[AccessD] Hub problem

Dear List:

I have a nice netgerar router with wireless and four ports.  Problem is that
I need five ports.  I had an old hub in the cabinet so I connected one of
the router's ports to the hub.  One of the ports on the hub goes to a
Netgear XE102 wall plugged bridge which gives another computer and the HDTV
access to the network and the net through two other XE102s.  Everything
works a treat.

But when I try to connect another machine (via regular Cat-5/RJ45 cable) to
an empty port on the hub, the computer can see the network but not the
internet - windows diagnosis shows the computer is connected to
'unidentified network', 'local access only', and says that the IP address is
invalid - which it is - looks like some kind of fixed IP instead of the
192.168.1.n number assigned by the router (?).

Oddly, the Netgear bridge doesn't have a problem - don't know why. And years
ago I was using this hub to connect machines. So I think the hub is good
(the Netgear Bridge works in all the hub's ports) and the cables are good -
I tested them by using the router's ports - and it worked.

Anybody know why these ports won't work? Is there a way to use the empty
ports on the hub?  Should I get a switch?

 

MTIA

 

Rocky