Advice needed, Sharing ethernet between 2-3 devices

claypigeon101 · 27 Sep 2014 at 15:43

Hi all, I have powerline network from downstairs next to router up to my bedroom with PC currently connected. TP Link AV500 Nano, very quick, get about 80-100Mbps and plugged directly into the router I hardly get much more so it's exactly what I need.

However I've now got a PS3 sitting here and I want to know how should I go about sharing the one ethernet out that I have from the powerline adapter in my room. Currently I keep switching cables which is annoying because everything is neatly tidied and arranged and I have to keep moving it all.

A network switch would do the job but it's always powered on and I'm wondering if there's a passive solution like a physical junction box I could use or something that just splits one ethernet stream happily into two...

The other solution is get a powerline adapter with more than one output but that's the more expensive option as it stands. Also I don't know which adapters would be compatible with my current set...

Have you got any ideas? Greatly appreciated.

bremen1874 · 27 Sep 2014 at 15:49

There isn't a passive option.

Buy a network switch. The modern small switches don't take much power. Many of them disable unused ports and adjust the others to account for cable length.

The DGS-105 only pulls 3.10 Watts from the wall. If my maths is correct that's about £2.70/year, and will be less if all the ports aren't in use.

It is worth spending the bit extra for Gigabit. It won't make any difference at the moment, but it'll make it much more likely to the useful in the future.

Ragnahex · 27 Sep 2014 at 16:07

just get a switch they are cheap to run and cheap to buy

claypigeon101 · 14 Oct 2014 at 10:50

Thanks guys... looks like decision made!

TheVoice · 14 Oct 2014 at 17:13

I've got the TP-Link TL-SF1005D for just this purpose, you can get it for under £6. It's a tiny thing, and means I can have my Sky box, PS3, PS4 and 360 connected via a single powerline adapter.

Pay more for a Gigabit one if you want, but you aren't going to be getting gigabit speeds via a powerline adapter, especially not when you're sharing bandwidth between multiple devices.