[Nottingham] A second wireless router, a switch or something else?

[James Moore]

On 08/11/2011 00:51, Jason Irwin wrote:
> So I've got this new mini-server and that makes number 5 on my network.
>   Guess how many Ethernet ports a VirginMedia SuperHub has?  Yup - 4.  So
> I think my options are:
> 1) Buy a second WiFi router with more than 4 ports and throw the
> SuperHub into modem-mode...
> 2) Buy a network switch (standard Netgear 8-port jobbie, or similar)...
> 3) Something else?
>
> Option 2 seems easiest/cheapest (it may also solve a few potential
> issues with cabling as I'd only need one with from the SuperHub to the
> switch).  As I'd like to run Amahi on the server I'd need to disable
> DHCP and give Amahi as the DNS entry.  I'm just 100% not sure option 2
> is viable or if I am missing something obvious/critical as I'm a bit of
> a networking dunce.
>
> I'm also kicking around the idea of VPN, OwnCloud and a few other
> things.  Hmm...VPN and networking dunce; a winning combination!
>
> It will also be interesting to see how hard it is to convince the Virgin
> engineer to move the cable box from its current, idiotic location.
>
> And that reminds me, how hard is it to roll yer own cables?  I think
> it'll be easier to buy a reel and knock my own up, rather than play
> "guess how for from the store room to the office".
>
> Note: Amazon have those Seagate 2TBs back in, but they're one per customer.
>
I went with the least obvious option imaginable: buy a second *wired 
only* router and use it on a different subnet, connecting the server 
gear to that. Chinese Busybox 8-port job set me back £24. Back in '05.

So on the Virgin router I have: Torrent & web server, secondary router 
and wireless connections, default 192.168.2.x subnet. Two spare physical 
ports.
And on the Busybox: connection to the Virgin router, cluster head node, 
file server, HTPC, XBOX x3. One extra port for transients. 192.168.0.x 
subnet.

Configuring the Busybox was easy: apart from changing the subnet, 
nothing else need be done. The Busybox router sees the Virgin router as 
the service provider, rather than what the Virgin router sees being 
what's on the other end of the coax. Port forwarding didn't seem to be 
an issue either.