gigabit switch to 10/100 router?

[wambulance]

Hey folks. I currently have the netopia 3347 router/modem. Kind of sucks because it's all in one and and the netopia is only 10/100.

I have three computers that currently are lanned and using the internet via the 3347. However, these systems are gigabit capable but of course are on 10/100 due to existing router limitations.

My question is, how would I go about setting up gigabit on the lan while utilizing the 3347? I know I need additional hardware, but if someone could tell me exactly what I need and how that would connect to the 3347 to maintain internet access it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Steve R Jones]

Getting a new 10/100/1000 router would help a wee little bit with file transfer speeds from one pc to another. It won't make any difference connecting to the internet.

[Rootstonian]

I dunno about "wee little bit" Steve.

I just got my Command Central setup with my cable modem, wireless router. 3 pc's are hardwired to the router.

I have a thread in this forum about this...a 20 gig file took about 45 mintues to transfer. When I had a crossover cable hooked up (both pc's had gigabit nic's) the transfer took 8 minutes.

I find out my 3 year old Linksys router's switch is only 10/100; so I'm off to buy a new router sometime today

[wambulance]

Right, I realize it does nothing for internet speed. But a gigabit router is not going to help me at all because the hardware I have is the router/modem in one. I need the 3347 as a modem.
Gigabit on LAN for transferring very large files or an entire 1TB NAS is hours, some instances even days less time than 10/100.

What I'm asking is how to get gigabit LAN while using the 3347 to connect to the web.

[Rootstonian]

If I checked right, that's a DSL unit, right?

Perhaps you can get a DSL modem only, then go into a gigabit router.

Actually, this is just what a did today; I have 3 computer in close range that are hardwried gigabit and 2 other pc's in the house that get wireless.

Are you computers close together or is your place pre-wired?

[RicheemxX]

Bridging routers is easy, and has been covered a bunch of times. Assuming both routers work together simply disable dhcp on the gigabit. Change the ip address of the gigabit router to something on the same subnet as the first router, so you can remotely manage it. Plug it into port one of the router/modem combo add all your connections to the gigabit and you should be set.

[wambulance]

Yeah, going with a standalone modem and then a gigabit router would make the most sense and be the easiest. It just costs more unfortunately as the 3347 (it's a DSL unit to answer your question) acts as a router and a modem in one, so I was trying to find a way to get gigabit on LAN whilst using the 3347 for internet access thereby eliminated the need to buy a new modem as well.

Wireless isn't really an option for me. We use these machines for gaming and wireless tends to be subpar in terms of connection stability. Then there's the issue that while N can be quite a bit faster than 10/100, it's a far cry from gigabit. And of course, none of the desktops have wireless N capability which would send the cost up even higher considering upgrades.

I noticed that a local electronics retailer is selling a gigabit switch for $19.99. I was wondering if that could be used to get gigabit on lan and then connect to the 3347 later down the pipe for internet access, where being switched to 10/100 wouldn't matter. Perhaps a switch doesn't perform this function?

[wambulance]

Originally Posted by RicheemxX

Bridging routers is easy, and has been covered a bunch of times. Assuming both routers work together simply disable dhcp on the gigabit. Change the ip address of the gigabit router to something on the same subnet as the first router, so you can remotely manage it. Plug it into port one of the router/modem combo add all your connections to the gigabit and you should be set.

Sounds good, thanks. I realize that bridging has been covered before, but understand that my level of knowledge for an arrangement like this is/was limimted so I didn't know that the solution was bridging them in the first place.

Would a gigabit switch work for this function or must it be a router?

Thanks in advance.

[RicheemxX]

Originally Posted by wambulance

Sounds good, thanks. I realize that bridging has been covered before, but understand that my level of knowledge for an arrangement like this is/was limimted so I didn't know that the solution was bridging them in the first place.

Would a gigabit switch work for this function or must it be a router?

Thanks in advance.

I personally have never done it with a switch, but by turning off DHCP AFAIK you are effectively turning the router into a switch anyways so there shouldn't be any issues. Someone like GZ3, that has a little more networking experience than I do would be able to tell you for sure.

[nemowolf]

The 3347 sucks for starters, i just finished my work day after slamming my head on it several times. It does not play well with firewalls.

In theory, you could get another router that supports Gigabit and just use that as your internal LAN and use the modem as your uplink.