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cheapest way to share a wired internet connection?


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I have my computer hooked up to a CAT 6 cable

I was thinking about getting a playstation TV to use on the computer monitor

so I'm looking for a cheap way to share the internet connection without using wifi

 

 

Do the T-adapter / splitters work well?

so i would need TWO adapters? one on each end?

 

a Y going to computer and PSTV

then the single CAT 6 cable

then a Y with two more cables connecting two ports on the router? 

 

would it just be cheaper to buy a switch?

 

edit:

what I don't want is another thing plugged into 'A/C' power

but this is getting too troublesome, I guess I don't need the PC and game thing on at the same time

Edited by potatochobit

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You can get a simple 4-port switch for about $15 USD and save yourself a buttload of hassle.  Not to mention if you ever want to add a third/fourth device you'll already be set as opposed to repeating the entire process.

 

EDIT:

 

You have 2 ports on the router...  Why not just get a second cable and hook'em parallel?

 

And if you Y it you only have to split it on the end connecting the two devices, but then you may bottleneck if you're using a lot of bandwidth.

 

Now I'm overthinking it... Mountains outta molehills, much?  Just get a second ethernet cable and run it off the 2nd port on your router...

Edited by TheOriginalAce

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well, having TWO bright blue 50 feet cable running through the house.. ugh.. lol

 

what about this? I also have a gigabit PCI ethernet card I am not using

if I plug that into my computer and have two ethernet ports (1 PCI, and one on motherboard), can I bridge the game system hooked up to the PCI card through my PC's internet connection reliably?

 

 

The reason I do not want to Y it on just one end is that you get packet interference when both computers are on and might make the router go wonky

so 'I heard' if you use 4 wires on one Y splitter, and the other 4 on the other you can run two ethernet lines through 1 cable

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I have no clue what kind of Y splitter you're talking about, but it won't work for Ethernet. You need to run a second cable OR get a switch to run over by your computer/console and short runs to each.

 

You could share the connection through your computer but it means it has to be on and it's a bit of a cludge compared to a $10 switch.

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I have no clue what kind of Y splitter you're talking about, but it won't work for Ethernet. You need to run a second cable OR get a switch to run over by your computer/console and short runs to each.

 

You could share the connection through your computer but it means it has to be on and it's a bit of a cludge compared to a $10 switch

 

 

I agree... for something as simple as this, using the desktop as a bridge seems like it would just be a huge hassle... 

 

If you REALLY don't want another 50' ethernet cable (They come in grey, too, y'know :P) the only other option you have is a cheap switch...  So, do you want another thing plugged into wall or another cable?  

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You absolutely can NOT use a Y adapter. Ethernet uses data packets that are unique to the device they are being sent to. Using a Y connector would cause "collisions" of data and nothing would appear right. Just go to Ebay or Amason and search for "4 port switch". You could also try Craigslist.

 

Run one cable to the uplink port on the switch and one cable each from the switch to your 2 devices.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cisco-Linksys-EtherFast-EZXS55W-Ver-4-External-5-Ports-10-100-Workgroup-Switch-/151541076145?pt=US_Network_Switches&hash=item23488d50b1

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I got one of these for free, it helps a lot lol. http://www.amazon.com/3Com-Superstack-Baseline-Dual-Speed/dp/B00000J48F

Using a hub on any modern install is insane.  At 10 mbit, they were okay.  At 100 mbit, they sucked.  At gigabit, it's worse. :lol:

 

A cheap switch is under $20 shipped.

 

QFT.

 

Seriously, even this product is $10 and is eligible for Prime shipping. Only up to 100Mbps unfortunately, but come on, it's $10 shipped, lol. :P Solves the problem in one easy step.

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  • 6 months later...

A cheap switch , you could always use wireless on your pc and bridge a connection between your wifi card and your Ethernet port for an extra cable which could be used for your play station.

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