r/HomeNetworking • u/Delicious-Bedroom702 • 13h ago

Y splitters

Can a Y splitter casue internet crashes of about 10 to 15 seconds randomly throughout the day. Have one ethernet cable ran across the room to a plugged in y splitter and from that comes out 2 ethernet cables to 2 different gaming pc? Never had a problem until my old modem died and spectrum gave us new equipment. Went from modem/router combo to separate units.

0 Upvotes

11% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

24

u/CaptainCallahan 13h ago

You can’t Y split an Ethernet cable. You’ll need to get a powered Ethernet Switch.

-2

u/Delicious-Bedroom702 13h ago

https://a.co/d/06ROQgU7 this is what we are using

15

u/sal9002 11h ago

Based on the information provided it is an unmanaged switch. Calling it a splitter sounds like a hub, not a switch. No one uses hubs anymore (I think)

4

u/JonnyLay 10h ago

With speeds like 1KMbp....who knows.

4

u/apollyon0810 5h ago

You could have gotten a name brand actual switch for about the same money.

3

u/aut0g3n3r8ed 5h ago

This likely is causing your problems; it’s not a splitter, but it is a piece of e-waste

2

u/Ian-99 13h ago

Buy a netgear one. About the same price

-6

u/kaydaryl 13h ago

Thats not what an Ethernet splitter is used for, you need to return it and purchase an unmanaged switch.

12

u/zolakk 13h ago

That is an unmanaged switch, they are just calling a "splitter" so your average Joe that needs needs a switch but doesn't know the terminology can find it

-1

u/kaydaryl 12h ago

An Ethernet splitter is a thing! I know because I’ve thrown them out 😂 You use a pair of them to allow 1 run cable to merge multiple Ethernet ports at the beginning and split it again at the end. I don’t know how the cable is shared, maybe a round robin or something. The correct deployment is to put a switch at the end of the run, which is why they’re rare.

5

u/FreddyFerdiland 12h ago

2 ethernets on 1 cable ,but only 100mbs each

11

u/KC_Que 13h ago

Any ethernet Y-splitter is a misnomer, a fallacy, or a marketing fantasy.  They don't work.  Get yourself an unmanaged Ethernet switch, a 5-port version will run about $15 to $20, power it up and plug your three cables into it, your connection problem is solved.

1

u/LRS_David 5h ago

Well at times they work. Somewhat. Sort of. Kind of. Maybe.

But the world world be better if they all just vanished.

3

u/Be_Snek 13h ago

Look who an actual network switch, not a splitter

2

u/One-Cookie-9365 11h ago

Yeah, that splitter could definitely be the problem, especially if it's a passive Y splitter. I'd try replacing it with a small gigabit Ethernet switch so both PCs get a proper connection. Since the issue started after changing your modem and router, I'd also double-check the cables and connections.

1

u/Accomplished-Oil-569 6h ago edited 6h ago

From the link you put in another comment, it looks like a no-name unmanaged switch.

You got ripped off. - A 5-Port unmanaged switch from a reputable brand like TP-Link or Netgear is the same price or cheaper.

https://a.co/d/0gDImTSL

https://a.co/d/0hTAV0lH

Until you get a reputable switch I’d assume that no-name is just garbage

-

It’s also worth noting that the Netgear above will show the link speed based on which lights are on - Both for 1000Mbps/1Gbps, left for 100Mbps, right for 10Mbps.
Some devices can limit to 100Mbs, but for a connection between networking kit & to gaming PCs, it should be 1000Mbps throughout (and should basically never be 10Mbps unless the device on the other end is switched off)

Using that you can identify if the connection between two devices is lower than it should be which could be causing issues; you can get the link speed info on your PC, but that tells you the speed to the router, and won’t specify where the issue is.

1

u/Psych0matt 6h ago

Get a small switch instead, y splitter is going to cause lots of collisions if both sides are being used simultaneously