[X4U] Ethernet hub recommendations?

[Stroller]

On Mar 13, 2005, at 4:30 pm, Anne-Marie Concepcion wrote:

> At 3:00 PM +0000 3/13/05, Stroller wrote:
>> I can't actually find any information on the M120, but I'll assume 
>> it's similar to the MIH-120 
>> <http://www.pcmech.com/show/reviews/281/>. Is it working at the 
>> moment?
>
> Yes, that's it, and yes, it's working at the moment. As is the 
> MIH-120a switch that adds 8 ports to the hub.
>
> The reason I want to move ... We're transferring some big files among 
> the computers on the network and the 120 only does 10T Ethernet ... as 
> far as I know my Macs and prob the PC can do 100T Ethernet, no? If I 
> add a fileserver this will be an issue as well.

Right. You don't actually need to replace the M120 router, then. All 
you need is to replace the MIH-120a & plug all your devices into that.

> Also want to move just because I don't like using abandoned products.

Well, I can see your point, but you might well find you're in the same 
situation in a couple of years' time - the smaller & cheaper the 
product - think small network hardware devices - the quicker 
manufacturers update their range & drop support for legacy models. To 
be honest I'd just get a new switch & keep the difference in the bank - 
these little routers often keep chugging away for years. If the M120 
fails in the future, then just chuck it.

> Their support knowledge base has some instrux on how to update 
> firmware on the 130 w/OS X but it's pretty convoluted, like it was 
> never meant for OS X networks. And the latest firmware update for the 
> 130 was back in 2001 too, just like the 120.

Yeah, but you may never need to need to update the firmware.

>> You mention "slow Ethernet ports" in your first paragraph. I know how 
>> frustrating that can be, but you don't need to replace the router - 
>> only add a switch.
>
> Still not clear here. I thought the switch add-on from MacSense simply 
> increased the # of ports... take a look at the mih130 url above ... 
> can you tell if the 130A (the 8-port switch) adds any special speed 
> boost as opposed to the 130 (the 4-port router/hub)?

Erm... yes & no.

> Wouldn't the 130A need to be hooked into the 130 in order for the 
> computers to access the DSL modem? (Which by the way is a Slipstream 
> if that makes any diff.).

No, I don't think so. Because the 130A is a router with a built-in 
switch. But you don't need that, since your current

> All so confusing... basically I want about 6 ethernet devices to have 
> fast computer-to-computer connections and share the same single DSL 
> account.

Right... chuck the MIH-120a & replace it with a 6- or 8-port 10/100 
switch. Problem solved. $30 from NewEgg.

You might need to paste the below into textedit & set a fixed-width 
font for it to make sense:

       slow          slow               fast
modem <---> MIH-120 <---> 10/100switch <---> LAN Computers
       10mBps        10mBps             100mBps

The "slow" segments are still 5x - 10x the speed of your broadband 
connection, so are not a bottleneck. The computers in your house all 
communicate at full 100mBps speed because they're all plugged into the 
new switch at full-speed. Trust me, it works, it's not a big dilemma 
and you'll REALLy notice the difference for the usage you're 
describing.

Stroller.