In reply to a post by professor973:

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

He's after routers not modem/routers, I think. Like your Buffalo

I am not so sure that he is, after all he is using a HH3 at the moment with no mention of the mode it is running

There's only one mode it can run on Infinity.

What use is just one Gigabit port? If your connection is FTTC the best you will get is 80Mbps and if you want fast transfers from server to PC or PC to PC then two Gbit ports are needed.

Ah yes, I remember now. My noggin was full of Fritzboxes that don't play ball with PPoE on Annex A. Put it down to a senior moment and lack of sleep!

When I am running a Router with just one Gigabit port I direct it to a Gigabit switch, though I expect someone will claim it detrimental compared to a built in router switch.

In reply to a post by professor973:

When I am running a Router with just one Gigabit port I direct it to a Gigabit switch, though I expect someone will claim it detrimental compared to a built in router switch.

Not detrimental at all* - just put everything through the switch. Let the router manage DHCP and traffic to/from the modem and the switch handles all the local traffic. Even then a single Gbit interface does not give any real advantage.



* Although I know someone who will claim it is.

Edited by MHC (Sat 22-Dec-12 14:17:33)

One case where a single gigabit port might help.

If you have gigabit capable 'server' connected to the gigabit port, and three 'clients' connected to the other ports.
Each client can only talk to the server at 100Mb. However, in theory, they can all talk to the server at 100Mb each simultaneously.
(I don't know if the HomeHub or other single gigabit port router would actually allow it all to go that fast or not).

Or, if there is a gigabit switch involved, the three slow 'clients' can talk simultaneously to any device on the switch at 100Mb each simultaneously.

How would that be better than all ports being Gigabit?

Have tried that config on a couple of routers with two ports streaming from the server and one on a large download from the web and the best I have seen is a combined 120Mbps? VDSL2 synced at just over 50Mbps would normally give a 48|Mbps speedtest would only run at the low 30s. One port might be capable but the bus certainly was not and the load on the CPU slowed down the WAN interface. On ADSL2+ it was just as bad (or worse) as the processor was having to control the modem too.


Edit to add:

If someone want to run a Gbit network then choose a decent switch to do it, don't rely on the router even if it has four Gbit ports. Modem to interface to the line, router to manage the routing and a switch to handle the traffic. Minimise the load on individual parts where possible and let them do what they are designed to do.

Edited by MHC (Sat 22-Dec-12 14:56:37)

BatBoy, if you were referring to my post 'One case where a single gigabit port might help.' when you ask How would that be better than all ports being Gigabit?

It wouldn't. All I was saying is that there are cases where 1 gigabit port on a router is better than none.

Ah, ok. I'd rather pay the extra £15 for a gigabit switch.