Need 8-port Gigabit Switch, basic or smart?

[mtbdudex]

I'm experiencing growth pains, need some advice.

I'm looking at going from a 5-port Gigabit Switch to an 8-port Gigabit Switch, after reading I'm considering a smart switch for the added features.
This will be on my desktop, so I desire cables / power in back, info on front.

Thoughts/comments/experiences appreciated.

Basic 8-port models I'm looking at:
D-Link 8-Port Gigabit Switch (DGS-1008G) $40
Linksys 8-Port Metallic Gigabit Switch (SE3008) $40

Smart 8-port models I'm looking at:
Cisco SG200-08 8-port Gigabit Smart Switch (SLM2008T-NA) $75

 

[adam9c1]

What is your usage?
Is your 5 port full now?

Will you be using 5 port And 8 port at the same time? If not I would suggest a 12 port instead.

What are you trying to accomplish with a Smart switch?

Have you looked at the Netgear Click series?

 

[mtbdudex]

Which Netgear click series are you using?

Yea sorry not enough info in my 1st post, I'm afraid of TMI in initial posts sometimes:

My basic home network:
Home built 2001, it was wired with Cat5e cable for land line phones and Cat6 QUAD for cable.
Cable TV/Internet into home, distributed thru home.
I've since changed the phone to gigabit LAN, RJ-45 connectors in each room.
There is a 5-port gigabit switch in the basement panel.
Cable from outside (orange one) goes thru a 1>8 splitter, then distributed thru the home for access at cable box / and my own DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem.

So,cable goes thru this basement slitter, then to my 2nd floor loft, where the DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem is, from there Internet via Apple Airport Extreme via LAN and Wifi.
Current 5-port D-link DGS-2205 is full via:
-Apple Airport Extreme
-iMac 27" 5k in loft
-back to basement box, where it's fed into another 5-port D-link DGS-2205 (which then goes to basement 2009 iMac 27", basement Home Theater PS3/Denon 4520CI)
-WD EX2 NAS in loft 6TB, dual 6TB Red drives (which is being upgraded to a WD My Cloud EX2100) for back ups all (4) computers
-color Printer/scanner in loft (so wife can print color from basement to it)

I'd like to add to LAN in loft via gigabit switch:
-2nd NAS for Movies (tbd, looking at Synology Disk Station 2-Bay Diskless Network Attached Storage, DS216play, among others)
-AppleTV (which is WiFi now)
-24" iMac

This will give me 8 ports used - i can't forsee needing more on my desktop with my arrangement, if I want to use with my 2013 MacBookRetina Pro for hardwired LAN (Time Machine restore, etc) I can temporary un-plug the 24" iMac, because I bought the Thunderbolt to gigabit adapter.

Our WiFi is taxed at times with 4 smartphones, laptops streaming videos/etc, iPads, so moving some stuff to LAN is part of my motivation, plus some basic analysis of port usage (and that device) LAN speed/etc.

 

[BrettApple]

Personally I've been pretty happy with Netgear's GS108 or GS116NA for simple unmanaged switches. They get the job done and have pretty much 100% uptime. Only exception was when one of our GS724T's died from a storm, but as a ProSafe they have a "lifetime" warranty so they overnighted me a new one and I sent the old back no questions asked (other than the "is it plugged in?" stuff as usual).

Smart switches are good for things like running VLANs between switches which I have done in the past for our AVL network to separate it from the main network as it didn't need internet and it was linking different rooms together for broadcast and such but would probably be overkill on a home network.

 

[Butchie-T]

Are you going to carve up your network into several networks (vlans)? If yes, then a smart switch (managed) is probably for you. If no (unmanaged) then there is no reason to spend the extra coin on a managed switch.

 

[movieaddict21]

I would instead look at replacing you router I have used airports in the past. they work well but they lack many features that i need. They sometimes don't have the best range. If your wifi is too slow I would look at one of these higher end routers they have very good range and very fast performance

Netgear Model : R6400 (AC1750) - I have this one.
or
Linksys WRT1900ac

Both provide very good performance and both have very fast CPU's in them and very long range I can get my router to work at across the street or in my neighbors house.

I have had the problem in the past with my router not having a fast enough CPU it makes it seen like the wifi is jamming out. It sounds like this is your real problem.

At my work we have over 45 devices on a Netgear router and a 24 port dumb switch with no problems.

 

[mtbdudex]

Based on advice I ended up going with a basic gigabit switch, the D-Link 8-Port Gigabit Switch (DGS-1008G)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003X7TRWO
What I liked, sitting on my desk the cables & power in back, seeing the speed via yellow/green on front. I've had great success with (2) d-link 5 port switches (DGS-2205) ZERO problems in3 + years

The DGS-1008G 8-port Gigabit Switch helps you conserve energy automatically through several methods. It automatically powers down ports that have no link activity, allowing the switch to save energy by cutting power usage for unused ports or ports connected to computers that have been shut down. It can also detect connected cable lengths and adjust power usage accordingly, helping you save energy without effecting networking performance

 

[adam9c1]

I've been using the metal chassis Netgear switches for years and they just run and run. I even have two older 10/100 which still work and I'll use them in a pinch to extend a line.

At home I have some unmanaged HP switches that are lifetime (I bought them used). And I had them for few years.

How is your wifi? My router is Airport Extreme 4th gen but I have wifi off and instead using ubiquiti access point.
I had one older unit and sold that and got one of the new ones. While I'm getting better performance and range I still have a dead spots outside so I'll be adding additional one or two units at some point...

 

[mtbdudex]

I've got the AirPort Extreme 802.11ac (6th Generation) in the 2nd floor loft - you can see that in my posted picture left of the 27" 5k iMac, and a older 4th generation that I don't use.

The coverage in my immediate home is pretty decent with that Gen6 Airport.
I've thought about putting the Gen4 in the basement where I have a LAN drop open, and using it in extend mode but that will only work for n not ac. Just one area in basement farthest that has weak wifi, so it's been a non-issue mostly.
(the far corner guest room and bathroom)

 

[mtbdudex]

It's a bag of hurt extending my Gen6 network with a Gen4 airport, I've tried before and again this morning.
Fortunately Walmart is closing a store in Michigan where I live, Hartland, so I bought a Netgear AC750 model EX6100 wifi extender for $60 .

.

 

[glenthompson]

I use a handful of Netgear basic switches. They have worked great and we get very fast transfers internally in the house. My house was wired before I bought it and the contractor ran all the Cat5e and coax to the garage. As a result I put the cable modem, router, and VOIP box in the garage and use the Cat5 to get to the other locations. My wireless is via an Airport Extreme in the center of the house running in bridge mode. It looks like I currently have 20 hardwired devices attached to the network. About the only items using wireless are iPads and iPhones.

I put one 5 port switch in my entertainment center because the Dish Hopper, BluRay, and AppleTV all needed connections. Easier than running 2 extra runs of Cat5e.

 

[Hilbert92]

NETGEAR ProSAFE GS116E 16-Port Gigabit Desktop Web Managed (Plus) Switch.

This is what i use at home and i never have any problems with it. I would also recommend having only 1 airport extreme after the modem (Cable or DSL). If you need more wireless coverage look into Ubiquti Access points.

Plug everything you can with Ethernet. Leave the wireless to mobile devices only.

 

[VideoFreek]

I'm looking at going from a 5-port Gigabit Switch to an 8-port Gigabit Switch, after reading I'm considering a smart switch for the added features.

Which "added features" are of interest to you? With switches, you either need those features or you don't. I think that most smart/ managed switch capabilities are overkill for the typical home usage scenario, however there are a few interesting possibilities:

• VLANs, as mentioned above in another post. For example, with a supporting wireless access point or router, you could create a separate VLAN for guests or kids, to keep them from snooping around in your server or NAS. You could configure the VLAN to give them internet access only, for example.

• Link aggregation--is a method of attaching a server or NAS to the switch via two or more separate ethernet cables. This is done to overcome the potential bottleneck of a single gigabit port, and could be useful if you have multiple users hitting the server/NAS simultaneously for streaming video or other bandwidth-intensive tasks. It is of no benefit for a single client, however. The DS216play NAS you're considering wouldn't support this (has only 1 port), but higher-end Synology units like the DS415+ would.

• QoS management--in a heavy usage scenario, could be used to give a VOIP phone or media streamer priority over other users to ensure smooth operation.

I recently upgraded to the excellent Netgear ProSAFE GSS116E "click" switch, and it is a very fine switch that offers web-based configuration and all the features you could possibly want. However, I found that I used none of the "smart" features, so for me it was effectively a very well designed and built dumb switch. I replaced it after a few months with a Linksys LGS116P dumb switch because I needed something that is far more useful to me--power over ethernet (POE). This has allowed me to deploy some POE wireless access points in places that I couldn't use if a nearby power outlet was needed (e.g., upstairs hall ceiling), and my WiFi coverage has never been better! You can also get POE cameras for security or surveillance, and you can even get small switches such as the Netgear GS108Tv2 that run off POE in case you want to place them in a closet or other place where no outlets are nearby. If you're looking for some "future proofing" with your switch purchase, you may want to consider a POE switch because it will open up a lot of really cool possibilities. Of course, it's not either/or: you can get a managed switch with POE, but then you'll be into enterprise/SMB gear that gets pretty costly.

Hope this helps, good luck!

 

[satcomer]

What ever router you get disable remote connection in the router setup because this is the was hackers get into your router. Plus it is VERY smart to change the username/password in any router you own. You will be surprised how many home routers STILL have the default username/password!

 

[adam9c1]

With ubiquity access points you can create additional WiFi networks and have them on a schedule, and you can also boot devices off of it.

 

[sevoneone]

Just getting my feet wet in the Ubiquity pond and pretty excited so far. My company just leased additional space in the building across the street from us and I setup a pair of Nanobeam ACs as a PTP bridge. Super easy out of the box setup and install, but all the capability you'd expect from something targeted to business/enterprise. I'm picking up a 5 pack of the UniFi AC access points to use in the new building. I just ordered one of the access points and the EdgeRouters to try out at home too to replace an aging Netgear WNDR3400 running DDWRT that is really starting to show it's age.