Your Asante FR3004 Series Router can share your connection with up to 253 different computers. However, only 4 devices can be physically connected to the router. Follow these steps to add more ports to your router.

1. Choose a hub or switch

To add ports to your router, you'll need to buy a hub or a switch. This device connects to your router and provides more ports. (To find out the difference between a hub and a switch, please refer to the FAQ item "What is the difference between a hub, switch and router?") Here, we chose the Asante FS5008 switch, which is a perfect companion to your router because it can be stacked neatly on the top (or bottom) of your router, as shown below.

2. Connecting your router to the switch

You can use a regular Ethernet cable or a crossover Ethernet cable to connect your router to your switch. Plug one end of the cable into your router and one end into port one of the switch. If you are using a regular Ethernet cable, push the uplink button so that it is in the uplink position. If you are using a crossover cable, make sure that the port is in normal mode. Note: Some hubs and switches have a dedicated uplink port. With a normal cable, plug into the uplink port; with a crossover cable, plug into a normal port)

3. Adding more computers to your network

Plug in your switch so that it powers up. You can now plug in more computers into any of the switches ports. They will act exactly the same as a computer plugged directly into the router. Note: All Asante switches and hubs are plug-and-play. However, you may need to perform additional steps with another manufacturer's switch/hub.