Quote:
Originally Posted by Ledgem
If you only plug one system in at a time then you won't even need to buy a hub or a switch.
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I'm afraid it's not that easy. You'd need to use so-called "crossover" Ethernet cabling in this situation. Connecting a normal Ethernet cable from one machine's network card to another's won't create an electrical connection.
One pair of wires in the cable is designated for transmission (the "TX" pair) and a second pair ("RX") is assigned to receive. Regular cables will connect the TX pair on one machine to the TX pair on the other, and connect the RX pairs together as well. Then the machines don't "hear" any traffic on the RX pairs and are sending data between the TX pairs. A crossover cable connects the TX side of one machine to the RX side of the other, and vice versa.
Since crossover cables are a more specialized item, it would be a lot more costly to use them than to buy a cheapo switch. Plus if you were to swap the cables WK's mother couldn't use her computer when his sister is online. Just buy the switch; you'll get more flexibility in the long run, too.