[SOLVED] Splitting ethernet signal, does ethernet switch do that?

Jmusic88

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This may be a silly question but can an ethernet switch split ethernet signals? Can one LAN ethernet signal be split into 2-4 seperate signals? (for instance, connect to multiple APs?)
 
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All 4 ports share the combined speed back to your router. The cable between your router and the switch should be 1gbit. I doubt your AP combined can use that capacity. This assumes all traffic goes to the router.

Lets take a different example. You have a bunch of pc and a NAS hooked to the switch. You could have 1gbit of traffic going between the pc and the router. At the same time you could have 1gbit of traffic going to the NAS. In addition you could have files being transferred to between the pc.

A switch itself is never the bottleneck. A 4 port gigabit switch can send 1gbit and receiev 1gbit on all port all at the same time. It can pass a total of 8gbit of traffic at any time. Not that there is a...

Jmusic88

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A switch is a switch, It does not "split" signals, it "moves" packets between ports. High-end switches are more like routers.

What is the use case there?

I'm looking to move my router to the basement. My router currently is connected using one cat6 (wired to the modem, WAN) . I don't have any more ethernet ports available other than the central spot. I'll be looking to install a few APs throughout my house. With the first one being in the exact same spot where my router is now.

When I move my router down, if I use this cat6 cable, connect it to my router (one of the LAN port), and use a PoE switch upstairs to connect it to several APs will that work?
 
If you move your router to the basement - where the modem will go?
If the modem stays where it is now, you'll need two cables - one for the WAN connection from the modem, and another one for the LAN connection(s) upstairs. There're hacks allowing one four-pair Ethernet cable to be split in two, but this will limit the speed to 100mbps.

For PoE APs, you'll need PoE switch (or injecto
 

Jmusic88

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Mar 11, 2020
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If you move your router to the basement - where the modem will go?
If the modem stays where it is now, you'll need two cables - one for the WAN connection from the modem, and another one for the LAN connection(s) upstairs. There're hacks allowing one four-pair Ethernet cable to be split in two, but this will limit the speed to 100mbps.

For PoE APs, you'll need PoE switch (or injecto

I'll be moving my router directly next to my modem. I do know I'll need an extra ethernet cable. Yes the extra cable will connect to my router from my modem (WAN), and the existing cat6 will connect from my router (LAN) to a PoE ethernet switch.

Are you saying the ethernet switch will reduce my speeds, because it creates 4 ports from 1, therefore sharing bandwidth? (assuming I'll get a 5 port switch)?
 
All 4 ports share the combined speed back to your router. The cable between your router and the switch should be 1gbit. I doubt your AP combined can use that capacity. This assumes all traffic goes to the router.

Lets take a different example. You have a bunch of pc and a NAS hooked to the switch. You could have 1gbit of traffic going between the pc and the router. At the same time you could have 1gbit of traffic going to the NAS. In addition you could have files being transferred to between the pc.

A switch itself is never the bottleneck. A 4 port gigabit switch can send 1gbit and receiev 1gbit on all port all at the same time. It can pass a total of 8gbit of traffic at any time. Not that there is a realistic way to actually use all the ports that way.

Your bottleneck if you want to call it that is because you only have 1 cable to the router. I suspect your internet is not 1gbit but if this was really a limitation they do make switches and routers with 10gbit ports,
 
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Jmusic88

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Mar 11, 2020
177
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615
All 4 ports share the combined speed back to your router. The cable between your router and the switch should be 1gbit. I doubt your AP combined can use that capacity. This assumes all traffic goes to the router.

Lets take a different example. You have a bunch of pc and a NAS hooked to the switch. You could have 1gbit of traffic going between the pc and the router. At the same time you could have 1gbit of traffic going to the NAS. In addition you could have files being transferred to between the pc.

A switch itself is never the bottleneck. A 4 port gigabit switch can send 1gbit and receiev 1gbit on all port all at the same time. It can pass a total of 8gbit of traffic at any time. Not that there is a realistic way to actually use all the ports that way.

Your bottleneck if you want to call it that is because you only have 1 cable to the router. I suspect your internet is not 1gbit but if this was really a limitation they do make switches and routers with 10gbit ports,

Yeah my internet is definitely not 1gbit. It's 100mbps.

Then based on your explanation, is there any difference between an ethernet switch and the 4 ethernet ports (LAN) that is in a router? Those sets are ports then are an imbedded switch so to speak correct? If your say that the switch itself (external in this case for comparison) is not the bottle neck. Then it is the same? Since the ports in the router should also send/receive 1gbit each. Therefore a switch just creates more ports without bandwidth limitation.
 
Years ago and maybe still there used to be a separate switch chip to run the lan ports it was the same chip used in many 5 port switches. 4 ports to the lan and 1 to the router cpu. Modern router still function the same but they have moved the switch function onto the same physical chip as the CPU.

Mostly it is true that a switch just creates more ports without limitations but it gets more complex when you are talking switches that have hundreds of ports or 10gbit ports.
 
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