5 port 10/100 Switch, $40

[hd581]

Check it out: http://www.lanmarket.com/frames.asp?contentPage= products%2FprodPreview%2Easp%3FVisID%3D24425433IFA KF000109224850%26Fam%3DAFS05 (http://www.lanmarket.com/frames.asp?contentPage=products%2FprodPreview%2Eas p%3FVisID%3D24425433IFAKF000109224850%26Fam%3DAFS0 5)

No-name brand perhaps, but awarded homePCnetwork's Editors Best Buy (http://www.homepcnetwork.com/hdervwalfaswtch.htm).

Kudos to Anand's HD forum for digging this one up. Lot of garbage in there sometimes but every once in a while, a jewel.


[This message has been edited by hd581 (edited 06-07-2000).]

[pickel]

I bought a D-link DFE-905 network kit w/
4 port hub, 2 20' cat5 cables, 2 10/100 cards, software, instru. , etc at Comp Usa for $ 69.95 plus tax. Checked D-link site..list was $129.95 plus shipping. Think they may have mispriced this item, to my benefit!! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

the pickel

[Joel Kleppinger]

Well, I went for it.. 4 10/100 cards ($5 apiece) and the 5-port 10/100 switch for $67 shipped. Guess we'll see how well they work.

Thanks for the post.

[reddog4629]

I also bought the D-Link DFE-905 from Best Buy for 55 bucks. (75-20 rebate). I just got my rebate back! Works great too. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[pickel]

Hey Reddog: That's very encouraging news!!!
Going to try to network my 3 computers sometime soon, have a couple of Intel pro mgmt cards to try too. Everything install and set up OK???? I get a little nervous fooling around inside the box, if you know what I mean!!!

the pickel

[zzzreyes]

hey, there is a big difference in a hub and a switch.....
like twice the speed in difference!

[Banti]

Hub=dumb (no mem) blindly repeats all traffic across the lan to all ports

Switch=smart (has mem for MAC addresses) only repeats traffic to the port associated with the MAC address in the traffic packets. So you have less congesstion in your LAN (read as less collisions).


Banti

[hd581]

Well for a single user w/ a few systems, they probably won't be hitting refresh on all computers at the same time; here a hub would be fine. For situations where multiple users will be using multiple computers simultaneously, yes a switch would be better. And a switch is better for expandability; better to attach hubs to switches than hubs to hubs.