Networking help needed

[somunny]

I'm trying to hardwire several devices to my home network.  To do this I purchased a network switch whick I would like to wire thusly:

Cable modem --->  Router --->  Network Switch --->  Xbox360/PS3/Tivo

The problem is that I can't seem to get a cable to work between the router and switch.  I installed the cable and terminated the ends myself.  Initially I terminated the ends so the cable wiring was "straight through".  It didn't work so I tried the crossover wiring method.  No luck there either.

From what I've read, a straight through cable is what you're supposed to use between a router and a switch.  Is this correct?

[Spaz Monkey]

I don't know much, but why are you using both a router and a switch?

[somunny]

The devices I want to connect to the network are a good distance from the router, plus my router does not have enough inputs to accommodate everything I want it to.  The switch (theoretically) allows me the convenience of running a single line to a switch and connect up to four devices to it.

Again, in theory as I can't get it to work! 

[leapinlew]

Depends on the switch, and even then it can be tricky.

Some switches have autosensing ports that can connect a switch to a switch with a straight or crossed cable. If your switch doesn't support autosensing, you'll need a crossover cable. I would be suspicious of the crossover cable. If it's a straight cable, try plugging it directly into the xbox to see if you get a connection light.

Try to connect everything with known good cables in the same room. If it all works, you can narrow it down to your cables.

[shiftybill]

can you providle links to both the router you are using and the switch?

[somunny]

Well, it seems that it's definitely a problem with the cable.  Whether it's pinched or has a broken conductor somewhere is unknown.  I cobbled together enough crossover cables to run from the modem to the switch and it worked without problems.

I'm going to ohm out the individual conductors to try and isolate the problem further.

Probably unecessary at this point but:

switch

router

Thanks for the input, guys.

[somunny]

Got it!  Got to taking a close-up look at the end connectors and found a conductor that wasn't properly term'd.  Chalk this one up to "operator error". 

Time to stream some media!

[Ed_McCarron]

Not to sound elitist, but I never crimp ends on cable.

I've done cabling for years now (professionally) and will tell a customer no if they ask for this.  Pay a few bucks extra for proper terminations and a few patch cords.  It'll save you grief in the long run.

The majority of failures are at the end - its easier to swap out a patch cord than it is to recrimp an end.

.02

[testicle187]

Not to sound elitist, but I never crimp ends on cable.

I've done cabling for years now (professionally) and will tell a customer no if they ask for this.  Pay a few bucks extra for proper terminations and a few patch cords.  It'll save you grief in the long run.

The majority of failures are at the end - its easier to swap out a patch cord than it is to recrimp an end.

.02

I disagree to an extent.  I would much rather take the one minute of time it takes to crimp an end on a cable than pull an entire new cable.   For short cables it makes sense, but you would never go and buy sets of 100 ft + cables, you buy a spool.

[boykster]

Not to sound elitist, but I never crimp ends on cable.

I've done cabling for years now (professionally) and will tell a customer no if they ask for this.  Pay a few bucks extra for proper terminations and a few patch cords.  It'll save you grief in the long run.

The majority of failures are at the end - its easier to swap out a patch cord than it is to recrimp an end.

.02

I disagree to an extent.  I would much rather take the one minute of time it takes to crimp an end on a cable than pull an entire new cable.   For short cables it makes sense, but you would never go and buy sets of 100 ft + cables, you buy a spool.

I agree with Ed.  You don't pull new cable, you properly terminate the cable to an RJ-45 jack, and then use a patch cord from the jack to the device.

[Ed_McCarron]

I disagree to an extent.  I would much rather take the one minute of time it takes to crimp an end on a cable than pull an entire new cable.   For short cables it makes sense, but you would never go and buy sets of 100 ft + cables, you buy a spool.

Nah, don't pull a new cable.  When you first install the cable, terminate on a proper RJ-45 jack.  Install a wall plate.

Then, when something goes bad, odds are you just plug in a new patch cord between the wall jack and the device.

On the off chance someone puts a nail through a cable, you're pulling again anyway.

You -did- pull in a pull string the first time, right?

[somunny]

If the cable is bad it is the pullstring.

[Ed_McCarron]

If the cable is bad it is the pullstring.

Good point.  Every time I've tried that in the past, it ends up being taped in a bundle.  Its gotta be a subset of Murphy's law or something.