Network issue in my apartment - any advice?

[Kagato]

Ok, so here is the situation - The complex I live in offers internet over wi-fi, while each building also has a single ethernet jack in your room. The wi-fi here is absolutely horrid though, so I am trying to figure out a way that I can plug two devices - a PS4 and a computer - into the one jackpoint, possibly by way of an RJ45 splitter or a hub or something similar.

Any suggestions besides "move out and find a better place to rent"? (seriously, I've tried a couple of other sites and people have ignorantly said that, never mind the fact that some people are on strict budgets and moving into a more expensive place would be beyond said budget)

[EricKei]

Does the building give you guys an access code to connect wirelessly? All ps3s and ps4s support Wi-Fi connections natively (you just gotta tell it to use that in the config). if they both need to be wired, an inexpensive hub should do it, probably under $30.

[Chromatix]

Wifi generally does badly with lots of people connected to it at once, so I do recommend trying to use the Ethernet instead. Really, it's quite good that you have such a facility.

There are two possible ways to connect two (or more) devices to the same jack - a switch or a router. There is no such thing as an "RJ45 splitter" - the closest equivalent to that would be the switch. However, there are several ways the network might have been set up, and that will affect whether you can use a switch for the job or not. A router should always work, but will be slightly more expensive.

NB: Ethernet hubs also exist, but are completely obsolete. If you use one, expect to be limited to 10Mbps half-duplex. Switches will normally support 100Mbps full-duplex or even more.

Could you plug each device into the jack in turn, make sure the Internet actually works through it, and make a note of the IP address each device gets? On Windows, the easiest way to see that is to open the command line and type "ipconfig". Then post here:

- Whether the devices get the same address, or different ones.
- The first half of the IP address(es) they get. This should be the same for both.

[Amadan]

If the Ethernet port works I'd be tempted to pickup a cable router instead of a switch as you'll have your own WiFi to connect plus the added protection of sitting behind a device filtering any connections from other people in the block as you don't know how the current setup works.

Not sure the pricing in NZ but a decent router with RJ45 "in" (ie WAN) here in the UK would be about £50.

[Kagato]

The main thing that has made doing this so difficult up until now is the fact that the way the internet is set up, we need to buy an internet card that gives a set amount of bandwidth (or unlimited) each month, I was thinking if I can get a hub/switch/router, I might be able to hook the line from the wall into the data line of the router/hub and then log in normally from one of the devices, giving access to all the devices since they would all technically be using the one main data line.

(incidentally, I tried using connectify, but the login portal that my apartment uses does NOT like it, every time I try to use it, for some reason it keeps automatically logging out and going back to the login screen every 5 minutes or so - when connectify is not running, this does not happen)

[Amadan]

The main thing that has made doing this so difficult up until now is the fact that the way the internet is set up, we need to buy an internet card that gives a set amount of bandwidth (or unlimited) each month, I was thinking if I can get a hub/switch/router, I might be able to hook the line from the wall into the data line of the router/hub and then log in normally from one of the devices, giving access to all the devices since they would all technically be using the one main data line.

(incidentally, I tried using connectify, but the login portal that my apartment uses does NOT like it, every time I try to use it, for some reason it keeps automatically logging out and going back to the login screen every 5 minutes or so - when connectify is not running, this does not happen)

If it's setup how the systems are in hotels if you use a router you'll get 1 login and then you'll be able to use any device until the login times out. This is because all the devices share the same IP address as far as the apartment network is concerned.

However if you use a hub/switch each device is seen by the external network so will have to login separately.

[Kagato]

Sadly the way the system is set up, I can only have one login full stop, which is why I was using connectify originally, so that I could log in once then have my laptop (before it gave up the ghost) act as a wireless router allowing my other devices to draw on the internet connection. If I try to log in more than one device using the login code, it says "Access code already logged in - Access denied" Guess I'll have to use a router.

[lordlundar]

There is no such thing as an "RJ45 splitter" - the closest equivalent to that would be the switch.

Well that's essentially what a hub is.

As for my suggestion, an inexpensive wired router and a few Cat5 cables would be ideal, though don't expect a huge performance boost. I would wager a good portion of the performance issues you're having is more on the complex server side than your personal area.

[Chromatix]

If I try to log in more than one device using the login code, it says "Access code already logged in - Access denied" Guess I'll have to use a router.

Yes, it sounds like a router is the right solution here.

Well that's essentially what a hub is.

The one I have, at least, is more sophisticated than that - it knows which port data is coming from and when collisions occur, and will shut down a port that is obviously misbehaving to protect the rest of the network.

But it's very old - I keep it around mostly because it's physically robust enough to take on business trips. I don't think you can buy anything like it new any more - only switches.

[Kagato]

Found an old Wireless/Wired router I had gathering dust and hooked that up, seems to work pretty nicely, the wifi connection on that is a lot more stable than the apartment wifi, so I'm routing my wireless devices through it now, it is pumping out the full 3mbps (I never said it was fast )

[Geek King]

There is no such thing as an "RJ45 splitter" - the closest equivalent to that would be the switch.

*ahem*

That pointed out, those are terrible solutions for what you want to do, since they have a fair amount of packet and signal loss. Listen to what others here have already said. A small 4-port Ethernet hub is cheap.