I’m a bit stuck here as it’s a simple thing to do, but I have never had to do it.
I have a Sky router (wired to fibre box by one ethernet port). It’s next to all my listed kit.
This leaves 3 spare ports.
I use more than three things and need more ports. Some of the kit can use Wi-fi as it rarely needs a connection. The stuff that handles lots of data I prefer hard wire even though it has Wi-fi (eg Sky Q).
Denon home cinema amp (Wi-fi)
Sky q (Ethernet)
PS5 (Ethernet)
Smart telly (Wi-fi)
Nvidia Shield (Ethernet)
Aurender (will need Ethernet)
I need at least one more port for the Aurender, so I could use splitter for the sky q/shield as I only ever watch tv via one at once (shield has better options for Netflix etc. ).
Could use Wi-fi for sky?
Or do I buy a switch (recommendations)?
If I did buy a switch do I still prioritise some devices direct to the router, or just load the switch and plug it in to one of the three ports?
Thanks for any help…
(Should add my Wi-fi is 60 to 70 but I have this preconception it’s not as good as hard wire!).
I have switches all over the house.
One under each, of two tv’s, one in each computer room (2), one in my music room.
They are all wired off the router.
I use a switch ( TP-Link TL-SG1008D) which is normally connected to one or two laptops, TV, Blu-Ray, Squeezebox, Freeview box and Freesat box. Never had any problems, everything works at the speed you would expect if plugged directly into the router. The router is in the hall, so it’s just one cable from the router to the switch in the living room.
Thanks for the replies. It’s just another thing to plug in and power, so part of me thinks I should get over my Wi-fi apprehensions and use the Sky Q Wi-fi to free up the last port.
In my head the hard wire must be better, but I suspect I’d get the same download times whatever, on UHD content.
If you can hardwire easily, do it. You’re right you prob don’t need it for speed but it will be more reliable. And it leaves the channels less congested for stuff that has to use WiFi
+1 for the TP-Link TL-SG108E. Possibly the most fuss free piece of kit I’ve ever owned. Currently under twenty quid on Amazon.
+1 as well for pbg’s point - a switch probably won’t be any quicker but it will be more reliable. If you use Roon then that seems to hit the network hard and can get flaky over wifi.
Roon barely tickles network capacity, it is because their implementation of networking is utterly shite and in their normal style they blame peoples home network rather than fixing their software.
Any gigabit unmanaged switch for a tenner will be fine.
The more expensive ones might come with features that you won’t use; worst case scenario you actually need to do stuff to make them work as a simple unmanaged switch. This isn’t the sort of thing that you want to control remotely, you’ll only make things worse.
