Ethernet "splitter" not working with 2 devices

[Matt2298]

I have an ethernet splitter that doesnt work I think? It has one cat5 cable connected to the input and 2 connected to the output. This works fine iduvidually but when both devices (PC and Xbox One) are on, only one has signal?

 

[USAFRet]

I have an ethernet splitter that doesnt work I think? It has one cat5 cable connected to the input and 2 connected to the output. This works fine iduvidually but when both devices (PC and Xbox One) are on, only one has signal?

Link to this 'splitter'?
What is it connected to?

 

[Matt2298]

RJ45 Cat 5 LAN Ethernet Splitter Connector Adapter https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004SJXRP4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_eWMRwbNZ21GP5

My "splitter" is connected directly to my modem with a cat5 cable which is then "split" to two devices

 

[ThatVietGuy]

Here's a review from that Amazon link: "Basically a CAT5 splitter should take Pins 1-8 input and deliver pins 1236 to pins 1236 on the left socket, and pins 4578 to pins 1236 on the right socket. You would use two of these at each end of a single cable to break it out into two sockets at each end thereby enabling two computers/devices to work *at the same time*. This device does NOT do that.
It is a parallel all-pins-to-all-pins and so two devices connected at the same time will fight with each other and both ultimately lose."

I would just buy a router.

 

[blazorthon]

You'd be better off getting a switch or router, connecting the modem to the router's WAN port or to any port on the switch, and then connecting the switch via individual cables to the devices.

Personally, I recommend a router, but you might find a switch a bit cheaper if you want to go cheap.

 

[USAFRet]

RJ45 Cat 5 LAN Ethernet Splitter Connector Adapter https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004SJXRP4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_eWMRwbNZ21GP5

My "splitter" is connected directly to my modem with a cat5 cable which is then "split" to two devices

Oh my, that will not work.
Not even a little bit.

1. Your modem will serve up one and only one IP address, to the first device it sees.
2. You need a router.
3. That "splitter" would not work, even behind a regular router. You'd need an actual switch.


Modem->router->devices.
The modem talks to the router. The router creates multiple internal IP addresses, and talks to multiple devices.

 

[Matt2298]

Please can someone link me to one that will work and is relatively inexpensive?

 

[USAFRet]

You'd be better off getting a switch or router, connecting the modem to the router's WAN port or to any port on the switch, and then connecting the switch via individual cables to the devices.

Personally, I recommend a router, but you might find a switch a bit cheaper if you want to go cheap.

A switch behind a modem would not work any better.
The modem serves up one and only one IP address, to the first device it sees.

 

[USAFRet]

Please can someone link me to one that will work and is relatively inexpensive?

Where are you buying?
Do you need WiFi?
What is 'relatively inexpensive'?

 

[Matt2298]

Im not really sure what I have its just the superhub I was given by my ISP.

What I want is something that will allow me to have 2 devices online which is connected to my superhub. It doesnt have to have wifi and dont worry about price i just mean less than £100

 

[USAFRet]

Im not really sure what I have its just the superhub I was given by my ISP.

What I want is something that will allow me to have 2 devices online which is connected to my superhub. It doesnt have to have wifi and dont worry about price i just mean less than £100

On the back of this 'superhub'...how many ports are there?

 

[blazorthon]

You'd be better off getting a switch or router, connecting the modem to the router's WAN port or to any port on the switch, and then connecting the switch via individual cables to the devices.

Personally, I recommend a router, but you might find a switch a bit cheaper if you want to go cheap.

A switch behind a modem would not work any better.
The modem serves up one and only one IP address, to the first device it sees.

You can share the internet using a switch that way, I've done it before with a switch tied directly to the modem after my router burned out and I waited for a new one to be delivered. I had two desktops and a laptop wired with Ethernet into the other three ports of the switch.

 

[Matt2298]

Theres 4 ports on the superhub

 

[USAFRet]

Theres 4 ports on the superhub

And what might these ports be?
Do you have a make/model of this thing?


You probably don't need to actually buy anything else.

 

[jsmithepa]

The poor-man ethernet switch? 😀

Knowing this is not a standard ethernet thing, I was curious of what people use this gadget for. The first positive review says "use one machine at a time." The second review says "use both machines simultaneously fine but he specifically gives out another link (Amazon has the bad habit of grouping similar products into one block). The third review says "don't buy this" and explains why.

OK Matt, am going to repeat what others have already said and tell your using this gadget to gain an additional ethernet port, is non-standard, you are on your own. The proper way to do this is to buy a switch. A gigabit variety usd$20-40. If 100 mbit is good enough you can get one for usd$10.

 

[USAFRet]

You can share the internet using a switch that way, I've done it before with a switch tied directly to the modem after my router burned out and I waited for a new one to be delivered. I had two desktops and a laptop wired with Ethernet into the other three ports of the switch.

And what device was serving up the internal IP addresses?
A standard switch does not have the brains for that.

 

[Matt2298]

Could you link me to one of those? And its a virgin media superhub 2 VMDG485.

 

[USAFRet]

It looks like this on the back?

If so...you do not need to buy anything.
PC connects to one port, Xbox connects to another port.

2 devices, 2 cables.

 

[Matt2298]

Yes that is the one however all but one port is in use so i needed a splitter to allow for more devices

 

[USAFRet]

Yes that is the one however all but one port is in use so i needed a splitter to allow for more devices

This:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-TL-SG105-Gigabit-1000Mbps-configuration/dp/B00A128S24
£12.99

 

[Matt2298]

And that would allow for both devices to be online at the same time?

 

[USAFRet]

And that would allow for both devices to be online at the same time?

That would allow 4 devices connected to it to be online at the same time.
You can also get them in larger sizes. 8 port, 16, 48....

 

[Matt2298]

Thank you for the help guys

 

[blazorthon]

You can share the internet using a switch that way, I've done it before with a switch tied directly to the modem after my router burned out and I waited for a new one to be delivered. I had two desktops and a laptop wired with Ethernet into the other three ports of the switch.

And what device was serving up the internal IP addresses?
A standard switch does not have the brains for that.

I finagled the laptop into controlling everything. It was on the second port of the switch, so it was the first thing seen by the modem. The laptop was also using its WiFi adapter to share the internet to other WiFi devices. Performance wasn't great, but it did the trick for a few days.

 

[USAFRet]

You can share the internet using a switch that way, I've done it before with a switch tied directly to the modem after my router burned out and I waited for a new one to be delivered. I had two desktops and a laptop wired with Ethernet into the other three ports of the switch.

And what device was serving up the internal IP addresses?
A standard switch does not have the brains for that.

I finagled the laptop into controlling everything. It was on the second port of the switch, so it was the first thing seen by the modem. The laptop was also using its WiFi adapter to share the internet to other WiFi devices. Performance wasn't great, but it did the trick for a few days.

Well then...that's a whole different thing. Laptop as router, serving up internal IP addresses.