"RobW" wrote in message
news:jNKkf.134849$y_1.117988@edtnps89...
> Could someone give me a technical reason why, when I connected a cable
> modem and three computers to a hub, it was faster than connecting a cable
> modem and three computers with a switch?
>
> I know that routers are the solution, but I am in a debate and am drawing
> on my past experience. For example, when using a packet sniffer, you want
> to be a part of the same collision an broadcast domain. You can do that
> with a hub, but you can't with a switch.
>
> It must be the same principle when you only have 2 or 3 computers on the
> same network and collisions are not a problem. Am I right and if I am,
> could someone explain why?
>

Well I guess because a switch actually directs traffic appropriately rather
than throwing it out of all ports, there must be some sort of overhead in
working this out - but you don't say how you measured it etc...?
James

How did you determine the hub was faster?

Think of a switch as an electronic version of a mechanical switch that connects the appropriate ports together. That's why you can't
sniff packets from one port to another. Although with higher end switches you can setup a mon port that is the sum of all traffic on
the port for sniffers. If the switch was slower than the hub it must have been a poorly designed low end switch. With so few
computers on the switch I would be surprised that you would see a difference either way.

You can still have collisions on a switch if your devices are not full duplex.

RobW wrote:
> Could someone give me a technical reason why, when I connected a cable modem
> and three computers to a hub, it was faster than connecting a cable modem
> and three computers with a switch?
>
> I know that routers are the solution, but I am in a debate and am drawing on
> my past experience. For example, when using a packet sniffer, you want to
> be a part of the same collision an broadcast domain. You can do that with a
> hub, but you can't with a switch.
>
> It must be the same principle when you only have 2 or 3 computers on the
> same network and collisions are not a problem. Am I right and if I am,
> could someone explain why?
>
> TIA
>
>