Windows 7 Ethernet Connection

Heaven or Hell

New Member
I am quite disappointed at how this didn't work out.

I was sure the following would work...using a 50 ft RJ45 cable between my router and my two consoles, and using two t-adapters, one for each end, to simultaneously give them a wired internet connection.

I connected the two male ends of this to my router, and the female part of it to the 50 ft ethernet cable:

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Then at the other end of the 50 ft cable, used this:

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I connected the 1 female port to the 50 ft cable, and used two 1 ft ethernet cables in each of the side-by-side female ports to connect to my PS3 and 360, yet when I get online with one console, it automatically disconnects the other...that shouldn't happen. That would happen had I not used the t-adapter where the router is, but no...I am utilizing both of these adapters.
 
Both devices used simultaneously will cause collisions - you need either a switch or to get another 50ft of cable.
 
By the way, would one of the computers disconnecting in this case, be the same as if I just unplugged its connection? Or is there more to the "corrupt data packets" caused by using both computers with the splitter?
 
Understanding this problem comes down to the OSI model. Splitters are at layer one - the hardware layer and layer 1 is concerned purely with the physical connection and transmission of the electrical signal which represents the data. It cannot see the signal anything other than an electrical voltage so cannot detect or do anything about simultaneous transmission of more than one block of data - it just causes voltage spikes which end up at the receiving end as corrupted data. It's only at the next layer up in the OSI model - layer two where you get devices like switches and data is seen by the switch as a "frame". Layer 2 devices has mechanisms for detecting and responding to data collisions and errors in frames whereby corrupt frames are dropped and collision detection leads to each device suspending transmission for a random period of milliseconds before trying again. Your t-adapter at layer one has no such mechanisms so life will be a constant stream of collisions and corrupted frames. You either need to make two separate connections to the router or you need a layer 2 device - a switch between your router and the two consoles.
 
Alright look, my concern is not how to get this to work out (two computers go online at the same time) all I am asking is what has happened to my two computers that I should know about, besides them disconnecting when I get online with one computer, which causes the second one to lose its connection.

Is the worst case scenario, that it would be as if I just unplugged the connection from the computer that is disconnecting, due to the second computer achieving a connection via the splitter?
 
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Nothing has "happened" to your computers - they just can't talk at the same time so when the second pc kicks in it causes data collisions for which there is no layer 2 device to handle it so the connection goes down. It has no effect on either pc other than loss of connectivity as long as collisions are occurring.
 
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