[u]hi,my router has 4 outlets,but modern av gear requires cat 6 connections,can i use splitters to run an apple tv/hdd recorder then a single cable back to router or does every item need its own cable? thanks in advance
Cat6 is the grade of cable - what connection type is it? RJ45?
Seriosuly - NO!
Basically- every client needs to ask for an address. If items / clients share a cable - you are in for .... well .. you carry on and keep a local IT shop in business.
Assuming you mean splitter as some non powered dumb plug thing. But if the clients are plugged into a powered "sub" router - then fair enough.
You can get RJ45 splitters for data use (as only 2 out of the 4 pairs are used at any one time).
Just depends on which pairs the AV kit uses, I guess.
you could buy another cheap 4 port switch and run 1 cable from router to the switch next to the other equipment.
you will obviously need more cables to run from the switch to the equipment..
Pulling off two pairs for another connection will drop you to 100 meg I think and only allow one device to be connected at a time. I'm not actually sure though because it's such a daft idea I don't know anybody that's tried it. 🙂
I recommend that you just buy a cheap switch.
yep,,rj45,sorry is a silly question,but im no pc expert!!!
Ohhh wait, I was getting confused by "AV kit" (some audio kit uses RJ45 and structured cabling to send signal).
You CAN use one cable for two data devices like apple TV. I'll dig out a link for you, one sec
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290489192153?redirect=mobile
Should do the trick. You will need a few patch cables either end though
**edit: splitting is much cheaper than buying another switch and uplinking if you only want to connect TWO devices over the same cable run.
I'm not actually sure if he's talking about splitting one cable with two connections at either end or trying to share a port. I had assumed the latter but maybe not.
Maybe... It's difficult to tell 🙂
If the question is "can I use one cable instead of two for Ethernet" then yes you can, with caveats.
With 10/100 Ethernet, only two of the four pairs are used. So you can get splitters which take two connections and send them down one cable, the second connection going down the previously unused pairs. Obviously, you need a second splitter at the other end of the run to un-split them again.
With Gigabit Ethernet (your 'CAT6' perhaps), no, you can't, as all four pairs of wires are used.
However, I don't think that's your question. What I think you're asking is "I'm running out of ports, can I use a splitter to plug two devices into one physical port," and the answer is no you can't. What you need in that case is a network switch, which (simplistically) adds additional ports to your router. The switch is basically your router without the router / modem bit.
The upside of this is, you can add the switch geographically separate from the router. So you could install the switch next to your AV stack, plug your Apple TV, HDD recorder et al into it, then run a single cable back from there to the router. Which is what you want. I think.