Looking For Portable Ethernet Hubs? 20
Lynk asks: "I often have to network a couple of machines (normally 2x laptops and a palmtop) together and sometimes into a client's network, too, so I've been looking for a suitable Ethernet Hub. Nice and small so I can carry it about in my laptop case but without a PSU twice as big as the hub. Four ports is fine. Preferably battery powered. I have used x-over cables a bit but they eliminate connecting to a client's network. Anyone have any ideas or have done this already?"
Re:D-Link (Score:1)
Re:D-Link (Score:1)
But I've got a better idea... why not just build a hub with a built-in mouse? Or vice versa... <g>
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NOT netgear netgear netgear (Score:1)
- hal9k
Linksys hubs are tiny... (Score:1)
It's a 5-port 10BaseT hub with an uplink port, and it measures about 6"x3"x1". The power supp;y is about a third of that size. Should be very nicely portable.
Re:D-Link (Score:1)
Re:D-Link (Score:1)
How small do you need it to be? (Score:1)
Re:netgear netgear netgear (Score:1)
I use a little Linksys 5 port hub (EW5HUB) for the same kind of thing, and it works well also, although it is not encased in steel like the Netgear ones are.
Re:Linksys hubs are tiny... (Score:1)
Similar (and fairly inexpensive, too) is the Trendnet hub I've got (TE500). Not a hugely well-known brand, but a 5-port cost me USD $30:
Seems like this would fit the bill for something that would pack easily, and if you actually felt like rigging a battery pack you'd have the perfect item for those ever-essential in-flight/on-the-road UT games (or an instant LAN party at the local cawfee shop).
Tons of em (Score:2)
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Re:Go Wireless Young Man (Score:2)
I'd like to agree. If that Palm can go wireless he is set, just put a PCMCIA ethernet card in one (linux) laptop, and let the laptop route to wireless when you need to connect to someone else's machine/network. Just get two cables, one crossover, one normal and your set.
Many buisnesses nowadays have waveLan or similear installed (I think waveLan is biggest, but I'm not sure) which means with DHCP you can connect directly to their network as needed.
Again, the palm might be a problem, but AFAIK you can't connect ethernet to that either, so you should be able to go wireless. If you don't go wireless you will kick yoruself the first time one of your ethernet cables breaks just before a presentation and you can't do what you want. (Although I suppose some cusomters may have so much wireless congestion or RF noise that this isn't perfect either)
Re:D-Link (Score:2)
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Re:D-Link (Score:2)
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netgear netgear netgear (Score:2)
a) they have nice, durable, steel cases, just perfect for bumping around and surviving.
b) they're made by nortel. very nice equipment.
they do get a wee bit warm, but they've held up nicely over the years...
Go Wireless Young Man (Score:2)
One machine can have one of those obsolete non-wireless cards in it, so you can plug into your clients hopelessly out of date non-wireless network, and route through that machine.
I'm actually saying this only half tongue-in-cheek. If you have the cash to be carting around multiple laptops and a palm, you can afford it. It depends on the business you are in, but the coolness factor of that might get you enough new business to pay for itself the first time out.
Almost Generic Now (Score:2)
These things are almost generic items now. When I needed to hook up a bunch of nodes in my dorm room I just nosed around in the nearby CompUSA for a few minutes and came out with the second least-expensive 4-port hub I could find. The one I got is probably smaller than a zip-drive, and would fit in my laptop case just fine. The PSU isn't huge, either. Just make sure to get one with an uplink switch on one of the ports, so you don't have to use crossover cable.
Oh, and don't get the absolute cheapest one, either. It generally comes in a white box and rattles when you shake it.
D-Link (Score:3)
Hmmm. (Score:3)
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