computer switch confusion, please help?

Question

ok about a month ago i bought a gigabit ethernet card. Got it all set up in my computer to find it can't connect at gigabit speed.i do some research and find i need a switch that outputs gigabit speeds and that my current router (my ISP provided it with the internet service) only outputs speeds of up to 140 kb/s. what i'm confused about is if i get a switch will i be able to use that alone? or will i need another router(one tht outputs at gigabit speed)? but my router is tricky because on the back it has a phone cord input.yeah a phone cord input i plug a phone cord from my wall into the router.i don't mean an ethernet cable. what exactly would i need if i wanted to get my gigabit network card up and running? by the way i have cat 5e cables

Answer 1

You can use a switch after the router but I don't see any benefits doing this unless you are switching data from a lot of computers on the network.



This will not speed up your Internet, a slow link in the network will slow down all the data on the network when data reaches that point of the network.



Now the modem is before the router which outputs data at 140kbs to the router, Most broadband routers come with a switch built in which allows you to connect network devices computers). These switches usually only run at 100mb. Thus the network will never go over to 1gb. I haven't really seen any rotuers(home use) that can support more then 100mb.



Also to mention the only thing you are speeding up is the link to the router not the internet which is after the router

Answer 2

First, CAT 5e cables are the correct cables. They are able to provide the 1gb transfer speed you are looking for.



As far as the switch, a Gigabit switch is able to provide the connectivity speed you are looking for, but it will not allow you to connect to the internet at gigabit speed. Also, if you are trying to transfer data between computers, BOTH computers must have gigabit capabilities.



For transfers over the internet, you first need to have a gigabit connection to the internet which is typically provided by a WAN (wide-area network) or MAN (metropolitan-area network) and cost much more than the retail 5mbps or 10mbps that most cable companies can offer. The beast that is catching you is called "throughput." Throughput is the slowest link in the chain when connecting devices which defines the speed of the overall data transfer speed. Over the internet, it will be the speed of your internet connection, between computers in your local network it will probably be your network cards and any routers/switches you have.



Linksys offers a gigabit switch that retails for about $39.99 on the internet.



You will still need a router if you plan on connecting to the internet. A router gives you the capability of connecting to a wide area network, and by definition, the internet is a wide area network. A switch can only provide physical addressing by physically being connected to other devices. A router can logically connect by using TCP/IP protocols which are common to the internet and other large networks.

Answer 3

first of all thats not a router

router is used for homenetwork to connect more than one pc to the internet in the same time or more than 2

or just to connect pcs together so u can open files from other pcs

anyway read whats written on you modem and try googling your modem to find more information about it

some modems are speed limited -

did you buy this modem ??? or you just took it from your provider ??

if you buy it make sure u have the right one



cool stuff and videos at

http://www.games16.com

Answer 4

Long story short, no matter how fast your connection speed is to your computer, you won't be using it. 1Gbps connections, even 10Mbps is way faster than the speed you are connecting to the internet. You could have a 10Mbps card and still not be maxing it out, no matter what you add to your network, you won't be getting a faster connection unless you up your speed with your ISP. Sorry.

Answer 5

The item you are calling your router, is your DSL modem. You would have to find a service provider that will send you 1GB signal (yeah right), and a 1GB modem. Best of luck.

Answer 6

1gb cards are designed for servers/networks. its not practical for the normal home user. you probably will not beable to find a DSL modem that fast either.

even if you did get all of the equipment to run 1gb your computer will only utilize maybe 15% of that bandwidth.

Answer 7

"My internet speed is 140Kb/s."

I think you mean 140KB/s.

B=Byte b=bit 1B=8b 140KB/s=1132Kb/s.



To find out your actual internet speed run:

http://helpme.att.net/dsl/speedtest/

http://www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/

http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html

http://www.speedtest.net/



Almost all basic routers, cable/DSL modems, and computer Ethernet cards are capable of 100Mb/s speeds between itself and the computer. They are usually rated 10/100 Mb/s.



To find out your network speed:

start > contol panel > open network connections > Right click on network and choose status > General tab lists speed (Mine was 100.0Mb/s)



My computer will communicate to my DSL modem at 100 Mb/s, while my Internet speed is still restricted to what my ISP provides me. In my case my measured DSL speed was:

2.2 Mbps download speed and 430 Kbps upload speed.



Buying a gigabit switch/router will increasing the speed between the router/switch and your computer to 1Gb/s but your internet speed will remain the same.



A switch is faster than a router at communicating between computers connected to the switch. This has to do with the differences in how a router and switch communicate with the computers on the network (see tutorials below). A gigabit switch will be able to communicate between computers 10 times faster than a 100 Mb/s switch. If you transfer a lot of files between computers or backup to another computer you will definitely see a difference. There will be no difference in the internet speed as the maximum internet speed is much much slower.



Switches and routers may also contain the modem and a network printer port.



Per Netgear you can use UTP category 5 cables for a gigabit switch.

http://www.netgear.com/Products/Switches/DesktopSwitches/GS608.aspx?detail=System+Requirements



I would probably use category 6 cables.



Cat. 5 and 6 cables

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_5_cable

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_6_cable





Network Cable Ratings

http://www.connectworld.net/syscon/support.htm

CAT-5 is rated to 100M (meters)

CAT-5e is rated to 350M

CAT-6 and CAT6e is rated to 550M or 1000M depending on your source

CAT-7 is supposedly rated to 700M or presumably 1000M

========================

Start Here. Tutorial on Networking Computers



Networking home basics

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Content_C1&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1114037291160&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper



Get up and running with our education essentials.

http://www.usr.com/education/e-main-menu.asp



Networking how to center:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/default.mspx



How Home Networking Works

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm



=====================

Set Up a Network in a Snap

http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2001p154id68763.htm



4 steps to set up your home wireless network

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesssetup.mspx



Router Configuration 101: Setting up the router

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035_11-5589161.html



http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-45,GGGL:en&q=hook+up+a+router

=========================

Using a Wireless Laptop at Work and at Home

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/tabletpc/expert/russell_tabletlaptop.mspx



Adding Wireless to Your Older Laptop

http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/adding-wireless-to-your-older-laptop/153158

==================

Xbox Compatible Home Networking Equipment

http://www.xbox.com/en-us/support/connecttolive/xbox360/homenetworking/equipment.htm

=======================

If you have wireless, you should secure your wireless network.



Ten Steps to a Secure Wireless Network

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,844020,00.asp



Improve the security of your wireless home network

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/security/wireless.mspx



Set up a secure wireless network using Windows Connect Now

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/learnmore/bowman_05june13.mspx



How To Secure A Wireless LAN (WLAN) | Daily Wireless

http://www.dailywireless.com/features/secure-wireless-lan-021507/



Setting Up a Secure Wireless Network

http://www.intranetjournal.com/articles/200307/ij_07_10_03a.html



================

Tips to Boost Your WiFi Signal

http://www.voip-sol.com/10-ways-to-boost-your-wifi-signal/

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesstips.mspx



Wireless Forums

http://www.wirelessforums.org/



=======================

Often you can order a wireless modem/router with your cable or DSL service.



Purchase wireless networking devices here. Get only ones rated 5 stars and read the reviews.



Wireless Networking

http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category.aspx?Category=41&name=Wireless-Networking-Devices

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=35



Wired networking

http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category.aspx?Category=40&name=Wired-Networking