Connecting through Ethernet hub?

[boyband6666]

Hello,

I wondered if anyone had any ideas, as I can't get the Steam Link to work with my network setup.

I have a Cat 5 cable running from the router (located in my office) to the living room. Behind the TV I then have a 100mbps Ethernet hub (not a switch; it is a few years old!) which has an uplink port, and then 4 ports for other cables.

Until I bought my steam link (Christmas Eve), this had plugged in a BT Box, Now TV Box, and Smart TV. All of these handle it just fine.

The Steam Link however seems unhappy, and simply shows no lights when plugged in to the hub, and simply will not recognise the wired connection. Plugged directly in to the uplink cable (direct to the router) it is fine.

I've tried plugging it in, then switching the network settings to a static IP, but it just disappears when I plug it back how it should be. You also cannot manually set anything for the wired connection unless it is plugged in, which is odd.

Any suggestions welcome as it is very annoying. If crappy Smart TV boxes can 'just work', you'd think something from Valve aimed at bringing gaming to the living room would do the same (as things they make are generally excellent).

Thanks,
Anthony

[messyjesse80]

What model of hub are you using?

The easiest way is probably to replace it with a network switch (they can be had for less than $20). Hubs are largely obsolete.

When you plug the Link into the hub, and unplug the other devices from the hub, does it work? Even if it does not work, does the Link get an IP address with this setup?

If the Link gets an IP (not a static one), try to ping it from the PC, does that work?

There are two basic requirements for the Link to work. It needs to be on the same subnet as the PC (and ping test should help confirm this). And it needs to be able to send broadcast messages to detect PCs. The hub could be blocking these perhaps.

[boyband6666]

Sorry for the slow reply, busy few days!

It is an old Gigabit minature USB powered one. When I connect the steam link to the cable it works fine, but not at all through the hub, even if nothing else is plugged in. Doesn't get an IP address at all when going through the hub.

Sounds like I just need to replace it with a switch. A shame as I was hoping to get away without spending more and faffing with the wiring (every other device works fine there, and everythign is cable tied in nicely to make it toddler proof). Odd that everything else works (from the crappy £10 media box that streams Plex, to the standard TV box, and cheap smartTV).

Thanks for the suggestions :-)