The majority of homes and households around the world today use either a cable modem or some similar kind of broadband internet connection. Most houses usually have multiple computers but only one internet connection. Using the right hardware it is very easy to share or split an internet connection and share it amongst a number of computers. One such device that makes this possible is an ethernet cable splitter. This is a generic term that is applied to a variety of hardware that makes internet connection sharing possible. Read on to discover a common computer setup that could benefit from an ethernet splitter and the difference between this and other hardware such as hubs and switches.

Homes, offices and universities all usually have one or just a few internet connections. The truth is that if every computer on the planet had its own internet connection, the internet wouldn’t work. The internet uses IPs to locate and identify computers and there currently are not enough IPs to go around if every computer connected at once. This is where ethernet splitters come in. Using a splitter you are able to connect multiple computers to just one internet connection. This is possible because the cable splitter actually connects to the internet itself and then it simply shares or grants access to any computer that connects to it. This means that the computers aren’t directly connected to the internet, instead they go through and use the connection the ethernet splitter has created. This means an almost unlimited number of computers can use a single connection, but one down side is that the computers will all usually have the same IP. This is a small price to pay for the convenience such a device offers.

So what’s the different between a cable splitter to share an internet connection and other devices like hubs and switches? Hubs and switches are not capable of sharing an internet connection; instead they are used for connecting networks or LANs together and making communication between the two possible. LANs commonly exist in offices and homes and allow multiple computers to share files and even printers. However, they can’t share a single web connection with computers on the LAN. What they can do is connect computers together and then allow them to connect to a cable splitter which then passes the internet connection back through the hub or switch to all the computers on the LAN.

If you still aren’t sure about what the difference between an ethernet cable splitter and hubs or switches is then just remember if you want to share the internet you need a cable splitter. Another common name for these splitters is a router, and using a router is the only way you can share an internet connection. The next time you visit your computer store, just tell the sales person you are looking for a router to share an internet connection with and they’ll be able to point you in the right direction. Hubs and switches are for internal networks and not internet sharing. These devices are more suitable to sharing files, printers and other things in a local network and you commonly find them in offices, schools and some homes.

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Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: ethernet cable splitter, ethernet splitter, rj45 splitter