Are you short on ethernet ports? Are you looking for splitting the Ethernet? The solutions you will find are multiple, and you may get confused between them because there is very less difference between them. The possible solutions for splitting your Ethernet are ethernet switch, an Ethernet hub, and an ethernet splitter. You should know your need and the functioning of these devices to choose the required one.
Here is a complete guide to differentiate between the three, so you can choose the one that suits your needs.
Ethernet Splitter
Ethernet can be your first choice when you are looking for splitting your ethernet connection. Ethernet looks like the modest and having no pretensions or ostentation. You can have a better alternative.
The cheap accessibility of Ethernet splitters can be very effective these days. Furthermore, with an Ethernet Splitter, you have the liberty to utilize only a single cable to run directly from your router or modem to some Ethernet switch you have in the other room. This will give you access to a few other ports that can be used to connect other things.
The performance factor by these Ethernet splitters may help you in boosting of your internet speed as well. We can base this upon the reason of having more ports.
They are pretty easy to use, and don’t require power outlets or software to set them up.
Ethernet has three ports, two at a side and one on the other. This device can be useful when you have small ethernet cables.
Procedure:
A single ethernet splitter does not split the internet connecting, and you always need another ethernet splitter that will unsplit the connection back into two wires.
Well, if you have two devices integrated in one room along with a switch or router of some kind in some other room, what you can do is, use an Ethernet Splitter to connect the entire setup. This can happen if and only if you are comfortable with 100MBs in addition to two proper spare ports on the other end.
Functioning:
Ethernet splitter channels only two cables as they are of old 100 BASE-T standards. These cables use only two channels of four, and a splitter uses the remaining two. And when you have to connect to the other device, you add another splitter that uses the spare two cables and split the connection.
Ethernet cable splitter can be the right choice when your setup is small, and you have to split for only two devices.
Ethernet Switch
Want to know everything about Ethernet switch? Watch this video:
So we were looking for ethernet connection splitter, ethernet switch is the best among all. There are two types of Ethernet switch, there is an ethernet switch with five ports, and there is also with eight ports.
Functioning:
All you have to do is to connect the ethernet cable from the router to the ethernet switch, and then you can attach as much of 7 other devices with the ethernet switch.
There is a misconception about ethernet switch that after connecting more devices, the data get interrupted between the devices. But the case is not that, with ethernet switch the communication is of full-duplex that means the data sent and received among all the equipment is done at the same time and thus not get interrupted.
Ethernet Hub
Hub switch or router? Watch this video:
This is a little bit old school then ethernet switch and has the same functioning of ethernet splitting.
Functioning:
Ethernet hub works with half-duplex communication, which means ethernet hub does not have to ability to send and receive data at the same time for multiple devices, which may cause a lot of mishaps like data collisions and the bandwidth fluctuation between the connected devices.
Pro tip: Double check while purchasing ethernet switch as it looks the same as ethernet hub.
Do Ethernet Splitters Reduce Speed?
The answer to this question depends completely on the type of internet network used by the splitter. Ethernet splitters are completely based on the rather old 100BASE-T standard or commonly used as Fast Ethernet, which carries the 100Mbps nominal internet traffic rate.
In the traditional Ethernet cable, there are four pairs of wires, which means a total of 8 wires in one cable. In Fast Ethernet, only two pairs out of four are used; the other two pairs are just sitting there, unused. The splitter will take two 100Mbps signals from a router which means two Ethernet cables, and merge them on the receiving end of the splitter and can therefore carry a maximum speed of 100Mbps.
To the above question, if the splitters are used in a 100Mbps internet network, no, they will not reduce speed. However, if your network router offers a speed of 1Gbps and you are using a splitter in between, the speed will be reduced to 100Mbps. In this situation, the Ethernet splitters did reduce the speed, and the internet connection will be slower.
Can I Split an Ethernet cable?
Yes, it is possible to split an Ethernet cable. To be very straight, You cannot break or divide like an audio or video signal. The Ethernet splitters do not split your connection, but it works differently than other kinds of the splitter. If you need an extra Ethernet port in your workplace to connect other devices to the internet, you can use a good Ethernet switch or splitter.
For example, if you have rooms, you have your network router, and in another room, you have your PC and printer. To make an internet connection between these two, you will need two Ethernet switches or splitters. First, you have to connect your PC and printer to the first Ethernet splitter.
Then the output of the first switch will be the input for the second switch, and the output of this second switch will go into your router. This process will save you a lot of wires to deal with. Ethernet splitters do not split a single Ethernet connection, and the device that splits an internet connection is called a switch. People often get confused between these two and think that an Ethernet splitter can split their internet connections into two.
Can You Split an Ethernet Cable into Two Devices?
The cable sharing kit connects two network devices over a single network cable to two ports on an Ethernet switch or router. It also splits the four pairs of wires inside a network cable to share a cable for two devices.
How do I connect two devices to one Ethernet port?
Two devices can be connected to a single Ethernet port. However, you will require the use of a cable sharing kit. This is due to the fact that each Ethernet connection is dedicated to a single device.
The Ethernet Cable will let you connect multiple devices to a single Ethernet port, which is very beneficial for your home network. It’s especially helpful if you’re hosting a Local area network (LAN) party and just have a few Ethernet connections available.
It’s also worth mentioning that you can get multiple Ethernet ports available. If this is the case, using one port for each device is always the best option. When this isn’t possible, a cable sharing kit or splitter is an excellent backup option.
Why not try an alternative to Ethernet?
If a user needs to connect multiple devices, a network cable is the only option. There are many methods to share the same signal between multiple devices, including wifi options. Let’s have a look at three alternatives to the traditional network splitter.
1. Mesh Wi-Fi
Rather than broadcasting wifi signals from a single port, Mesh Wifi routers have multiple access points, sometimes called satellites. These access points capture the router’s signal and rebroadcast it. Since the access points all broadcast the same signal, you do not need to switch wifi connections as you move from one access point to another. If a user regularly encounters wifi dead zones in your office or home, then you may be an ideal candidate for Mesh Wifi.
2. Ethernet Over Power Line
An Ethernet Over Power Line is where you transfer information for an internal network using a building’s existing electrical cables. An Ethernet Over Power Line consists of a transmitter and receiver. Plug the transmitter into a power outlet, then use an Ethernet cable to connect the transmitter to your network router. Attach the receiver to a power outlet and use an Ethernet cable to connect the receiver to your PC or phone.
The Ethernet Over Power Line transmitter converts the signal in the high-frequency range onto the electrical wiring, and the receiver demodulates this signal. This creates a physical connection between your device and router without the need for extra wires. Assuming you purchase a compatible Ether Over Power Line adapter, you can set up multiple receivers around your office or home.
3. MoCA
If you have coaxial cables installed, you can use a MoCA adapter to send Ethernet signals over your existing cable network. If your house has been wired for Cable TV, you will typically need coaxial cabling. This means you could connect a MoCA adapter to your router and another close to a coaxial port in each room where you need to access the internet. If a user needs to connect multiple devices via coaxial cabling, you may use a coaxial splitter.
Frequently Asked Questions
To put it simply, Hub works as a physical layer by transmitting signals to port as a response to where the signal was received. On the other hand, a Switch works as a Data Link Layer for connections and terminations as needed.
Obviously Switch is better than the Hub. Switch works as a connecting point for all the devices to develop a network, and is more efficient in the transmission of information and recording addresses.
The major difference in speed of Hub VS Switch is the transmission of data. Hub generally delivers data to all of the ports, whereas Switch will send data only to the required destination devices/ports.
Conclusion
So, do you know your requirements? Well, let me short it down for you. If you want an ethernet connection splitter for a small area, then ethernet splitter is the best choice for you. And if you’re going to for longer distances and multiple devices, consider ethernet switch as your new ethernet hub, don’t buy ethernet hub, as that is an old device and can give you a lot of headaches.