If there are a lot of broadcasts going on the routers might be able to help. As I said, only for very large organizations though.

"Without a switch installed, a network can get bogged down quickly as traffic rises. Traffic jams happen because data is forced to wander the entire network in search of its destination.

A switch corrects traffic jam problems by ensuring that data goes straight from its origin to its proper destination, with no wandering in-between. Switches remember the address of every node on the network, and anticipate where data needs to go. Nodes connected to a switch can expect an immediate 40%-60% increase in performance.


This EtherFast Dual-Speed 10/100 16-Port Switch is the ideal centerpiece for any high-performance network.


A switch can also connect networks of different speeds together. A 100Mbps network, for example, could be connected to a slower 10Mbps network by inserting a switch between the two networks. In this way, switches are good for migrating to faster network speeds without having to discard older legacy network hardware.


IS MY NETWORK A GOOD
CANDIDATE FOR A SWITCH?
If you do more than simple file and printer sharing, you should definitely consider a switch. Switch prices have fallen drastically since fall of 1998, and many are priced only slightly higher than regular hubs -- and since most hubs can't offer the performance benefits of switching, buying a switch is a smart move for any network, even if you have only a few users. In short, if your network needs maximum bandwidth and speedy performance, buy switches instead of hubs.

"<- Linksys

Check out this information:
http://www.linksys.com/faqs/default.asp?fqid=26

It might be useful.