Fastest Network Setup????

[gmark]

I've got a cable modem with an output of 10/100, a wireless router with 10/100 jacks, a TimeCapsule, and a D-Link Gigabit Switch.

I was given the Gigabit unit to "speed things up", but it seems to me that this will have no effect at all, since the source of my data, the cable modem, is limited to 10/100. Would there be any benefit at all to having the Gigabit switch off the cable modem and it *possibly* relieving some congestion between all the computers and printers and tivo and stuff talking to each other? Assuming one or more of them actually can support gigabit traffic?

Or is my original simple-minded assumption correct -- it'll make no difference at all no matter how I hook all this stuff up?

TIA!

 

[mrbash]

This all depends on what you want to "speed up" and how you are connecting your devices. If you are surfing the internet, then you will never reach anything more than 100mbps on any device.

If you have two devices in your home connected via a Gigabit switch (not hub), then yes, you will get faster speeds between the two devices. That said, there is no point in connecting your wireless printer to your computer over the Gigabit switch. Your printer simply won't print faster. On the other hand, connecting your desktop to your file server via the Gigabit switch will get you better performance than via the FastLan switch.