gigabit NAS with fast ethernet router setup

[fingers88]

Hi there first time poster so I hope this is correct.

I have a gigabit NAS as part of my home network, and would like to get gigabit transfer speeds to it but as far as I can tell the fast ethernet router is the slow piece of kit in the network.

Is there a way to bypass the router so I can get faster transfer speeds to the NAS?

This is the setup

Desktop PC with gigabit NIC, wired to router.
Gigabit NAS wired to router.
Laptop wireless to router.

At the moment it all works fine, I can access the NAS from the PC by wire, and wirelessly from the laptop.

I read that I can get a gigabit switch that would solve the problem, but I can't see how that would work as it still goes through the slower router. Can anyone shed some light on what I would need to to, any help would be greatly appreciated.

All further questions will be answered.

Many thanks

[jdabbs]

Cable the router, PC, and NAS to the switch. Traffic flow for PC<>NAS will be PC<>Switch<>NAS and Internet traffic will be PC<>Switch<>Router<>Internet. The laptop will be limited to the speed of the wireless connection; if it's not .11n it's probably slower than a Fast Ethernet connection.

[fingers88]

Thanks jdabbs that makes sense, I was under the impression that the router had to be at the center of it all, but you're saying use the switch, which makes more sense!!

So looking at my diagram, if I use the laptop to access the NAS it will go laptop<>router<>switch<>NAS, and if I wanted gigabit speed to the NAS from the laptop (it has gigabit NIC) it would be laptop<>switch<>NAS same as the desktop and by cable. Thank you so much I can order my switch now.