Discussing an unmanaged switch involves understanding its limitations and proper usage.
Discussing an unmanaged switch involves understanding its limitations and proper usage.
You're thinking about optimizing your setup for better performance. Yes, you're on the right track—direct connection between the PC and the shield via a switch can reduce latency and improve streaming speeds. The network traffic should indeed flow straight between those devices rather than through the router.
OP's interpretation is accurate. The traffic will be rerouted locally and won't require contact with the router because it will share the same subnet. Only when devices need to access the internet will they connect through the router.
Both devices linked to the switch allow packets to travel straight between them. It's also important to connect the switch to the router for internet access and DHCP functionality.
The router doesn't have to sit between the Computer and the Shield. However, it can't just be in that simple chain: Shield -> Switch -> Computer. The router must also connect to the Switch. Otherwise, the switch won't send IP addresses or other data to the Ethernet cards, so they won't communicate. (Except if you manually assign static IPs.)
It isn't the best solution globally, but locating both IP addresses to enable direct communication might require similar effort as assigning static addresses, though it can be achieved without them.