daisy chainging a network

[Trekie47]

Hello i have this computer that i would like to connect to the network, but i have no where to plug it into the router, so i was wondering if i could daisy chain a network connection from another device via ethernet cable.

 

now i know this may seem sillty, but i am not very well versed in the world of networking.

[Guest]

Even if there was a way, I wouldn't recommend it. Just buy an ethernet cable and plug it into the router/switch combo (which you probaly have). If that's not possible just  buy a wireless card off amazon, some of them are usb and some are pci.

[Lurick]

What you need is called a switch. You can get a 5 or 8 port switch for like $30 off Newegg.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=12K-008X-00026

It allows you to add up to 7 more devices to the network. You plug a cable from the router to the switch and then plug other devices into the switch. The router will still take care of handling all the IP address stuff and the switch I listed is unmanaged so you don't have to worry about configuring anything.

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, Trekie47 said:

Hello i have this computer that i would like to connect to the network, but i have no where to plug it into the router, so i was wondering if i could daisy chain a network connection from another device via ethernet cable.

 

now i know this may seem sillty, but i am not very well versed in the world of networking.

I think you need to provide more information, as some of the replies are making assumptions about your setup.

 

What "boxes" do you have, and how are they connected?

 

I assume you have the typical ISP provided setup:

A single Router/Modem combo box

 

If that's the case, back of the box should have several Ethernet Ports - usually 4 (often labeled 1-4). There might be another Ethernet Port labeled as "WAN Port", but most Router/Modem combo boxes don't have a WAN Ethernet Port.

 

Anyway, assuming that you have one or more of the regular Ethernet Ports empty, you just plug an Ethernet Cable into that port, then the other end into your Computer.

 

If all 4 ports are already in use, you'll need to purchase an Ethernet Switch. Then, unplug one of the devices and plug that device into the Switch. Then you take the port you just freed up, and plug that into the Switch as well.

 

Additionally, if you cannot physically run a cable between the Router and your computer (Eg: Router is on a different floor than the computer), you'll probably want to use WIFI to connect the computer. If the computer does not already have a WIFI card, you'll need to purchase an add-on WIFI adapter. They come in various formats: USB, PCI, and PCIe are the most common. You'll need to know what ports your computer has free - PCIe is the best option, if you have an empty slot. USB 3.0 would be the next best option, followed by USB 2.0 and then lastly by PCI (PCI is a very old standard and is very slow - it should be avoided unless your computer is a dinosaur).

[Trekie47]

3 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

I think you need to provide more information, as some of the replies are making assumptions about your setup.

 

What "boxes" do you have, and how are they connected?

 

I assume you have the typical ISP provided setup:

A single Router/Modem combo box

 

If that's the case, back of the box should have several Ethernet Ports - usually 4 (often labeled 1-4). There might be another Ethernet Port labeled as "WAN Port", but most Router/Modem combo boxes don't have a WAN Ethernet Port.

 

Anyway, assuming that you have one or more of the regular Ethernet Ports empty, you just plug an Ethernet Cable into that port, then the other end into your Computer.

 

If all 4 ports are already in use, you'll need to purchase an Ethernet Switch. Then, unplug one of the devices and plug that device into the Switch. Then you take the port you just freed up, and plug that into the Switch as well.

 

Additionally, if you cannot physically run a cable between the Router and your computer (Eg: Router is on a different floor than the computer), you'll probably want to use WIFI to connect the computer. If the computer does not already have a WIFI card, you'll need to purchase an add-on WIFI adapter. They come in various formats: USB, PCI, and PCIe are the most common. You'll need to know what ports your computer has free - PCIe is the best option, if you have an empty slot. USB 3.0 would be the next best option, followed by USB 2.0 and then lastly by PCI (PCI is a very old standard and is very slow - it should be avoided unless your computer is a dinosaur).

okay, thankyou