Bitch Switch, Glub Hub

Switches and hubs are used in conjunction with routers to share internet connection, or for connections on LAN's only. They don't understand IP's, they use something called a MAC address, which is basically a computer serial number. The internet doesn't understand the MAC (for all intents and purposes), and the switch/hub doesn't understand the IP.

A router keeps something called a "routing table", which is just a list of IP's and their "hostnames" linked to MAC addresses. So the router can assign an IP to a computer and keep track of their MAC address as well. Here is another fine ASCII diagram:

{internet} <--> DSLModem <--> [router:with routing table] <--> switch <--> Computer #1 with IP, Computer #2 with IP, etc.

This allows the computers on the LAN (local area network) to communicate with each other through the switch or router, and allows the LAN to connect to the WAN (wide area network, aka internet) through the router. To make a long story short, a switch/hub is basically a wire splitter. You can share the same signal though multiple computers with a switch/hub. There is much, much more to this story, but that is basically it.

And no, you don't need the exact brand of D-Link Router, but man, it's cheap and its a great router. It's the only one that I have really found that allows firewall configuration and port tinkering out of the box. I think Enron mentioned to me awhile back that my old Linksys could do it to, but I needed to flash the firmware, and I just never did. Again, think back to the computer mantra, "more or less, you get what you pay for." If you skimp on the router, who knows what kind of service it will give you and for how long. Food for though, Mr. Mannings.