Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Langdon · Dec 5, 2005, 08:01 PM

My building provides internet service but only one active ethernet jack.
There is no real need for a router up here since the building has a main one downstairs.

As a result I want to find a "Y" splitter than I can plug into the wall jack that will make the one ethernet jack into two. I need one to plug my Tivo into and one to plug an Airport Express into.

I am not looking for a router or hub. I do not want anything that require additional AC to power the item. So I was wondering if there was still such a thing. I thought I had seen them in the past but I do not know if they still make them.

ghporter · Dec 5, 2005, 08:35 PM

You need a switch. There is no way a "Y" splitter will work properly-the impedance will not be properly matched, and anything you connect to it may be completely ignored. On the other hand, a switch will not only break out multiple ports from one wall jack, it will do so in a way that matches everything perfectly.

Now the great news: EVERY multi-port home router is actually also a switch! You can get a bargain basement $15 special (I've seen off -or no- brand routers for that little) and just hook up to the switch part, ignoring the router function entirely, and you're golden. I've seen three meter ethernet cables for more than that, and they just had fancy colored jackets.

chabig · Dec 5, 2005, 09:34 PM

I bought a router/switch for this very purpose for $5. Here are some deals:

http://dealmac.com/search.html?search=switch&x=0&y=0

Chris

ghporter · Dec 5, 2005, 09:55 PM

$5!!! WOW! The best price I'd managed was over $8 on a SpeedStream 4-port router! COOL!

Langdon · Dec 5, 2005, 10:57 PM

Well I have a few 10 and 10/100 hubs sitting around I just hoped not to have one more thing plugged in to the wall. I already have a TV, DVD player, TiVo, VCR, powered iPod speakers, and soon an airport express. I did not want to add yet another deivce to the same area.
I thought maybe something like this would work

mduell · Dec 5, 2005, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by Langdon

Well I have a few 10 and 10/100 hubs sitting around I just hoped not to have one more thing plugged in to the wall. I thought maybe something like this would work

If I recall my ethernet correctly, with one of those on each end you could get two 10 BaseT plugs... but you couldn't use that to connect two computers to one port, nor connect two devices at 100 BaseTX.

tooki · Dec 6, 2005, 12:21 AM

You can use a pair of those for 100 Base TX. It's gigabit that needs all 8 wires.

That said, those have to be put on BOTH ends of the cable -- building management's not gonna do that for you.

Bite the bullet and get a hub or switch -- that is the only solution.

tooki

ghporter · Dec 6, 2005, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Langdon

Well I have a few 10 and 10/100 hubs sitting around I just hoped not to have one more thing plugged in to the wall. I already have a TV, DVD player, TiVo, VCR, powered iPod speakers, and soon an airport express. I did not want to add yet another deivce to the same area.
I thought maybe something like this would work

What hasn't been said about this particular device-and what's probably needed by 90% of the people that look at it-is that all it does is make use of all 8 of the wires in the Cat5 cable, interleaving the four from each of two separate cables. It doesn't "share" a port, it just uses the "unused" wires.

Note that many routers and switches are pretty tiny. You can find them as small as a thick paperback book, so it's not like there's a ton of hardware involved.