Can 2 devices use the same port on wireless router?

Question

I want to have 2 Xbox 360s, and 2 Playstation 3s connected to the internet for online gaming and downloading, etc. 1 Xbox 360 and 1 PS3 would be upstairs and the other 2 would be in the home theatre. Of course I would only be using one system at a time. I would like to know though is it possible to just use 2 ports (1 for both 360s and one for both PS3s used once at a time) for all 4 systems, or do I have to have them all connected at the same time? So is it possible for 2 separate devices to use teh same port on a router?

I'm completely new to wireless networking so please forgive me if it's a dumb question.

Answer 1

Ports don't exists with wireless routing like the do with wired. The devices connect on an as-and-when basis. you can have, i think, about 20 devices connected to a wireless router at the same time and an infinite number of devices set up to use that router as long as they are not all turned on at once.

Answer 2

Well, if you're using wired connections then you can connect only the ones that you want to use at any one time to the available switch ports. There's no need to connect a system that you're not using.

If you want to use all 4 and don't have enough ports on your router, just pick up an inexpensive workgroup switch and daisy-chain it to your router. You can get them in 4, 5, 8, 12, 16 or more port versions and hook up as many systems as you wish.

But then you make the comment about wireless networking so now I'm not sure what you're trying to do or what you're getting at. If the systems are all wireless, you're not using any ports so you can use them all at once if you wish.

Answer 3

yes