What's the difference between a Hub, a Switch and a Router?

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James - Assuming both PC's have an ethernet card installed, all you should need is a Cat 5 Crossover cable.

It is possible to connect 2 PCs with one hub. To do this you need to NICs(Network cards) in your main PC. It now acts much like a server. I am using this setup. Server being my main PC. Although im not using 2 PCs. Just 1 PC and my Xbox360. [ISP -> Server -> HUB -> Xbox] Works fantastically. My problem is in order for my xbox to stream media from my pc i need to open certain ports. and i dont know how to do that.

On my home network, I have 4 computers/devices that must be wired, 4 that I connect using wifi, and 2 laptops that can (and must be able to) use both wired and wireless connections. I am looking to add a Mac Mini and and AppleTV, and I'd prefer to wire them, though they are capable of Wifi.

I'd like to secure my network, especially the wireless components. Trouble is, everytime I fiddle with the wireless router settings, everything goes haywire and my network goes down. I think it's b/c I don't have my network set up in the best way to begin with. Right now, my cable modem feeds into a wired Linksys 4 port router and that feeds into a wired/wireless D-Link 4 port router. The various wired devices are actually plugged in to both of these routers.

What do I need to buy to simplify this set up and allow room for expansion? I think maybe a switch, but I'm really not sure.

Sorry if this was asked and answered already, but I couldn't make it through all the comments.

i love a router just bcos is the fastest means to the internet and is the most dependable source among all other networking device im rabiu mobolaji from nigeria a computer engineer t5hanks

I am on the fifth floor and there is a linksys g router on the first floor. I bought a second exact same one for the fifth floor and I ran a 100' cable to downstairs through the floors OK, tested the line is 100Mbps when directly plugging into my laptop. I just can't get an IP, how do I get an IP seperate for the second one upstairs now if you have to or not, I read that your not supposed to hook up a router inside of another router because you cause something called double NAT'ing unless you supposedly change the IP range on the second one somehow? It's not working, I just want to plug in a second router and use it as a range booster for the first one without having to have a second computer upstairs. I'm supposed to use a DHCP assigned IP address or something. Why isn't this working and why do I even need a second IP number for it? Shouldn't I just use all the same settings for both linksys routers? WAW?

I'm trying to setup a network for a small office that consist of 20 computers. I have 1 DSL line already installed. I have a Router ADSL, a hub and also another router which in installed to strengthen signal for remotely located computers. We do have a server in the factory which is not operational yet. We will soon host a web page in it for external suppliers to have access over our data. My main issue is the subnet, i would like to know how should it be done properly, so as to permit the remote computers to have access to the computers connected directly to the hub. Thanks for you reply. Questions are welcome.

We have an 8 port Linksys wired router in one room, connected to cable modem and various computers, voip , and 2 gaming systems. In our office I would like to add a Dlink ethernet hub to be able to connect a mac and windows box to the network.

Thought I could just plug in the hub with a patch cable to the hub's upload port and to the ethernet jack going to the router, and then just plug in the computers to the ports on the hub. Did not work. The windows computer could not connect to the internet.

My apologies if i'm cross-posting or off-topic here...
I think the subject of routers, which of them have good hardware firewalls [do they all???], and, most of all, which brands are best for malware protection, needs addressing.
I'm using "only" a software firewall [Online Armor], Sandboxie, AntiVir, Threatfire, HiJackThis, BOclean and AVG antispyware yet i still get virusses, mystery service dropouts etc. So, tho i'm supposedly an Advanced User, it doesn't much help. I don't want to, but i'm thinking of cancelling my home isp service- it's scary and gradually getting scarier!
What am i saying? Even tho you identified internet security as your single topic I think you should still increase your coverage. Since information on hardware routers is sketchy and dense [it seems an especially nerdy subject], i'd really love it if you answered my above questions.

Thanks for your time.

M. Lutz

Skeleton walks into a bar, orders a beer and a mop.

re: your comments that a switch can "learn" where particular addresses are: is the "learning" process a matter of seconds or hours?

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Depends on the network traffic. As soon as the switch sees
traffic coming *from* a particular IP address it then knows
which port that IP address is located on.

Thanks,

Leo

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