AP connection: to router or to switch

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › AP connection: to router or to switch - any difference?

GeekRay

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#191779 16-Feb-2016 11:20

Hi network geeks,

I have a media streamer that fetches rather large media files on a computer and I am trying to find out which one of the following options is more ideal than the other. Or if there is any noticeable performance difference between those two. Thanks for your opinions.

Option 1: link up to switch

Option 1 - router

Option 2: link up to router

network - connect to router

sbiddle

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Biddle Corp

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#1493142 16-Feb-2016 11:39

Depends on your hardware.

If the AP was a 5GHz 802.11n or 802.11ac with a Gigabit port it'll be capable of more than 100Mbps. If your switch was only Fast Ethernet it would be a bottleneck. If the switch is Gigabit it makes no real difference.

GeekRay

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#1493158 16-Feb-2016 11:47

Thanks Steve. I guess it might be easier if I included the model number of those blocks:

Router: EdgeRouter Lite
Switch: HP V1410-8G (Gigabit capable)
AP: Huawei HG659B

So in my case, there shouldn't be any performance difference between those two settings, right?

tangerz

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#1493251 16-Feb-2016 14:23

GeekRay:

Thanks Steve. I guess it might be easier if I included the model number of those blocks:

Router: EdgeRouter Lite
Switch: HP V1410-8G (Gigabit capable)
AP: Huawei HG659B
So in my case, there shouldn't be any performance difference between those two settings, right?

As all the equipment on your list has gigabit ports I don't think there will be any real difference in performance. Probably comes down to which is easier to wire up.

I used to run your 'Option 1' in that same configuration when my router only had one gigabit port. Later, when I upgraded the router to one with 4 gigabit ports, I changed the setup to your 'Option 2' as that was what suited my wiring configuration given the locations of my equipment. Didn't see any difference in performance, (although I can't recall ever putting it under heavy load)

GeekRay

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#1493277 16-Feb-2016 14:56

Thanks for chiming in and sharing your experience, mate.

The main driver behind those two options is in fact the ease of wiring plus the limited number of LAN ports on the ERL.

I feel more relieved now as I can just focus on the wiring without worrying about any impact on the performance.