Good Question on Networking

Before I get to the actual question - can someone inform me if the forum will provide input and/or help on cable modem//router//switch networking concerns?

Thanks

 

Forget about my opening question. Let me just cut to the chase:

I have been having problems in the Midwest USA with Comcast internet service. More specifically the modem dropping out and timing out all of the time. Thus, I have been losing OTA TV tuner initiated recordings in Windows Media Center 7 – AND – experiencing terrible streaming in Netflix.

Thus, I am purchasing a new Zoom 5341J modem and getting rid of the Comcast Arris TG862 rental modem combo. It truly is junk.

I currently have a Linksys WRT54GL router and a Trendnet Gigabyte Switch TEG-S80g.

My entire house is Ethernet hardwired (about) 10 devices. The only wireless I have is one smartphone and one laptop with a TRENDnet wireless card.

My main question is this:

Once I have the new modem – which configuration would be best:

“OPTION 1” – Starting at the Zoom 5341J (1 ethernet port) then via Ethernet cable jumper to the WRT54GL router (4 ports and the jumper port) and then using one of the four Zoom ports, on the Zoom, jumper via Ethernet cable onto the 8 port TRENDnet switch.

“OPTION 2” – Starting at the Zoom 5341J (1 ethernet port) then via Ethernet cable jumper to the TRENDnet 8 port switch and then via Ethernet cable jumper from the TRENDnet 8 port switch to the WRT54GL router (4) via using the one jumper port on the WRT54GL router.

Will either Option 1 or 2 provide a better hardwired networking configuration?

My main networking concern is to obtain the best configuration for a Silicon Dust HomeRunHD TV tuner to supply the best most solid signal to the desktop computer where the Windows Media Center 7 OTA TV recordings reside; and for better Netflix streaming

Many thanks for any input.

 

Set the cable modem up as a bridge aka pass through mode, plug the router in to the modem on the WAN port, then you can plug the switch in to any LAN port.

Why? If you leave the cable modem to handle DHCP, you'll have a double NAT'd situation, most of the time not a big deal, until you need to say access your home PC or server, or maybe an IP camera, then you'll know why. The cable modem will give the router a private IP (ie 192.168.1.1) in pass through 'mode' your router will get an external IP (public IP). Plus (the router I got) had VPN blocked and a few other things, so I bridged it and set up all the 'rules' on my router.

So your option 2 will do just that, create 2 networks that will not 'speak' to each other, anything plugged into the cable modem gets one IP range and then the router's devices would get another.. so you'd have 2 networks, so *no file sharing or printing. *it can be done but with some routing kung fu.

Use option 1.