i have no idea what the easy solution is.
so i there is a cat5 cable running out to my shed.
i've got 2 old computers (a pc and a hackintosh) I want to connect up.
i have plenty of short cat5 cables.
what "adapter" do i need to "split" the cable?
thanks
+1. Something like this: http://www.budgetpc.com.au/networking/switches/tl-sf1005d.ht…
Search staticice for 4 port switch.
or this if you have any use for a powerline kit http://www.msy.com.au/images/ADbanner/eletter/08032014/onlin…
nvm
grab a $5 router from msy. it doubles as a switch
Normally I'd recommend a cheap switch or an old router which would act as a double-adaptor (or 4-way usually). However it is something else that you need to plug in and have powered to work. For a passive solution, you can get splitters that go on each end of the cable to the shed. An ethernet cable has 4 twisted pairs, and you often only use two (unless you are using gigabit, in which case all 4 are used).
e.g. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cat5-RJ45-Splitter-/151228880617?…
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RJ45-DATA-DATA-LINE-SPLITTER-1X-R…
Don't get these http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Cat5-Ethernet-Adapter-Splitte… as they are wired in parallel, not sure why they call them splitters, they are duplicators.
Don't forget, in this case you will need to feed the splitter from two ports from your router/switch inside the house. If you don't have any spares, you will probably need to go with the first solution of a cheap switch. You'll need to weigh up the cost of each solution, the splitters may work out to be more expensive in the long run. Good luck.
thanks, I've got an old router that I'll play around with this weekend. otherwise I'll look out for a cheap switch
If you have spare ethernet cards lying around, you can also use that.
i think you need a switch