how much effort do you want to put into this and do you want it to "just work"
lol no
If the modem is assigning private IPs then you can use a switch. If it's assigning the public IP then you will need a router. Then you could just go with an N300 piece of crap, assuming you're not getting over 100 mbps as many sub AC routers now have 10/100 switches built into them. I recommend thrift shops. You can find them for like $10.
I'm fine with putting in effort, but I also don't want to put in a lot of cash. I'd also like to do this as a learning project.
pfsense it is then!
In your case, because the modem you have is also a router you can just plug a switch in to it and it will work.
But depending on your needs a better router may be necessary. I've been using pfsense for years and can recommend it, but it won't be as simple to get working as a regular consumer router. If you do get a router of any kind you will want to put your modem in to bridge mode otherwise you will still be using the crappy router in the modem in addition to whatever router you plug in to it.
This route is harder to implement and may cost more than a consumer router but gives you greater flexibility and potentially better performance.
This is the cheapest/easiest route but consumer routers are really bad imo if performance and flexibility is what you want.
Somebody needs to tell him to stop giving networking advice when he doesn't know what he's talking about.
How many ports do you want and how much do you want to spend?
No he is switching from a combo to a modem only.
So as I was saying, unless his modem is giving out private IPs then he will need a router.
It's consumer shit and I don't have a modem only since because AT&T so who knows.
From the sounds of it it is still a router. I have never seen a DSL modem that didn't have a router in it
It's cable
That's what I was thinking. Then again I don't actually know.
Do you have it set up yet?
No, I don't. I haven't called to activate it.
Sorry, thoguht you said it was DSL. I don't have any experience with cable modems so who knows, but you said that when you plugged your computer in to it you didn't get a public IP, if that's the case then it is also a router.
Yes, that was confusing. I actually said wrong. I'm sure I would get an external address. However, the address I listed was just the address I type in to configure the modem.
Yeah, that's what I get for working at best buy. lol
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If you had a public Ip address you would not be able to access the modem configuration page, so it was giving you a private IP address, which means that there is a WAN side and a LAN side, making it a router.
This is what I bought. Until I got this I didn't think there was a configuration page for modems.
Eww... It's a CM400
I'm not sure what that means, tbh