When you are setting up new Ethernet cables for your computers, is it possible to get twice the punch for each cable? Is it wise to even try it or should you look into an alternative hardware solution? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answer to a curious reader’s question.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
The Question
SuperUser reader Ravenix wants to know if it is possible to run two Ethernet connections over the same cable:
Is it possible to run two Ethernet connections over the same cable?
The Answer
SuperUser contributors Tetsujin, Journeyman Geek, and Andre Borie have the answer for us. First up, Tetsujin:
Followed by the answer from Journeyman Geek:
With our final answer from Andre Borie:
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
You could also use a managed (business grade) switch that could handle the VLANs by itself and assign each VLAN to a particular port. That way, the computers do not need any configuration and it is a bit more secure since the computers would not receive any packets belonging to the adjacent VLAN. With the first situation, the packets still reach both computers, so if any of them are “evil”, they could still listen in on the adjacent VLAN’s traffic.
Image Credit: tlsmith1000 (Flickr)
