Jump to content

Simple internet connection question...


Recommended Posts

I have TW Cable for internet access.  My cable comes in, goes into my cable modem, goes out by ethernet to my Airport Express for WiFi to the house.

The problem is, my kids' MacMini is slow and uses wireless G.  It's near the TV and modem in the living room.  Can I use a 1x2 hub or splitter to split the ethernet signal from the modem to feed an ethernet cable into the Airport Express and the MacMini?  This ought to make their internet connection faster, right?

Also, does anyone have an old ethernet splitter and/or 15' ethernet cable lying around?  I could just go to Best Buy, but I am CRAZY broke!

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you place the splitter after the cable modem it's likely your ISP will charge you for a second IP address for the Mac Mini. Depending on the model of Airport you have there may be a second, or even series of unoccupied ethernet jacks. You can connect Mini there and it will receive an IP address from the Airport.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you are still going to need a router. I don't think the AE will issue multiple IP addresses.

We've been discussing getting the Mini hardwired as a solution. If you wanted to look into the speed problem you could plug the Mini into the modem and see if that offers any improvement. I've not connected an AE directly to my modem but it may be a layer of security so I would only plug the Mini directly into the modem for a test.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Robert,

A simple wired router should fix your issues with speed, at least vis-a-vis wi-fi and the Mini.

Take a look at this at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127091

It's $32, I think with a $10 rebate.

It will also add another layer of security, and the way it will work may be slightly slower than a direct connection to the modem it will certainly be faster than wi-fi G.

I've had an earlier model on our home network since we got off dial-up, and it was a snap to configure via a browser. And as a breed, 10/100 routers are usually less than $40.If you really want or need gigabit ethernet, plan on about $100 or so.

Best regards,

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess my question is this... If the modem is plugged into the router, can the router then be output to the wireless device?  Isn't that sending it to two routers, and will that cause some sort of problem?

But actually I just did a speed test.  The connection speed seems fine, so now I am trying other settings to reduce the demands on the system to see if that's why some of the kids' interactive web content is slow for that reason.  It's a 1.42GHz MacMini with 1GB RAM (maximum on this model).  I think it shares RAM with the video card, so I'll try lowering resolution, since it's all kids graphics anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The modem is connected to a WAN port, the 4 others are LAN ports. I've got my Verizon DSL modem connected to the WAN port, and one of the LAN ports feeds my older Airport, a line up to Kathy's studio, a line up to my office where there's a 10/100/1000 switch, 'cause there's a boatload of ethernet happening in here - 2 computers and a networked drive with iTunes accessed by all the computers in the house. The gigabit ethernet helps there as it takes forever to load music on or off the networked drive without it. The 4th LAN port on the router downstairs is for the Mini on the cart, for software updates, etc.

I don't think you will have any problems, unless there's an IP address conflict somewhere. But a little manual reading will help you get that straightened out, I'm sure.

The Mini's graphics may well be the bottleneck, 1 Gig shared with the display card may also be the issue. No way around that....

Try looking for the router on Craig's List. Here in DC there's alway tons of networking stuff there, what with the big IT/internet presence here about!

Best regards,

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it just Flash stuff that is slow? Do less complicated webpages load okay? (a lot of video stuff is delivered via Flash)

In Safari, Adobe Flash on a PowerPC Mac can be really really slow - it's more to do with the CPU than your internet bandwidth if that's the case. I'm not sure it would be much better using Firefox. I do know that Flash works a whole lot better on Intel Macs with the latest Safari or Firefox. Ensuring you have the latest version of the browser installed couldn't hurt either.

If the Mac mini is right next to the AEX then I'm guessing it's got optimal wireless signal. You say it's connecting at G speed (54Mbps max) to the AEX. What's your cable speed? Is it greater than 54Mbps? If it's less and the Mac mini is tested alone and is still slow then there's definitely a problem "somewhere" but cabling isn't necessarily going to help.

You could do an experiment by blocking Flash in Safari and see if things speed up:

http://rentzsch.github.com/clicktoflash/

Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd bet you have a problem with the computer. Wifi G is faster than your TWC internet. "G" max speed is roughly 2mbps. TWC is probably .5mbps. For reference - FiOS has a "20/5" package. That 20 download speed is equaly to 2mbps.

You'll notice the benefits of an "n" wifi or hard wired ethernet connection only for network data (moving between two computers in your house).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...