IT types - bit of help? (network switches)

TimmyO

So, my broadband cable router has 4 ethernet sockets, and all are currently busy (power line adapter, tv, sky box, console) and I'd like to keep those devices cabled.

I also want to have a bit of a dabble in smart home stuff - Sonos, Hue, Nest and whatnot. Most of these things seem to require, or work best when, their own 'hub' is plugged in to the wifi. 

So I want to add a bunch of ports.

Looking on Amazon there are options for under £20 that will give 5-8 sockets - but I might be being dumb but none of the sockets look to be a designated upstream connection to the router - does it 'just work' however you connect it or do I need a particular type of switch?

thanks in advance 

octatonic

Yes it should just work- at least if you are buying something reasonably new.
This is how you connect a switch to a router:

Myranda

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CISCO-24-PORT-CATALYST-2960-SWITCH-WS-C2960-24-S-FREE-UK-MAINLAND-DELIVERY-/272247053619?hash=item3f63305d33:g:a-4AAOSwhcJWGn1W

Future proof? £29

Sporky

Ah; the joys of configuring Cisco ports.

*shudders*

meltedbuzzbox

Myranda said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CISCO-24-PORT-CATALYST-2960-SWITCH-WS-C2960-24-S-FREE-UK-MAINLAND-DELIVERY-/272247053619?hash=item3f63305d33:g:a-4AAOSwhcJWGn1W

Future proof? £29

dont buy a cisco switch unless you really know what you are doing with it. It isnt a plug and play device

octatonic

+1 on giving Cisco a miss.
Get a £20 Netgear or D-Link switch- they are pretty much plug and play.

Myranda

Sporky said:

Ah; the joys of configuring Cisco ports.

*shudders*

meltedbuzzbox said:

Myranda said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CISCO-24-PORT-CATALYST-2960-SWITCH-WS-C2960-24-S-FREE-UK-MAINLAND-DELIVERY-/272247053619?hash=item3f63305d33:g:a-4AAOSwhcJWGn1W

Future proof? £29

dont buy a cisco switch unless you really know what you are doing with it. It isnt a plug and play device

I would say "they're not that bad" but with 8 degree students on the Networking Theory and Technologies module unable to finish the "configure a router with 3 ports (2 serial an 1 ethernet)" test ... maybe only if you have the ability to type a few lines of text.

quarky

I have my old Sky router and my current Sky router connected. I can't remember which port I used, but in the old days, a port used to connect to another router rather than a device needed to be on a particular port (ie, the first one or the last one). I think I have mine plugged into the last port, but it just works basically. Joining the two up gives me six ports rather than four (four+four-two (for the connection between them)) for one of them..

TimmyO

octatonic said:

+1 on giving Cisco a miss.
Get a £20 Netgear or D-Link switch- they are pretty much plug and play.

cheers

TimmyO

This one ok? 

(chosen as 8-port, gigabit, inexpensive)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-TL-SG108-8-Port-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00A121WN6/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1482865237&sr=1-1&keywords=router&th=1

Sporky

Myranda said:

I would say "they're not that bad" but with 8 degree students on the Networking Theory and Technologies module unable to finish the "configure a router with 3 ports (2 serial an 1 ethernet)" test ... maybe only if you have the ability to type a few lines of text.

I'm fine with a good eight or ten coding and/or scripting languages. But even after doing ICND I find Cisco stuff ridiculously illogical, inconsistent and painful to configure. It baffles me that anyone still buys the stuff.

TimmyO

Sporky said:

Myranda said:

I would say "they're not that bad" but with 8 degree students on the Networking Theory and Technologies module unable to finish the "configure a router with 3 ports (2 serial an 1 ethernet)" test ... maybe only if you have the ability to type a few lines of text.

I'm fine with a good eight or ten coding and/or scripting languages. But even after doing ICND I find Cisco stuff ridiculously illogical, inconsistent and painful to configure. It baffles me that anyone still buys the stuff.

Doesn't/didn't @clarky write low level protocols for Cisco gear? 

Myranda

TimmyO said:

Sporky said:

Myranda said:

I would say "they're not that bad" but with 8 degree students on the Networking Theory and Technologies module unable to finish the "configure a router with 3 ports (2 serial an 1 ethernet)" test ... maybe only if you have the ability to type a few lines of text.

I'm fine with a good eight or ten coding and/or scripting languages. But even after doing ICND I find Cisco stuff ridiculously illogical, inconsistent and painful to configure. It baffles me that anyone still buys the stuff.

Doesn't/didn't @clarky write low level protocols for Cisco gear? 

I mean...

en [enter] <[password]> [enter], gi int [enter], ip address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (ip address then mask)[enter], exit [enter] 

is hardly unpossible to type...

Clarky

TimmyO said:

Sporky said:

Myranda said:

I would say "they're not that bad" but with 8 degree students on the Networking Theory and Technologies module unable to finish the "configure a router with 3 ports (2 serial an 1 ethernet)" test ... maybe only if you have the ability to type a few lines of text.

I'm fine with a good eight or ten coding and/or scripting languages. But even after doing ICND I find Cisco stuff ridiculously illogical, inconsistent and painful to configure. It baffles me that anyone still buys the stuff.

Doesn't/didn't @clarky write low level protocols for Cisco gear? 

ahh.. sorry guys.. I didn't write protocols for Cisco
I have done some goofing with routers and switches years ago though..
my knowledge is CCNA switching and routing and CCNA Voice level..
and very rusty

and Sporks is right… Cisco config is not a huge pile of fun
the general rule of thumb [once the fundamentals are built] is to think of the OSI stack and build from the bottom up..

TimmyO

Clarky said:

TimmyO said:

Sporky said:

Myranda said:

I would say "they're not that bad" but with 8 degree students on the Networking Theory and Technologies module unable to finish the "configure a router with 3 ports (2 serial an 1 ethernet)" test ... maybe only if you have the ability to type a few lines of text.

I'm fine with a good eight or ten coding and/or scripting languages. But even after doing ICND I find Cisco stuff ridiculously illogical, inconsistent and painful to configure. It baffles me that anyone still buys the stuff.

Doesn't/didn't @clarky write low level protocols for Cisco gear? 

 the OSI stack 

Princess
Diana
Never
Tried
Shagging
Prince
Andrew

is how I remembered Physical, Data, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, Application :-) 

Sporky

Clarky said:

and Sporks is right…

Had to happen sometime.

Myranda said:

en [enter] <[password]> [enter], gi int [enter], ip address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (ip address then mask)[enter], exit [enter]

GUIs exist.

Also the different syntax for different devices is daft.

Myranda

Sporky said:

Clarky said:

and Sporks is right…

Had to happen sometime.

Myranda said:

en [enter] <[password]> [enter], gi int [enter], ip address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (ip address then mask)[enter], exit [enter]

GUIs exist.

Also the different syntax for different devices is daft.

Yes, router and switch having slightly different syntax for the smae thing is silly

dano

I use one of these Netgear GbE switch . Cost £30 it's an "unmanaged" switch so does all the networking stuff for you. Unmanaged means you don't need to configure it (unlike a manged switxh).


http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/networking/network-routers-and-switches/network-switches/netgear-gs108-prosafe-8-port-ethernet-switch-00939526-pdt.html?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&amp;istItemId=mraxxqq&amp;istBid=tztx&amp;srcid=198&amp;cmpid=ppc~gg~1014+(PLA)+NETWORKING+-+Adaptive~1014+(PLA)+NETWORKING+-+Adaptive+ad+group~Exact&amp;mctag=gg_goog_7904&amp;kwid=GOOGLE&amp;s_kwcid=DS!700000001428950!146789747898!!!g!!PRODUCT+GROUP&amp;device=m&amp;ds_kids=92700016395630965&amp;PLA=1&amp;gclid=CODG9Y-ZldECFUITGwodqPMAVw&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;dclid=CJLLlJCZldECFRMT0wodtqoNPw

ToneControl

Wouldn't you put the server on the same switch as the PC(s) if  it's mostly (or entirely) used for local backups and local storage (like mine is) 

Clarky

Myranda said:

Sporky said:

Clarky said:

and Sporks is right…

Had to happen sometime.

Myranda said:

en [enter] <[password]> [enter], gi int [enter], ip address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (ip address then mask)[enter], exit [enter]

GUIs exist.

Also the different syntax for different devices is daft.

Yes, router and switch having slightly different syntax for the smae thing is silly

usually the result of completely different teams developing stuff [different devices or different software blocks within the same device] without having standards / conventions defined [imposed on them]..
you see that sort of stuff all the time..

Emp_Fab

Buy any old crap and plug it together. It'll work.