Netgear multiport Gigabit switch- anyone using one ?

[Coyote machine]

I have Gigabit fiber internet through my Telco. I have an ActionTec fiber modem/router that supplies 4 ports for network cabling, or adding boxes like microcells, printers, etc.

I just bought a Netgear Gigabit model #GS108E network switch, to allow for 8 more ports to run things that can't be currently, due to lack of port availability.
I've never run a switch before now and have some questions.
1. Should I plug the switch into one port on the router and then remove the other three network cables and put them on the switch instead of leaving them directly into the router?
The switch seems to be very robust as to what it can do, but again I've never run one so I'm basically clueless on some level with this device.
One thing I want to do is run a network cable over to my barn and plug it into a access point there to allow me to do internet work and other wired or wireless communication from the barn. That should work as I detailed it, yes?
Any other things I should do or consider with this new device?

TIA,

CM

 

[k0ua]

Coyote, anything you do is going to work. Yes just plug the netgear into one of the switch ports on the combination router-switch. I am going to assume it it will be auto MDI-x In other words, a switch port to a switch port will automatically make the connection without the need for a cross over cable. Most modern ones are. I don't know how bad your lightning is where you live, but if you put a cable underground you run some risk to feed that access point in your barn. You might consider some ethernet surge suppression on each end. I am assuming that the switch ports on your router switch are also gigabit, if they are 10/100 you might consider plugging in the other 3 remaining ethernet cables into your new switch so that if need be the hosts on those feeds can communicate at 1gig. Would not be a bad idea in any case. Again I believe it will be fairly fool proof, and about any way you configure it will likely work.

I see that it is a managed switch, and there are many things you can do with this switch if you wish to manage it (QOS, VLANS multicast etc) But I suspect you are just going to plug it in and go. And that is fine. Good luck with it.

 

[bjr]

I like Ethernet (wired) vs. WIFI. I just got done doing 16 drops in my house. Upstairs, Downstairs all bedrooms, 2 kitchen two living room spaces on both house levels, two master bathrooms & outside for the patio. The one limiting thing I've seen is distance, How far out to your barn? I'm running a old (salvaged from a dumpster) 24 port Netgear switch and I go from the Telco to the router and then back to the switch and from there to all the drops. I ran cat 5e and rj 6 coaxil probably 2600 ft of cable all together to the various rooms, most runs 50'-70'. bjr

 

[MossRoad]

Should I plug the switch into one port on the router and then remove the other three network cables and put them on the switch instead of leaving them directly into the router?

You don't have to. You might want to for consistency's sake, but you definitely don't have to.

 

[MossRoad]

And as someone mentioned, there's a distance limit for CAT5 cable of 100m (328'). That's total per run, so include the lengths of any patch cords on each end of each run.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I bought a netgear gigabit router switch but havent set it up yet.

Most unmanaged switches have one port that connects to the upstream switch port.

 

[Coyote machine]

I don't recall the distance from house router to barn access point but I'd guess around 150-200' of a 300' foot cable length, which I can cut to fit the actual length plus a few extra on each end, as needed. It's buried in conduit between the house and barn and some of that is under the barn's poured floors inside the bays, then exits in the mech/electrical room.
Been waiting for time to complete the entire project, just now getting back to it recently.
I've had lightening strikes destroy equipment, mostly phones hardwired to copper lines, in distant past. Telco drove copper grounding rods in afterwards, where their NID box joined with my house runs. Good timing.:laughing:
Now I have aerial run from Telco pole across my road to pole in my yard, then underground to my garage where their new fiber box and battery backup are located. Then fiber to router/modem and wireless and cable runs to various locations, to be expanded to more with the new switch.