Positioning the router within your residence's network area
Positioning the router within your residence's network area
Previously I used a standard gigabit router with four ports and an unmanaged 5-port network switch. Now I own a 24-port HP managed switch and am figuring out the best wiring setup. I'm weighing direct connections between my main computers and the router versus routing them through the switch. While a direct link to the internet sounds simpler, it won't significantly impact traffic through the switch. Linking everything via the switch generally improves overall network performance, particularly for my storage server, since the HP switch handles more capacity than my router does. Would it make sense to connect some devices straight to the router instead of using the switch?
In most cases, there aren't many options to consider. The main idea seems to be setting up the LA connection between the router and another device. This task can also be handled via the switch.
It's not possible, which suggests you should configure VLANs (if your router allows) or connect directly for extra subnets. For my setup, I rely on VLANs for stable subnets, but during testing it's simpler to connect straight to the router and remove it afterward.