Paul Stanley 0 Report post Posted January 19, 2005 Can hubs still connect up to 6 PCs to one connection? or do i have to get another router Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 19, 2005 If you already have a router, connect the router into the uplink or #1 port on the hub and then connect the hub to the rest of your computers. Routers can usually support up to 256 computers and by just adding a hub to one of the router ports you expand the amount of computers you can have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted January 20, 2005 hubs are basically like a dumb version of routers I think, or maybe it is switches which they are a dumb version of.....oh forget it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 20, 2005 Router>Switch>Hub Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 20, 2005 Hubs A hub, in a networking-sense, is a common connection point for network devices. A hub consists of more than one port, and is usually used for connecting more than one computer to another computer or networking device. For example, if you wanted to use File Sharing for all the computers in your LAN, you would use some form of a hub to connect your computers to each other. When data is sent to a typical hub, the data is copied and sent to each port on a hub - in other words data sent to the hub is broadcasted to all devices connected to the hub. A port is a part of a hub that allows network cables to be connected to it so that device may communicate with the other devices. Switches A switch, "switching hub" or "multi-port bridge," is a hub, like the one described above, except it manages data sent to it differently. When data is sent to a hub, the hub broadcasts it to all ports on the hub; when data is sent to a switch, the switch analyzes the data and sends it to only its destination (rather than to all ports). A switch will analyze data and broadcast it to only the port that it is meant for. Switches often provide better performance and stability, but do so at a higher price compared to a regular hub. Routers A router is a device that connects any number of LANs. For example, a router will allow your LAN to connect to a WAN, Wide Area Network, or connect your LAN to the Internet. Data sent to a router is routed to the correct destination. The routers that can be found at your local computer store are typically used for connecting multiple computers to the Internet with one external IP. This is usually done with a form of NAT, and provides a bit of security to the computers behind the router. Often times routers are sold as a "router/hub" or "router/switch" - this means that the device is capable of acting as both a router, as described above, and as a hub or switch, which is also described above. When routers are not sold as devices that also act as a hub or switch, you must use a separate switch or hub to connect your computers to, then connect the hub to the router. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Razor Roman Report post Posted January 28, 2005 Right, basically if you have a few computers that you want to be able to share files with or play a LAN game, a hub is fine. If you want to share an internet connection from DSL or Cable with a bunch of computers, you need a router. If you already have a router, but have run out of ports on it, then plug the hub's uplink port into one of the routers computer ports, and then plug more computers into the hub. A switch will do the same things as a hub, only more efficiently... though you will probably not notice a difference when it comes to some lite file sharing or internet surfing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
