Setting up small home network

[sledgehammer]

Have 2 Macs (1 laptop) and 1 PC hooked to my home network. Using AT&T gateway (12 mps for internet) as router to an old 8-port 10/100 switch to distribute to computers. Need more speed... want to swap out old switch for Gigabit ethernet. Will that alone do the trick? Don't current computers have to handle jumbo frames for me to see big difference in speed? Does it make sense to do anything? Have wireless on gateway..and airport extreme on both macs so if I increase network speed how can I get maximum benefit by upgrading network/switch, etc? Thanks for help

 

[coleygm]

Have 2 Macs (1 laptop) and 1 PC hooked to my home network. Using AT&T gateway (12 mps for internet) as router to an old 8-port 10/100 switch to distribute to computers. Need more speed... want to swap out old switch for Gigabit ethernet. Will that alone do the trick? Don't current computers have to handle jumbo frames for me to see big difference in speed? Does it make sense to do anything? Have wireless on gateway..and airport extreme on both macs so if I increase network speed how can I get maximum benefit by upgrading network/switch, etc? Thanks for help

If all your PC's are doing is accessing the internet, then I'd just stay with the hookup you have. Your ISP is giving you 12Mbps, and your routing/switching equipment can handle 100Mbps...hence you'd see no benefit moving to gigabit equipment.

Now if your exchanging data within your network (ie server, NAS, PeerToPeer File Sharing), then you would see a benefit. ...and don't worry about jumbo frames, as that wouldn't be an issue.

good luck

 

[bendsley]

Need more speed? Need or want? Where do you need more speed? Internally? If you're looking to add speed to your internet connection, your 100mb switch is plenty considering you only have 12 right now.

If you're looking to increase bandwidth internally for sharing files, etc...then a gigabit switch would benefit you, but only when all the network adapters are gigabit speed. Any that are still 100mb would only be able to use 100mb max.

Jumbo frames? Remove that from your head completely as you don't need it, don't want it and don't have a use for it here; period.