Multiple Device Usage At Uni Help Needed !

InfernoUk

InfernoUk

InfernoUk

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684
Hey im off to uni soon and they only have 1 plug in the wall for one device, i have 2 laptops and 2 games consoles and i want to be able to have them all connected so i guess ill need a router or hub that masks that there are multiple devices connected, if thats possible?

Does such a device exist so the network department can only see 1 device or mac address, or however you identify devices on a network, but that allows me to connect 4 different devices without detection?

Thanks for any help im not to great with the network side of things only the stuff that plugs into it :p
 
Wouldn't you just need a basic switch?

I guess you will be connected into the uni server or something, setting a router up sounds a bit complex when it comes to uni. I thought they have like major firewalls and stuff.

If you can plug a laptop into the wall and get internet, all you need is a switch.
 
Ryan111 said:
Wouldn't you just need a basic switch?

I guess you will be connected into the uni server or something, setting a router up sounds a bit complex when it comes to uni. I thought they have like major firewalls and stuff.

If you can plug a laptop into the wall and get internet, all you need is a switch.
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Not if there are access restrictions in place.
 
they say they only want you to connect 1 device, i need 4-5 so thats why i need it to look like i only have one, if i just plugged 1 device in that would work but its annoying to have to swap around so i need a router/hub/anything that makes it look like i only have 1 thing connected if you guys understand.

edit: purpose is i want to be able to play xbox and have my desktop on as i run it 24/7 also ill need to connect laptop all at the same time
 
You need to use a router, but 9 times out of 10 this will be against the network terms of use, so depending on the uni they could fine you/kick you off the network for using one.

Basically you'll need an ethernet router.

As an aside, if you want the router to not look like a router, change the MAC address on the WAN side ;)
 
right i knew i needed a router but is there not a way all the devices plugged into it look like 1 device? it is against tersm of service but its a stupid rule
 
it may not be related but isnt NAT what messes up online gaming? the uni says tell them mac addresses of all consoles to let them through the firewall but if i use the router will it negate this ?

also so a cable router will stop me getting blocked for connecting multiple devices? is there no indication through device mac addresses?
 
I will also need to do this. Can anyone confirm that by using a cable router, there will be no way of telling that there are multiple devices connected?
 
This may or may not help you understand NAT. VERY simply, requests from behind your router, are forwarded onto the router to make the requests. When the packets are sent back, your router looks up to see what device originally made that request and sends it to the appropriate one. That's NAT (sortof, ignoring major parts of the OSI model :)).

So to be honest, if you want to use all four devices, you really will have to look at getting an ethernet router. You can spoof the router's MAC address and give it something that might be more akin to a console manufacturer's address. You'll have to bear in mind though that although the ToS may seem stupid, they're still unfortunately valid. It might be worth asking (even anonymously) whether this is something they might allow in some circumstances making sure to state this would only be wired (i.e. not compromising their physical network access with an unsecured wireless hotspot)?

Double-NATing can sometimes lead to issues with getting things to work correctly. Configure your ports correctly though, and you should be fine!
 
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quickshot89 said:
u may need to share the internet using your desktop, as you normally have to log onto the network with uni usernames and passwords etc
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So you simply have the internet connection come to you PC via ethernet. Using a second ethernet connection to a router, share the connection across the network?

Is this easy to do?

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The problem is that the microsoft guide asks you to change certain settings of the other clients. How would you do this to a console or a wifi phone for example.
 
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Ryan111 said:
Wouldn't you just need a basic switch?

I guess you will be connected into the uni server or something, setting a router up sounds a bit complex when it comes to uni. I thought they have like major firewalls and stuff.

If you can plug a laptop into the wall and get internet, all you need is a switch.
Click to expand...

A switch would present multiple MAC addresses, and as most Uni's lock down ports to specific MAC addresses this would not work.

The problem is that the microsoft guide asks you to change certain settings of the other clients. How would you do this to a console or a wifi phone for example.
Click to expand...

This usually just requires 2 ethernet ports on your PC. Ethernet Port 1 connects to the modem (or in the case of Uni, the wall port) and Port 2 connects to the switch and the rest of the network in your hall / room / whatever. You turn on internet connection sharing on the PC and it does what you need.

However, plugging a router in is a better bet - you may have to change the network address / subnet on it in case it clashes with teh Uni address ranges but other than that it's much easier.
 
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What uni is it? Most of the time when they don't want multiple devices on each switch port they really mean that they don't want people plugging in routers backwards and screwing things up for other users.
 
hey guys, the uni is bournemouth if thats of any use.

Can anyone explain it in idiots terms i dont fully understand the abbreviations and seems that you guys have lots of different ways of doing it.
 
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