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I have an Apple Airport Extreme Gigabit router and some new machines I need to put on my network (PS3, Mrs' laptop etc.) but the router has only got four ports so I was thinking of getting a simple, unmanaged gigabit switch to increase this.
I also have a 10/100 switch which I decommissioned when I got the Apple router as I was under the impression using it would make all the network traffic run at 10/100 speed. I'm not sure this assumption was correct ...
Ideally I'd like to have a gigabit and 10/100 running on the same network so that the older boxes could use the latter while the machines that have gigabit ethernet onboard could run at modern speeds. Is this possible on a single network or should I get two gigabit switches?
Schematic diagram to illustrate what I mean. Sorry, looks like ploader.net has gone the way of the Dodo.
Thanks.
In the ancient history when hubs were current, then you couldn't mix and match, without a lowest common denominator downgrade. However, almost any modern switch can handle it. – cybernard – 2016-09-05T19:06:14.217
There is also the issue of Gigabit's jumbo frames not being usable on the network, and data sent through Gigabit links overrunning the buffers in switches that are reducing the speed to 100mb, and the role that flow control (IEEE 802.3x and 802.1Qbb) plays in this. Some more answers might be helpful! – Alex Cannon – 2019-02-27T03:27:39.503