Can you get something like a Cat5/RJ45 booster/repeater type thing?

I'm thinking of something which looks like a switch, but one input has one output, and the unit is powered?

Just at work, they require a PC/printer/phone etc moving, and the 4 cables won't be long enough, so would need re-doing which is a real pain to be honest, so it would be easier to pull the existing cables back, then use the booster as a connection point, and then run 4 new cables to the new area.

Also, another reason for the booster is one of the PC's (in a different area) is probably on the limit for the cat5 range. I'm not sure of the exact length, but it is around 100m, and seems to get random network errors, even though the cable tests ok. So I'm hoping a booster may help with this issue as well.

So can you get a booster type thing, with 10/12/14 ports on it? Powering it won't be an issue.




Cheers

a switch will act as a repeater. Just add a little extra latency. could alway put a switch at their current location & new location & join with Fibre if speed is critical over cost.

No, speed isn't really an issue.

I have very little knowledge of stuff like this, so this may sound dumb, but.........doesn't a switch have one input and many output? We'd need something with a minimum of 4 inputs and 4 outputs.
It wouldn't work with one input, as there are phones, louder ringers, a PC and a networked printer on there.

a switch is just a group of ports that transfer the data around, its exactly like a router without the modem attached, so you simply plug in all the cables and let the devices talk to one another.

so for a 4 in 4 out you would need an 8 port switch.

What these guys are saying is correct, I assume you have power at the point you want to install the switch/repeater also, if not you'll need to use PoE (Power over Ethernet).

However considering you are only looking to move a PC/Printer/phone, I'd just run one cable and drop another switch at the end and run the computers off of that? rather than running 4 lengths.

The only downside to this is that you would be limited by the switch speed on a single port, so 100Mbit or 1Gbit depending on your network, but even 100Mbit should be sufficient.

Cheers for the replies guys I thought a switch worked with one input (from a server), then had 8 outputs you could run 8 computers off.

XEntity, we were also going to use the switch as a booster for a few other PC's which are probably on the limit of the CAT5 cable length.

I've done a quick pic of how I think the switch works. How does it know to match each cable to which? I.e. Why doesn't the phone cable get swapped with the pc cable etc?





Cheers

If the above is correct, I imagine it would be worth getting say a 16 port switch to run another two pc's and another two phones though?

no....

you just need 1 cable going in from your network, and then plug the other stuff into it (pc, printer, phone, etc. etc.)


but... the 4 cables you have coming in now... where do they come from ? are they just plugged into a normal network switch ?
(they should be... just need to check in case you have something weird going on, like a separate system for the phones etc...)


so.. you can use as many switches as you like, and plug whatever you like into them, in any port... and everything connected, can talk to everything else which is connected, all at the same time :-)

Yeah Alan is right sorry, I thought you were trying to double up cable length for each device by using the switch as a makeshift extension. You wouldn't need 1 in and 1 out for each, just one going back to the main router/switch and the others all connected to the switch.

I'm nothing to do with the IT Dept. (we don't officially have one), so aren't 100%.

I do know the phones have their own system though, so I don't think a switch will work in that sense then. And the printers seem to be set up that you can use any printer on the network.

So to keep the cables on their own, can you get booster/joiner boxes, which look like switches, but have say, 8 inputs, and 8 outputs?

you just need to check where the cables for the phone etc.. go to... chances are they'll just be going back into another switch like the picture you posted above

I've never seen anything like a booster... they probably exist... but if you can see where the other end of these cables is plugged into, and you can use a switch instead, then they'll be a much better system

it's not abnormal to have multiple cables installed when 1 cable and a switch would have done, I've seen it loads of times (mostly noticed it because it's the wrong way to do it) - mostly installed by IT companies who use it as an excuse to charge more!

get an ethernet coupler - about £7 in maplins - £2 on ebay. - Its possible to join 2x 100m cables with a coupler in theory (never seen it used for cables of that length)

join 1 cable with coupler & run to new destination.
Move the printer to the new destination & plug in this cable.
Can you ping the printer? can you print? yes? yes? then extend all other cables with couplers.
No? no? coupler wont work, replace with Switch at both ends & use the cable you ran to join the switches.

Use the same cable run for the phone - I would guess a phone (assuming its an analog system) can easily be extended & dont have as many limitations as ethernet

The cables all go to our 'Server', which are made off with a tool, rather than plugged in, then a short cat5 cable plugs in to that, then goes to something more inside the server.

The guy who sort of looks after IT said the phones can't share cat5, as they are not IP intelligent.


Joiners/Couplers may be the way to go then.......

Joiners won't boost the signal though, however are the phones IP phones or are they regular phones using a cat5 patch panel? If the latter you don't want to use a switch, and you may be ok using a coupler, couplers are cheap so worth a go.

If they are IP phones then I'd suggest noting the IP addresses of the phones and the computers and seeing if they are in the same IP range or subnet?

Also I'm sure I picked up a pack of 10 couplers for about £2 don't get ripped off at maplin for a bit of plastic with a bit of wire!!