I have one data cable coming into my sons room for his Xbox. He put an old computer in there(he is getting a new one for Christmas ) and has to switch the cable when he wants change devices. I imagine when I get him a new computer it will have Wi-Fi. Is there something at DX or somewhere that will allow both devices to run off one cable?
By cable, do you mean a Cat5 or ethernet cable? If so, any hub will work (~$10 at walmart). Maybe I'm missing something here....
one cable, two devises or, two girls one cup?(sorry…couldn’t help it)
Right, it’s a cat5 cable. I will look around at Walmart. I just didn’t know of they made simple splitters like you can get for coax cable or if something more sophisticated was needed. Looking for a simple device for one line in and two out that I could order.
YIKES!! no links please!!!
I’m a pain, but I wouldn’t go that far….no one should have ever have watched that video
What your looking for is an Ethernet switch can be had locally for usually around $20-30.
I would suggest monoprice
Good Luck
I did some networking in my time. I agree with those above, a hub or a switch - switch is more expensive but is more intelligent and will provide faster access to internet if both are being used at the same time. Most networking equipment is really inexpensive these days, and you can get a Wi-Fi USB adapter for less than $10 which will plug into the computer and make his computer a Wi-Fi device. (I haven't worked with X-BOX but it may already be wireless, or there may be a small wireless adapter you can plug into it to make it Wi-Fi ready, and save the expense and hassle of all those wires around the baseboards.
Cables: The cables are called Ethernet, and they are rated CAT-# with the latest being CAT-6. I think the last rating was CAT-5e. Either of those will be fine for home use, I wouldn't go below them. The rating has to do with how much bandwidth they can carry, so the faster your wireless router is, the higher the Ethernet rating you need. If you have an 802.11n router, you have the latest technology, but 5e will still work. The advantage of cables are they are more reliable than wireless, and a little bit faster when pulling high-bandwidth downloads from the internet.
Let me know if I can be of any help, I can steer you to more recommended network products if you plan on purchasing anything. Best of luck!
RecycledElectrons points out some wireless routers (Good job, RE!). If you already have a router on your network, hooking up a second router is a PITA, you have to change default settings to prevent conflicts of IP addresses, etc. So the switch is probably a more foolproof way to do this in your son's room, without interfering with the main router.
In my experience, network equipment is not equal. I had a few trusted brands that always worked flawlessly, and a bunch of others that often failed. I went into homes setting this stuff up so I avoided the cheaper stuff which almost always caused me to have to return at my own expense - until I stopped using cheaper equipment. But that was my experience. You shouldn't have too much trouble with a hub or a switch.
Also, if you get the Ethernet cable, make sure it is at least CAT-5e (not just any CAT-5), or CAT-6 like I mentioned.
Other than that, you're good to go!
That's on my "wish I had never seen" list which includes a rather drunken night in Bangkok which was like The Hangover II but worse.
Oh my, “anal rompido”? Sounds like some sort of over 50 exam gone wrong!I am trying very hard to resist looking that up!Must resist, must resist……oh screw-it, off to google I go!
The Xbox is wifi compatible. If you already have a wifi network then why not do that?
Assuming that you have a either a DSL or cable modem with a built in router you will have a single device that is connected to either the phone line or the CATV cable. This device will provide the DHCP addressing for the network. You can buy a very inexpensive hub like this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MINI-10-100Mbps-5-Ports-Fast-Ethernet-Network-Switch-Hub-for-Desktop-PC-NEW-/330728609305?pt=COMP_EN_Hubs&hash=item4d00f61619
and connect it to the cat5 cable in your son’s room and use 3 more cat5 cbles to connect the computers and X-Box to the hub. The existing router will take care of the IP addressing as long as the computers and X-Box are set for DHCP. This is a $15 solution. You do not need another router or a switch for this.