# Solved: Cat5 Splitter?



## Dustin Cook (Dec 26, 2003)

Hi there,

I have a router, and there are 4 Ethernet sockets on the router.

I would like to split one of the sockets to create a fifth Ethernet socket.


Is this possible?
Can someone direct me to were I could purchase one?

Do I also just need the one splitter at the router and it can handle the split from there?

With thanks,
DC.


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

You are better off buying a switch to add a few more ports to your network.


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## Dustin Cook (Dec 26, 2003)

Hmmmm, a switch.... where could I get one? Amazon? Maplin?

Actually, how would the switch work? I've never had a need to use one!


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

Your router is actually a router and switch built into one device. Just take a network cable and hook it up to one of the ports on your router. Sometimes you will see that the switch and maybe even your router has a specific port on them called an Uplink Port. Use that port to connect them together if they do have it.

I don't know where you guys across the pond buy your computer equipment. I use Newegg for the most part in the U.S.


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## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

This should work.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/5-port-unmanaged-ethernet-switch-222457


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## Dustin Cook (Dec 26, 2003)

OK thanks for that. I don't envisage any future need for any more than our one additional Ethernet port at the moment - is there a basic splitter I could get that would simply just provide the extra Ethernet port?


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## mucker2010 (May 24, 2011)

Dustin Cook said:


> OK thanks for that. I don't envisage any future need for any more than our one additional Ethernet port at the moment - is there a basic splitter I could get that would simply just provide the extra Ethernet port?


You can't do it. A splitter splits the wire not the ethernet connection. IE what you would do is have two RJ45 ports in the router that go into a splitter that connects to one cat 5 cable. The cat 5 cable then runs to wherever you want then it splits again using another "splitter" into 2 RJ45 sockets.

*How it works*
A cat 5 cable actaully has 8 wires inside it twisted together. Whne you put an RJ45 socket on the end all the 8 wires neatly slot into pins in a straight line. On a 100Mbps network though you only need to use four on those wires (Gigabit uses all 8). This why you can use a splitter. A splitter splits the cable into a pair of 4 wires each. four wires go into one RJ45 socket and the other four in the other socket. And the same happens at the other end. That is what a splitter does and how it works. So, no you can't use it for what you want. You need a switch as Squashman said.


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## Dustin Cook (Dec 26, 2003)

Thanks folks for your help!


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## electrofool (Jul 18, 2011)

Hello, i recently bought a RJ-45 Ethernet spillter for a my modem can connect both my ps3 and computer to the internet w/o a router since i cant afford one that reads a 64 bit OS. But for some reason only one port works and this is the second one i've bought that has the same problem. Is it because im not using the right cables or i cant connect two computers simultaneously. Please help!!!!


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## mucker2010 (May 24, 2011)

this is nothing to do with a splitter if i have read your post correcrtly. your ISP assign your mode ONE IP address. This modem is connected to a router then you connect other deivces to the router. Routers perform something called NAT that allows the ONE IP address to be shared with the other PC's. The modem doesn't do this so it will only assign the IP to one of the devices you have connected.

Also what do you mean when you say you can't afford one that reads 64 bit OS? Can't afford what exactly? Because all routers work with any OS, in fact they are OS independant, the only requirement is the device (phone, PC, BLue player) is using TCP/IP.


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