Connecting 2 Switches

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maxman190

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Mar 2, 2012
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I have a switch with 8 ports that are all being used. I need to connect another device via ethernet to my network, but I don't have the money to buy a switch with more ports. I do have a spare 4 port switch laying around. How will I connect them together so that it acts like one switch instead of having to feed another network ethernet to the other switch?

I'm using http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-GS108NA-ProSafe-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00006RVPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411225766&sr=8-1&keywords=netgear+switches
8 port and 4 port model.
 
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InvalidError
If you connect your 4-ports switch with your 8-ports one, you end up with 10 total usable ports since two of the ports are used to connect the switches together. You may need to carefully select which computers/devices you plug into each switch to avoid creating a bottleneck on the link between the two switches.

The switches will not "act like one switch" - that would require switches with a stacking port of some sort. They will however behave as a single LAN.
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InvalidError

Titan
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May 18, 2007
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If you connect your 4-ports switch with your 8-ports one, you end up with 10 total usable ports since two of the ports are used to connect the switches together. You may need to carefully select which computers/devices you plug into each switch to avoid creating a bottleneck on the link between the two switches.

The switches will not "act like one switch" - that would require switches with a stacking port of some sort. They will however behave as a single LAN.
 
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maxman190

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So it doesn't matter what type of ethernet cable I use? Been reading up on crossover and straight-through stuff and stuff.
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
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Check your switches' manuals for Auto-MDI/MDI-X. If either one supports that, the switch will automatically detect the type of cable/port it is connected to and automatically adjust to whatever it finds.

Nearly all switches from the past 10+ years support this.
 
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maxman190

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Just read up on autosensing,seems pretty awesome. If I'm understanding it correctly, the autosense detects what connection type is needed and then shifts the 1-8 pin to the place needed to get a proper connection? Would that mean if I made my own patch cables, it wouldn't matter which wire I put and that I can just put the 8 pins into the RJ45 head randomly?
 
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bill001g

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Aug 9, 2012
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You can't randomly put the wires in because you must still get the pairs correct. If you were to mix the wires from different pairs you will get massive amounts of data errors. Because gigbit connection transmit and receive on all 4 pair from both ends simultaneously it is a little more tolerant if you get some pairs crossed and not others. It still is not a good idea to go it even though it works. 10/100 though since it only uses 2 pair and those pair must be in certain positions it is pretty easy to get a cable that does not work if you put the pairs in random positions.
 
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kanewolf

kanewolf

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If either of your switches is a gigabit switch then the cable won't matter. Automatic detection of straight/crossover is part of the gigabit specification. It is required to support it. If your switches are 100Mbit switches then you would probably require a crossover cable. If you want to build a crossover cable then use the color code for 568B on one end and 568A on the other.
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
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No, auto-detect still expects wire pairs to be correct since the differential receivers and transmitters pairs are wired to their designated pair locations. Auto-detect simply enables pairs to work in either direction and negotiate which pair goes which way. If you cross wires between pairs, it will not work.
 
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