E682 and Network Switch

[thevikester]

I have 2 E682 controllers, with no intention of expansion beyond that for a couple of seasons, and a 5 port gigabit ethernet switch. Is there any reason I would want or need a switch with more ports? The only thing running off the switch is my xmas lights.

 

[fasteddy]

No reason at all, what you have is more than capable. No need for more ports if you dont plan to use them.

 

[lithgowlights]

The only reason you will see many of us talk about running 8, 16 24 or even 32 port setups is price, expandability or we had them before...

I run a 24 port in the shed as it can connect to a PC, laptop, home network, and any other lighting gear I want to test. For the show I run a $50 16 port switch and use only 9 ports, but the 16 ports allows for future expansion.

 

[thevikester]

Thank you gents!

 

[Madko]

Quick question about the types of network switch I should use. I'm seeing 10/100 and gigabyte ranging for $13 to $165. Do these switches all do the same job or is one better then others for speed reason? I plan on using it in a e1.31 network.


Cheers

 

[oldmanfathertime1000]

I got some cheap ones ($14.00 ea.) off the net. 8 port. They are working great for me..TP-Link brand....

 

[lithgowlights]

Unless you are running mad channel counts, a 10/100 switch is more than enough. I ran 19,000 channels on a 100meg switch here and it utilised just 10% of the network (It was on a switch of it's own and I use unicast not multicast)

Gigabit switches are good, but for most people probably not worth the added cost unless you get them cheap enough

 

[fasteddy]

One thing im not sure on is that are the E1.31 controllers we use capable of gigabit speed. Do they connect to the network switch at that speed or is it at 100 Mbits

 

[kane]

One thing im not sure on is that are the E1.31 controllers we use capable of gigabit speed. Do they connect to the network switch at that speed or is it at 100 Mbits

Good point, however all of the gigabit switches I've seen will auto-sense between 10/100/1000, but it's certainly possible that there are some models out there without this ability..

Given all j1sys and e68x devices are only 10/100, if you are purchasing a new switch, it's probably worth checking the specs to ensure it does support 10/100 to be sure.

 

[Madko]

Thanks for the replies! I'll just go a 10/100 then. Cheers