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Networks network adapter...is it possible?

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by bixie_62, 22 Aug 2005.

  1. bixie_62

    bixie_62 Minimodder

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    hey
    we've got 2 pcs at home, and the net is connected directly to the router in the attic, and then theres a 30m cat5e cable running downstairs into my room where its connected to my pc.
    however, i may soon be getting an ibook.....yes an apple!but its free and they look pretty damn good!anyway,its got a network port inbuilt and i think it'd be nice for me to use that to browse internet....now the problem is that i somehow have to 'split' that single network cable coming downstairs......i am NEVER going to be using both the lappy and the desktop at the same time,so logical thing would be to plug the wire into lappy then disconnect and reconnect into the desktop when i wanna use that,however i simply cant be arsed to do that!and its gna put strain on the cable.

    what i've kinda been thinking is....a small box, with one socket at one end, and then 2 lengths of cat 5e cable coming off that one socket.the original 'orange' cable would be connected to that and then i would have one of the lengths of wire going to the desktop and the other to the lappy.

    i was thinking of a series of switches which switched the signals over between the 2 lengths, kinda how a tv aerial splitter works. except i'd actually be swapping the signals over.

    would something like this work?
    thank you.
     
  2. ElThomsono

    ElThomsono Multimodder

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    Well, yeah it could be done, kinda, but there are far easier better ways to get the same effect. What router is in yout attic? How many ports does it have and how many are in use?
     
  3. logan

    logan flashback!

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    IIRC The Cat5e standard only uses 4 out of the eight wires in an ethernet cable.

    You can actually crimp two connectors to each end of one cable and so run two computers simultaneously over a single cable.

    You can also buy pre-wired adaptors for this but they are usualy designed to plug into a wall socket.

    See here for examples - last product on the page.

    You would need to buy 2 of those economisers + 2 of the couplers (first item on page) to join them to the cable you have. Then 4 patch cables to connect both your machines to one end + the other end to your router.
     
    Last edited: 22 Aug 2005
  4. tetleyex

    tetleyex What's a Dremel?

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    Woulden't that screw up the shielding? Wich is what I thought those 4 white wires are for. :confused:
     
  5. logan

    logan flashback!

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    That't what I thought too. I don't think it's ideal, but as you can see from the commercial products available it is an accepted practice.

    Also, as a side-note you can get other adaptors which look similar but only allow you to use 1 pc at a time (they've used all 8 wires) - in which case you only need one at the PC end. (which is more like the system talked about originally)
     
  6. Gandi69

    Gandi69 Like to get busy wit fizzy..

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    In my opinion you are best off just buying a cheap hub or switch for the end of the cat5 coming from the router. All you need then is two small ethernet cables from said switch/hub to your ibook and desktop. The cat5 from the attic would then act as a backbone between router and switch and you could use two machines at once without a loss of connectivity.
     
  7. logan

    logan flashback!

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    :duh: blooming obvious and much better way of doing things to be honest! :hehe:

    10/100 Hubs/switches are pretty cheap these days - in fact I'll probabaly be selling a couple in the for sale forums this weekend if you can wait. ;)
     
  8. bixie_62

    bixie_62 Minimodder

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    hey
    gandi's suggestion seems to be the best so far,as that mean i could quite easily add another pc down the line!
    the router in the attic is an adsl modem, 4 port ethernet switch/hub, 108mbps wireless gateway and usb print server...
    i supose the logical thing to do may be to drop another line from one of the ports from the router....but lets just say it was difficult enough getting that one wire in place so that it didnt show in the hallway and landing as its actually in the bloody ceiling!and dads not gna let us drill more holes!
    thanx.
    (logan,what brands are they?i can indeed wait!lmk.thanx)
     
  9. logan

    logan flashback!

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    Can't remember the brands - I'll drop you a PM when I dig em out. :thumb:
     
  10. Sp!

    Sp! Minimodder

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  11. funkymunky

    funkymunky Guest

    why dont you do a wonder down to your local tesco... at our tesco they have a new selection of linksys network stuff.
    They have a wireless network access point for 35 quid.. with 5 network ports. Works a treat.. used it for exactly the same reason as you.

    Matt
     
  12. LAGMonkey

    LAGMonkey Group 7 error

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    For ease of use, just go for the extra Switchs senario. if your cheap then you can mod the cable to carry two ethernet lines as 10/100 ethernet only uses 2 out of the 4 pairs of wires.
    Cat5 cable was intended (along with other uses) to carry ethernet, phone and power down it (ethernet using 2 pairs, phone using one pair and power using the last pair).
     
  13. jake

    jake Network Gawd

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    There is no shielding in normal Cat5 - the U in UTP stand for unshielded. There are sheilded variants availible however but these will have a foil screen.

    The wires in Cat X are twisted together in pairs and each pair forms a signal carrying path [normal ethernet only uses 2 pairs but 1000BaseT and several odd variants eg 100M such as 100BaseT4 use all 4 pairs]. The purpose of the twisting together means that any interference effects both wires equally and can then be easily discarded from the signal using differential analysis.

    In short running two 10/100BaseT connections on a single piece of cat5 is perfectly acceptable but running a 1000BaseT connection like this won't work.

    J
     
  14. CaseyBlackburn

    CaseyBlackburn Network Techie

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    It would be so easier to just get a hub. As has been mentioned.
     
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