at98092:
Honestly, I have no idea whether this is a "100base-T" network. The ISP currently provides "100 Mbps", and we've discussed the devices involved (I believe the Switch I have is billed as a Gigabit device), and I currently have (or have on order) Cat5e and Cat6 ethernet cables. Beyond that, I have no clue.
Also, not sure about the access point stuff, but my question was an attempt to understand whether/how the ethernet ports of a Router interact with its Wi-Fi "ports". In particular, can a Router simultaneously support all devices connected via its ethernet ports and those connected via Wi-Fi - such that, if I was willing, I could for example direct-wire my Laptop(s) and a couple of Rokus to the Router's ethernet ports, while using the Router's Wi-Fi to connect two or three other devices to the same Router wirelessly. (I'm not familiar with how Wi-Fi is "broken out" from a Router; I only notice that Routers have varying numbers of antennas, which I assume have a one-to-one correlation with Wi-Fi "ports" or "channels", each dedicated to a Wi-Fi device in the same way as an ethernet port is dedicated to an ethernet device. Or, is the Wi-Fi more like an ethernet Switch, which can connect/coordinate multiple devices at once (via individual "channels")? In other words, what is the purpose of the multiple antennas on a Router?)
Thanks for the instruction!
JKasten wrote:Also, not sure about the access point stuff, but my question was an attempt to understand whether/how the ethernet ports of a Router interact with its Wi-Fi "ports". In particular, can a Router simultaneously support all devices connected via its ethernet ports and those connected via Wi-Fi - such that, if I was willing, I could for example direct-wire my Laptop(s) and a couple of Rokus to the Router's ethernet ports, while using the Router's Wi-Fi to connect two or three other devices to the same Router wirelessly. (I'm not familiar with how Wi-Fi is "broken out" from a Router; I only notice that Routers have varying numbers of antennas, which I assume have a one-to-one correlation with Wi-Fi "ports" or "channels", each dedicated to a Wi-Fi device in the same way as an ethernet port is dedicated to an ethernet device. Or, is the Wi-Fi more like an ethernet Switch, which can connect/coordinate multiple devices at once (via individual "channels")? In other words, what is the purpose of the multiple antennas on a Router?)
There's really no interaction between the wireless connections and the wired connections unless/until one tries to access the other. Two wireless devices "talking" to each other would never appear on the wired side of the router. There's usually a bitrate limit to what the wireless and wired connections can handle, but with Gigabit speeds it's highly unlikely you would ever notice any performance issues because of the network activity.
Multiple antennas on an access point/router can be used for multiple reasons. One reason could be the 2.4 and 5 GHz radios use different antennas. But generally they are used for things like shaping the signal so it might broadcast in a certain direction, or sending multiple packets in separate streams that use different antennas. In broad terms, multiple antennas usually means improved performance.
atc98092:
I can understand having multiple antennas for field-shaping or "steering" the signals. When I saw the various Routers with varying numbers of antennas, I was thinking in terms of the antennas being Wi-Fi "ports" - like each antenna was comparable to an ethernet port (that is, RJ45 jack). This misled me into thinking there was some one-to-one correlation between antennas and the number of Wi-Fi devices that could be supported. Oh, well... Shows how much I know about Wi-Fi ops. :-{
Thanks for the help and all the info! As noted in my previous reply to AvsGunnar, things seem to be working, after no significant problems during ethernet set-up and Roku activations - although unexpectedly the Rokus worked even without the Switch having its power turned on.
