I have been using a hub for some time to conect 4 computers to my router and cable modem. A cat5 cable runs from the cable modem to the WAN port on my router and another runs from a LAN port on the router to a port on the hub. Then each of the four computers connect to the hub. I want to replace the hub with a 10/100 switch. I basically just switched out the hub and replaced it with the switch. The lights on the switch show that everything is connecting at 100Mbps but the lights for the connection between the router and switch don't stay constant. They'll be on for a few seconds and then off for 3 or four seconds. This continues, with the lights going on and off repeatedly, but not 'flickering'. The lights between the switch and each computer remain constant. The exact same thing has happened with two different new switches. Currently I have a Netgear EZXS88W. I've tried powering off everything (modem, router, PCs) and restarting after all was hooked up but that doesn't help. If I swap the hub back in place of the switch, everything is fine. Thinking that it might be old cables that couldn't handle the 100Mbps, I replace all my ethernet cable with cat6. Same thing happened when I put the switch back. Again, when I put the hub back, everything works fine. But everything connects at 10Mbps. Is there a secret step that I'm missing? Does the fact that my cable modem connection is rated at 7Mpbs download speed effect this? The problem seems to be the connection between the router and the switch. Thanks

Sounds like a port setting mis-match on either the router or the switches (most likely the router). There are two settings on a LAN port (port where the cable plugs in on the router and the switch) - the port speed 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps, and the duplex - half or full. I think about all modern day equipment is set to 100 Mbps full. Older equipment - like hubs - easily used 10 Mbps half duplex. Get into the setting of your router and see if you can change the LAN port settings. Try 100 Mbps Full. If you cant find the settings in your router try to see if your switch has configuration features. If so set the switch port to using 10 Mbps/Half and see if you have success. Ideally the switches you used should have had auto sensing, and you shouldn't have had this problem but even in the enterprise space were switches run at $1k or more setting the switches ports manually saves a whole lot of trouble. D

Thanks. That does sound like the problem, but the switch is auto-negotiating and I just verified that the router is also. I've looked thru the router setup and don't see any options related to this. I'm downloading the manual right now.

If the switch doesn't support mdi/mdix or have an uplink port you need a crossover cable not a patch cable. Are you ready for where Microsoft wants you to go today?