Router + Desktop 1 + Wireless laptop + Desktop 2 + XBOX 360...

[JGrant1285]

Right ok peeps, hopefully this should be straight forward.

Downstairs in the office ive got a router.In the same room i have a desktop machine conected to the router via ethernet cable. ive run another ethernet cable up the inside of the interior wall, into the loft and that then runs right across the loft and down through my bedroom roof to my other desktop machine in my room. Problem is, instead of running yet another cable all the way from the office to my bedroom, is it possible to do the following:

* Use the 1 ethernet cable for both my desktop machine & my XBOX 360 (Xbox Live)?? I would only ever use one or the other online as i have a 26" LCD that i use for both, so i would only ever be using one or the other, never at the same time.
*Would i be able to buy a cheap(ish) hub and plug the ethernet into that, then use 2 ethernet cable, one going to my xbox and the other to my desktop?

will the above work? If so, would i only ever be able to have either the xbox or the desktop running for IP address issues???

Any advice would be much appreciated because at the moment, ive been having to crawl under the desk, unplug the cable of of one, and put it in the other, which as you can imagine is a HUGE pain the the @ss.

Thanks again in advance

 

[Zico]

Just by a cheap switch and connect that to the cable that runs into your room and from that connect your 360 and PC to the switch.

I've got a similar setup at home. My Speedtouch router is connected to a 3Com Gigabit switch. From the 3Com switch there are seperate cable runs to each room in our house. Two of my brother's have both a PC and an Xbox/Xbox 360. In both rooms I have another switch so they can plug both the PC and Xbox in at the same time (1 cheap 10/100 unbranded switch and 1 Asus 5 port Gigabit switch costing ~£40 a few months back).