When [googling “ethernet splitter”](https://www.google.com/search?q=ethernet+splitter&tbm=isch) intuition immediately tells that you can have one input (where the cable coming from the router enters) which can be split to 2 computers at the other end.
However, this is not how it works:
>To use splitters, you’ll need two: one to connect your two devices, and another at the other end to “unsplit” the connection. This means you’ll still be using the same number of Ethernet ports on your router as if you were using two separate cables. You don’t add any Ethernet ports by using a splitter, you simply share a single cable.
(source [https://www.howtogeek.com/797864/ethernet-splitter-vs.-switch-whats-the-difference/](https://www.howtogeek.com/797864/ethernet-splitter-vs.-switch-whats-the-difference/))
**QUESTION**: why isn’t the signal simply **split** ? What is it that a switch does differently ?
In: 1
The splitter uses the wires in the cables and uses half of the available wires for each port. The second splitter reverses this in a consistent manner such that it is useable for Ethernet.
Effectively the quality of the cable reduces, and the speed of the link will drop to compensate for the reduced quality.
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