Cannot for life of me find my user guide for my fibre Livebox…
Please will someone assist and tell me what the LAN port No 4 with the green underscore is for? I know that it is not a direct LAN connection but is it perhaps for a hub?? (I need a fourth direct connection and cannot use wifi…)
Thanks!
Thanks Jane. This is the diagram I remember in the guide.
I will now be dumb and ask the question - what is a “fibre box” and by its definition, how can it connect to a LAN port that is not fibre…?
Anyway, no matter, I will have to use one of my other three ports for a splitter, so a more pertinent querstion to those with geeky knowledge please - are these splitters good to use, or are they rubbish?
https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0CQJB7R29/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=19WTSYLLP5HHC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FhKMXC5C8kMCdfCNPRfrv5r-Xp5xKsEksCwfkZAwYIATe1JDuI3vG58ofxvS-jsKYuxviDCdB36poRA0lDwrSToS3zrNSjn0CBltO9GXy9mwVDmldFQqJRM3V4L-rlQR2HV3r9Ab-r2QF-kInBGZGAew_oYE0aSpY4pbWlPqK9dJEM5hcAUT9dxVUVs-SC0rcvbdXzgzgmhk_Zn6W3Ms14aumXINpJShcqh2WPz7gmSwHMhHL8LJR_Mqr5PZpRCQKcxKQqdtdBPvghzMMWTG6I7FPxfc0gat5vL8_Rs5fu0.TLka_TdlrAY5zPENsA9N-H-vudZ8LwGHEL3cjmxYhyA&dib_tag=se&keywords=ethernet%2Bsplitter&qid=1742638448&sprefix=ethernet%2Bsplitter%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1
Thanks!
I would be more tempted with something like this:
I presume it is for connecting the Livebox to a separate ONT with Ethernet port.
Assuming that your incoming fibre connection connects to the fibre port on the Livebox, just plug your device into the 4th LAN port and see if it works.
Yes, the “splitter” just looks like a small hub/switch so should be OK. Or buy a small hub as per your link.
That said I have seen Ethernet “splitters” that are literally that - Y cables which just make a direct connection between the pins. Needless to say those do not do what you think.
I was going to say get a 2.5GbE capable device but they are still expensive enough that if you just need 1GbE it’s not worth buying a faster switch.
Good thinking - I will try it when it arrives!
But think on Mark’s suggestion, maybe a good idea as I could then add in the TVs as wired connects rather than using WiFi. Although WiFi is perfectly good, I just wonder if a direct connection might be better (We had this discussion a while back).
Does a multiple splitter/hub/switch reduce performance in any way?
Not enough to even begin to worry about 
OK, sorted then! will order one directly!
Thanks Mark and Billy!
Hope this helps
Many thanks! Saved in my IT bitsnbobs folder
If it’s for an Ethernet ONT then won’t it be a WAN port, probably switchable to a fourth LAN port ? There could be a setting in the router that needs to be set to make it a LAN port ?
Could depend on the WAN protocol.
If it’s PPPoE then the initial discovery is MAC broadcast and once the far end is known it’s layer 2 unicast - PPPoE packets can co-exist on the same network segment as the client LAN so that “dedicated” port might actually just be a label.
If it uses DHCP to allocate a WAN address and uses Ethernet frames carrying IP packets (so Ethertype 0x0800 or 0x86DD - noting that one thing about Orange is the good IPv6 support) then, yes, it will be a “dedicated” WAN port on the switch.
At the end of the day no harm will occur as a result of plugging another Ethernet device into that port - it will either work or it won’t but nothing should be damaged.
The logical thing to do would be to use it as a LAN port if fibre is connected to the fibre port and my guess is that is what will have been done.
My ‘extra’ ethernet port on my router is selectable between WAN and LAN, but as you say it depends on the router. Mine has to be explicitly set to WAN and by default is LAN. I use is as WAN to provide my VPN network.
Well, it works!
Just connected it to my VPN router that has some unique smart TV software for Smartstream, and straight through! So much for baloney in user guides then.
Good thinking, thanks!
