I'm thinking of creating a small as possible ethernet tester, where the yellow and green diodes indicate the connection speed AND connection to the other end.
I've seen it on my 5 port unmanaged switch, what speeds devices are connected with and that they have actual data connection.
But i was thinking about making a small handheld battery driven device.
As of now the smallest thing i've come across is a 3 port USB powered unmanaged gigabit switch.
I was wondering if it is doable with an Arduine ethernet shield and a shield in this form factor. (smaller is better)
The idea is that i can just plug this small device to an ethernet cable, to see if there is a connection to a switch on the other end or such. Not to see if there is internet or anything else.
The idea is that i can just plug this small device to an ethernet cable, to see if there is a connection to a switch on the other end or such.
You can use it to see if there's a connection to the switch but you won't see the speed as this device is not able to handle Gigabit Ethernet.
Not to see if there is internet or anything else.
That's a much more complex question anyway. There is no general way to see if there is Internet. For example it might be possible that I get an Internet connection if I connect my notebook but don't get one if I connect that Arduino device (might be filtered based on MAC address or anything similar).
will the Ethernet shield work stand alone for this task if supplied with 3.3V? To check for connection to a switch on the other end? Or do i need an Arduino board attached? I'm looking for a really "unmanaged" solution that is just plug an play.
will the Ethernet shield work stand alone for this task if supplied with 3.3V?
The Ethernet Shield (the one from Arduino) might do this job although I never tried it to use this way. The "shield" (is a breakout and no shield) you had a picture of in your first post looks like an ENC28j60 and that may react completely different.
I'm looking for a really "unmanaged" solution that is just plug an play.
I'd probably use the USB-powered Gb switch for you task. It offers speed recognition and it detects the link far more reliably than the discussed solutions, and it's probably much cheaper too.
