Our router failed today. It was a Lynxis 5 port router. So my mom went to Best Buy to buy a new one and came back with an 8 port switch…Compared to the router, there was no specific port to plug in the connecting LAN cable from modem. So i just put the connecting cable into one of the 8 ports and connected the other LAN cables into the open ports. Now this is the odd part.. Only one port works when it says that all ports are connected. Is this a problem with how i set it up or did we buy the wrong thing. (The switch im using is a Lynxis SD2008.)
8 Port Router
Information on 8 Port Wireless Router, 8 Port DSL router, 8 Port Router Switch and more
No it should still work. You must put your internet connection into port 5 or 8 depending on whether it is a 5 port or 8 port. Then connect all the rest of your workstations into the other ports. If it still fails then try cycle your switch(hub) by unplugging it and wait 60 seconds then plug it back in. This device should still serve as a hub, the switch part is it enables you to switch from 10MBits, 100MBits, or 1000MBits.
If it still does it try to use some deductive reasoning by connecting each computer into the port that seems to work. If it is just the one computer then something is wrong with the settings or cables on the other computers, if it is the one port that seems to work then possibly the switch/hub is bad. Before you take it back rule out the possibility that it is your ethernet cables by switching them around as well.
Another possibility could be the distance. But you should find out that by following the other forms of reasoning.
Now this is assuming hat your modem has the ability to assign separate ip addresses to each computer. Most high speed DSL modems do. If it doesn’t then you definately need a router.
Try this, find out your gateway IP address(sometimes 127.0.0.1 will work) from the one computer that is connected. Go into your browser and type in that address in the address bar. If a screen loads up then your modem has a a router built in and this is the configuration menu of your router/modem.
I think that the new one you have obtained is falty or maybe you damaged the insides from the force of plugging cables in. That is just my opinion though.
It can not do the job. A switch can not identify the packets from each machine and understands nothing about routing. You MUST have a router to connect multiple machines to the line.
a router does what its name says, it routes information to the correct computer when it is asked, a switch broadcasts all data to all ports and doesn’t assign ip addresses, so a switch can’t be a router.
you had better call the after service ,may be they can help you.
You did buy the wrong item. The reason only one "port" works is because your cable or DSL provider will only allow for a single IP address to be issued via DHCP. Once one of your devices requests an IP address (the first one to make the request usually gets it) and that address is allocated… that’s it. Hence, the other devices will not work because your ISP’s DHCP server will not allocate them an address. Such a configuration is also less secure unless you have a firewall properly enabled on the device accessing the Internet (since you now have a public IP assigned to your machine, without the benefit of NAT).
Simple solution… take the switch back and purchase a "Linksys" router. If you need wireless the WRT160N is good.. If you only need wired go for a BEFSR41 (4 port) or BEFSR81 (8 port).
I have an old Netgear 5 port switch and I use it when I am visiting customer locations and have to connect more than one computer to the network and the location only has one spare port. I have not had any problems with it, but then I know the customer’s network.
The router does do one thing that the switch does not, that is the router has the capability of acting as a DHCP, and will use the one IP address from the provider as the address for its Internet Port. It then assigns a private IP address for each computer on its LAN. The networks that I use at customer locations are established to connect multiple computers, so as each computer talks through the switch to the customer port, the DHCP server in the network will assign each one an IP address. If your provider only allows one IP address for the Internet connection then the first device that asks for the IP address will get the one that the provider provides, the others will not be given an IP address and as such they will not be able to communicate.
From the specifiations listed for the Lynxis SD2008 all ports should operate as the Internet connection or as a computer port.
If that is the case then you need to purchase a router.