Switch or Not

[whsbuss]

Here's my setup:

- R6300 (set as AP), MyBook Live NAS, FiOS router (wifi disabled), laptop
- all devices support GB ethernet
- LAN cable from R6300 to LAN of FiOS router (internet gateway)
- LAN cable from NAS to R6300
- LAN cable from laptop to R6300

Would it be better to install a GB switch to off-load the traffic the R6300 has to handle?

 

[Dreamslacker]

No. The LAN ports on your router (R6300) are actually part of an integrated switch.
Local traffic goes through the switch and your router's processor doesn't have to handle it.
Only traffic that goes between your wireless devices and the physically linked devices (or any devices upstream connected to the FIOS unit) are actually "routed" through (more specifically, they're bridged).