wrong command into the command prompt you can end up with twice as big of a problem as when you started. I learned that one the hard way.

As for running 2 routers, it wouldn't hurt anything but it also doesn't make any sense for you since you don't want WiFi so the switch is a fine choice.

Just a quick question-

the switch is gigabit(10/100/1000) and I think both of my PCs have gigabit Ethernet ports. Not sure of the Pi's bandwidth off hand... but the modem is 10/100. Do I need to buy CAT6 cables or am I safe to go cheap with CAT5? Seems CAT5 will suffice being the modem can't do any better but I want to be certain before I buy anything.

CAT5 or 5E would be just fine as long as the lengths are under 50 feet for the 1000Mbps. (realistically probably could get closer to 75 feet, but sometimes that will display 1Gbps link speed with a true throughput of less than that)

As for the cable from switch to the modem, definitely CAT5 up to a maximum of 100 meters, which should never happen in a home environment, unless you have a huge house xD.

"jperf" and/or "iperf" (the former being GUI and the latter being command line) are great simple network testing tools to find out exactly what your network is producing/capable of producing. I don't have any scripts saved but there should be some simple scripts available from a trusty Google search.

I'll just buy a pair of the used $2 cables at Gamestop then.

Good news on the fiber optic- looks like I may get it within 3 months, I'm now on the waiting list for my exchange, and by signing up now I got switched to the new package which is $47 cheaper a month.

Marked the thread as solved- I have my Gateway w7 PC and Raspberry Pi online with the TP-Link switch.