Mini-dock (port replicator) - Ethernet replaces, not adds ??

[kstuart]

If I use a mini-dock (i.e. port replicator plus included power supply), will that give me a second Ethernet port, or does the dock's Ethernet port replace the one on the Thinkpad ?

Many thanks !

[rkawakami]

My understanding is that all of the ports on the mini-dock and port replicator are pass-through. You don't get a "second" or "extra" ethernet port when the laptop is mounted. Now, I've never tried hooking up an ethernet cable to the laptop's RJ-45, while at the same time connecting one to the port replicator so I don't know what would happen. My engineering sense tells me that the laptop's port would be disabled while it's mounted in the dock/port rep, but then I'm not a laptop designer. All of the systems that I've used consistently with a dock have the ethernet port on the back panel of the laptop so it's physically not available (T23, A31p). The exception are some X60/61 I use with an X6 Ultrabase. I don't usually connect them to my LAN via an ethernet cable but if I were to do so, I think I'd automatically use the RJ-45 port on the Ultrabase and not the laptop itself.

[kstuart]

Thanks for your reply !

I guess then that the simplest way to add a second Ethernet port is to buy an Ethernet card for the Cardbus slot.

[rkawakami]

That would probably work. Why the need for a second ethernet port, if I may ask? Using the T41 as some kind of network appliance? A second network connection via a wireless card too slow?

[kstuart]

That would probably work. Why the need for a second ethernet port, if I may ask? Using the T41 as some kind of network appliance? A second network connection via a wireless card too slow?

Yes and yes, it is a home server, and currently I have a second network connection on a wireless card and it is too slow.

I live close to neighbors who are quiet, but the proximity means that their routers are not "quiet".

And for historical and financial reasons, I have two DSL lines rather than one faster broadband. I found that using the wireless on both DSL lines caused some significant wifi problems, so I changed one to be on ethernet only.

But even in some cases, the other line is also better on wired ethernet...