Adding a Switch to my Home Network

[off wave surfer]

I'm thinking of adding a switch to my home network that I will connect my modem to as well as my wireless router and other wired devices.

My main questions are:

             Would this actually work? I'm not entirely certain if this set up would even allow internet access.

             Would I see any noticeble improvement in my wired connection both in terms of speed and quality?

 

Incase anyone needs to know it wont be anything particularly high end just a basic 6 - 8 port Ethernet switch, I have a fiarly lacking ADSL router that I do plan to replace eventually I was just wondering, as stated above, the feasability of my idea and if it would actually provide any benefits.

 

Thanks for any help in advance

[ShadowCaptain]

The switch goes between your wireless router, and your devices, and lets them connect via ethernet

If those devices are connected via wifi, connecting them to the switch via ethernet may speed them up (assuming a gigabit network) at the very least they would be more stable and have no interference

 

Literally every router (if it has spare ethernet ports) can be used with a switch

[Oshino Shinobu]

Connect your router to the modem, then the switch to the router. While it could work with modem > switch > router, it doesn't really make sense to use it like that, as data would be in your local network before passing through the router's firewall. 

Just getting an 8 Port, Unmanaged Gigabit switch will give you 1000BASE-T (1Gigabit speeds) across the wired local network. Whether that is an improvement over your current setup depends on the speeds your router's wired connections support. If the router you have uses 1000BASE-T LAN interfaces, then getting a switch won't really improve your local wired speeds at all, though it does give you more room to expand and connect devices with wires. 

[off wave surfer]

Thanks for replies I'd never heard of being done and wondered if it would actually give any benefits. Now I know why its not really done

[Oshino Shinobu]

2 hours ago, off wave surfer said:

Thanks for replies I'd never heard of being done and wondered if it would actually give any benefits. Now I know why its not really done

It really depends on your usage. For instance, I like to have as many of my devices wired as possible, so I have 3 switches in my home network. For a lot of people, it's not really needed. 

[brwainer]

5 hours ago, off wave surfer said:

Thanks for replies I'd never heard of being done and wondered if it would actually give any benefits. Now I know why its not really done

If you were specifically asking about putting a switch between your modem and your router, instead of connecting it behind the router, that only works if your ISP allows multiple devices to get an IP address from them. Normally that's something you have to pay extra for. For example, I pay for 5 static IP addresses and I have a switch connected to my modem (I have fiber so it's called an ONT, but it servers the same functions as a modem) and then my 3 routers connected to the switch.