2 routers vs. 1 router for efficiency

 
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cchase88
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Joined: 26 May 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:12 pm    Post subject: 2 routers vs. 1 router for efficiency Reply with quote

Hey guys, right now I have one linksys BEFSX41 router. As my household continues to get more computers (mostly just me :P) I have run out of ports on my router. Now what I was wondering is would it be more efficient to buy another 4 port router and then run a cable from my main router to it, and have the 2nd router just in my room for all my computers to hook into OR should I purchase an 8 port router and just have everything connect to that? By efficient I dont mean money wise, but as in speed. Does anyone know if having 2 routers will diminish the speed. Thanks for any feedback.
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cmxflash
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Joined: 11 Dec 2004
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Routers today usually support at least 100 Mbit/s. Unless you have 100+ Mbit/s out to the internet, I suggest you to buy a router/switch with more ports. The performance wont change noticeable anyway.
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pkSML
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Joined: 29 May 2006
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For speed's sake, you will want to purchase an 8-port router.

Routers have a feature called NAT (network address translation). Explanation here --> http://computer.howstuffworks.com/nat.htm/printable. A router inspects every packet that is sent through them and modifies them, usually concerning port numbers and IP addresses. Having two separate routers will slow you down, but only slighly (hardly noticeable).

My network hookup:
Server --> Hub --> Router (BEFSX41) --> Modem --> Internet
From my experience, there is no significant delay having two network devices. What bandwidth intensive applications are you going to be running?

In my opinion, save money and just purchase another 4-port router.
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cchase88
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Joined: 26 May 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

pkSML wrote:

[b]In my opinion, save money and just purchase another 4-port router.


Yeah, I talked to Linksys and they said it was possible to set up 2 routers and have a server running on the second one. So I think I'll just buy another 4-port and like pkSML said save my money.

Thanks everyone :D
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Mikor
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Joined: 21 Aug 2006
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why not just get a wireless router? Then you can have hundreds of computers (if you want to, lol)
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pkSML
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just another tidbit of info...

cchase88, I don't know if you've researched the difference between hubs and routers, but a hub attached to the router requires absolutely NO setup!

I have a Linksys Network Everywhere NH1005 (ver 2.0) hub attached to my router. Every computer attached to the hub acts exactly as if it were directly attached to the router.

If you're going high-performance, get a router (which is a switch). If you want to save about $10, get a hub.
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AbyssUnderground
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can have hundreds on a wired network too, you just need a hub to do it.

You do NOT want another router, you simply need a HUB. A router expects an internet connection directly, a HUB is just an extension to the 4 ports already on your router. Routers cost more and it wont benefit you in any way so just get a HUB.

The HUB will also just use the routers DHCP or if you set a static IP it will use that. The HUB will exist as if the pc was just connected to the router.

Take a look at www.abyssunderground.co.uk/network.php to see how my network runs.

Bit long winded that but I hope you understand.
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bprsk8r4272
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yeah i would go with a hub i got a 8 port ethernet hub off newegg for like $14.99
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cchase88
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Switch = Hub right?
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pkSML
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, they're different. I'm reading http://computer.howstuffworks.com/lan-switch.htm/printable and learning right now! (This article is kinda' techie-talk, and I understand some of it.)

A hub is the simplest network mechanism. It simply sends any packet it receives to all connected devices. The computer the packet is supposed to get to receives it, whereas all other computers ignore the packet.

As network activity flourishes, a switch will discover all devices connected by flooding the network (sending the packet to all nodes except the source). The correct node acknowledges it got the packet, and thus a table of nodes and MAC addresses are kept on the switch. Then when the next packet comes in, it intelligently forwards it to the correct node (in opposition to the hub, which sends the packet to all nodes).

To be quite honest, I don't really understand the difference (or added benefit) of having a router over having a switch. (Still figuring that out :) I do know that a router contains a switching mechanism. It just seems that a router has more intelligence than a switch.

Hope this makes a little bit of sense. :wink:
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pkSML
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some good reading...

http://www.duxcw.com/faq/ics/diffrout.htm (rather simple, yet very informative and good explanations)

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/homenetworkhardware/f/routervsswitch.htm (simple, but accuracy is questionable)

http://www.gyre.co.uk/help/broadband/connection_sharing.php#fig_5 (good picture here) - From this article: Routers are specialized to connect two networks together. In home routers, they are designed to effectively bridge the WAN (internet) to your local network (LAN). The switch only works internally on one network, as does a hub.

Best reading so far --> http://www.dslreports.com/faq/5456 and http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/webmaster/article.php/3498476
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AbyssUnderground
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A router is for connecting an internet connection to and sharing it between all connected computers. A HUB or SWITCH will do that as well providing you have a router to start with. You cant connect your internet to a HUB or SWITCH and expect it to be shared without a router. It just doesnt work.

To be honest I thought a HUB and a SWITCH were the same thing :-S
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