Advice regarding network hardware issue.

[manowar]

Hi all,

Currently, I have a BEFSR41 V3 Linksys 4 port switch DSL/Cable router at home, with two hard-wired PC's, a hard-wired wireless access point and a cable modem attached to it (all 4 ports are allocated).

So recently, I've decided to spend some cash on a NAS, an attachable network storage device, to act as a hard drive for extra storage space on the network. However, at present, the routers ports are currently occupied by the devices mentioned above.

Now, I'm not that knowledgable when it comes to networks, so what I need to know is this...what do I need to extend my network, in order to add a storage drive to it? Basically, I was thinking that a hub or switch would be the best bet. I'd attach the switch/hub to the router, then I'd attach the network storage device and access point to the hub/switch...is this doable?

What would you guys recommend? Is a hub better to use for my smallish network? Or would you go with a switch?

Thanks all.

 

[Ethereal_Dragon]

With the setup that you described, you SHOULD actually be using 3 of the 4 LAN ports on the router. The Cable modem should be plugged into the router's WAN port. This would leave 1 open port for the NAS...

If you do still want to continue to get another piece of hardware, then a small 4 or 8 port switch will do the trick. Just plug it into a LAN port on the router, and plug the additional devices into it.

 

[manowar]

Thanks Dragon. For some strange reason, I forgot to mention that the cable modem is actually in the WAN port! Silly me...I can't remember what is in the forth port.

What about uplink ports? Do I have to worry about them too?

 

[Ethereal_Dragon]

With the uplink port, you can use that to connect another network device, switch or hub to the router. I am not sure, but I would venture a guess that it uses autosensing, and will work with a straight-through OR crossover cable.

NOTE that LAN Port 1 and the uplink ports are SHARED. That means if you have something plugged into the uplink port, Port 1 will not work, vice versa if something is plugged into port 1.

 

[manowar]

So is the uplink something to consider? Or doesn't it really matter in my case? Would I have to plug the wireless access point into the uplink, as that needs to talk to the router? Or doesn't it matter? Could the AP just go in any of the switch ports?