Ethernet port/hub/switcher question.

[James Lugo]

It's been a weird day of going to Best Buy, Office Depot and the Mac Store and hearing conflicting stories. I need to know first hand from someone who has done this. Please no guessing or heresy.

I have an older G5 with 1 ethernet port in the back. I have my internet plugged into it. No wifi/airport card, just a cable in off my internet router in the other room. I just got a Control 24 which goes in via ethernet. I'm looking for a hub:

Internet & Control 24 > G5

This router:
Linksys by Cisco EtherFast 10/100 8-Port Workgroup Switch EZXS88W

Appears to be designed to plug the internet into it and then you can output the internet to 5 or 8 computers depending on the unit. The Geek Squad dude at BB said that it won't work because the signal flow is the wrong way and I thought that myself. But my buddy said he has one that he used to use and it worked. The other option is to get another PCI Ethernet slot card for my G5.

What is the best way to do this?
Got a link to the right product?
Will the Linksys product above work?

Thanks

???

p.s. This has been a bit confusing I was looking for a simple hub but it doesn't seem so easy now.

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by James Lugo

It's been a weird day of going to Best Buy, Office Depot and the Mac Store and hearing conflicting stories. I need to know first hand from someone who has done this. Please no guessing or heresy.

I have an older G5 with 1 ethernet port in the back. I have my internet plugged into it. No wifi/airport card, just a cable in off my internet router in the other room. I just got a Control 24 which goes in via ethernet. I'm looking for a hub:

Internet & Control 24 > G5

This router:
Linksys by Cisco EtherFast 10/100 8-Port Workgroup Switch EZXS88W

Appears to be designed to plug the internet into it and then you can output the internet to 5 or 8 computers depending on the unit. The Geek Squad dude at BB said that it won't work because the signal flow is the wrong way and I thought that myself. But my buddy said he has one that he used to use and it worked. The other option is to get another PCI Ethernet slot card for my G5.

What is the best way to do this?
Got a link to the right product?
Will the Linksys product above work?

Thanks

???

p.s. This has been a bit confusing I was looking for a simple hub but it doesn't seem so easy now.

It will work! only trouble the control 24 will get small interrupts when data is transfered from the Mac to the HUB! i used to have my G5 wired this way but the interrupts started to bug me as the control 24 would stop displaying for a few seconds and freeze visually.

Get a wireless modem and an airport card.

Chris

[Drew Mazurek]

Originally Posted by crizdee

Get a wireless modem and an airport card.

Chris

+1000

You'll be glad you did.

[James Lugo]

I have a wireless modem in the other room. The airport card just sits in an open PCI slot in the back of my G5?

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by James Lugo

I have a wireless modem in the other room. The airport card just sits in an open PCI slot in the back of my G5?

airport cards have their own socket to fit in! quite easy open the computer and its on the main board with one cable to connect. airport or airport extreme card, make sure its the right one for these computers as they do new one's for the Macpro macs

[drenkrom]

Once again, the "Geek Squad" proves an affront to geeks everywhere. Any self-respecting geek knows the switch would work.

WiFi is the most elegant solution, though. Installing Airport in a G5 is very straightforward, as demonstated here:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/AirPort_Card.pdf

[James Lugo]

Thanks guys, heading to Fry's in an hour.

Yeah the Geek Squad seemed a little wanting. At first he tried to sell me an ethernet PCI card to put in my MAC and I said it looked like a PC piece of hardware so then he read the box and said 'humm it doesn't say for MAC but I'm sure it will work'. Then I said "can you check it out on the web and see if it's the right piece." So he reluctantly strolled over to his computer and 10 minutes later came back and said he went on to the site and it said it was PC only. Weird. I knew that by looking at the box. It just smelled of PC only and he couldn't tell. Strange, he sells the f**kin thing and didn't know. Very unimpressive.

[BaileyBass]

Originally Posted by James Lugo

Thanks guys, heading to Fry's in an hour.

Yeah the Geek Squad seemed a little wanting. At first he tried to sell me an ethernet PCI card to put in my MAC and I said it looked like a PC piece of hardware so then he read the box and said 'humm it doesn't say for MAC but I'm sure it will work'. Then I said "can you check it out on the web and see if it's the right piece." So he reluctantly strolled over to his computer and 10 minutes later came back and said he went on to the site and it said it was PC only. Weird. I knew that by looking at the box. It just smelled of PC only and he couldn't tell. Strange, he sells the f**kin thing and didn't know. Very unimpressive.

Been using a linksys switcher without any issues... with Control 24. SB

[Stylin' Audio]

Originally Posted by BaileyBass

Been using a linksys switcher without any issues... with Control 24. SB

Been doing the same here for years with a cheapy Linksys network switch with 4 ports. My laptop, PT Rig and C|24 are all into it and no issues. As I recall, it is important to use a switch and not a hub.

[jeremyroberts]

Originally Posted by James Lugo

I'm looking for a hub

Actually, you are looking for a switch.

yes, the linksys will work fine, as it has an 8-port switch built in.

There a big differences bewteen a hub and a switch when it comes to IP packets. DO NOT get a hub.