I’m a software guy, I’ve written a lot of business applications over the years but I’ve also had to deal with networks out of necessity. We have a network at home which includes two servers, several NAS devices, laptops, desktops, iPads, iPhones, Internet multimedia devices, security cam systems, WiFi routers, etc. I don’t have a lot of time to learn everything about hardware but I do have to set it up and configure it and keep it working, especially the network.
Most routers only come with four ports but our network now has 16 lines connected to it. In the past I’ve used hubs to expand the network because they are inexpensive and simple, you just plug them in. I started with one eight port hub then had to add another. The problem is they are dumb devices and can create network bottlenecks, slow speeds (some default the max speed to the slowest) and are not reliable. Switches are far more powerful and configurable but they are also expensive in comparison and it’s another set of configurations and terminology. I finally got to try the Linksys 28 port switch. You may think it’s overkill but I’m already using over half of the ports!
First use was straight forward and easy. Plugged it in and then replaced the hubs with this, plugging all of the cables into this then tested all of the devices and everything worked like a champ.
This has a great interface so that you can configure the switch and check the status. You can hook up a monitor to this but it’s easy just to open a browser and type in the IP address. The interface for this is easy to use. Right away I changed the admin password and IP address. I could also check which lines were running at 1000 and those only at 100. There are a lot of things I need to get familiar with but there is a lot you can manage with this.
I can already tell the difference in speed with some of the computers and devices. My two network port NAS is definitely faster which is a huge plus! I use it for backing up RAW photo files which are 40 to 60 mb each. Much improvement over the hubs I was using. It’s only been a few days but so far we haven’t had any connection or speed issues like we did with the hubs.
While it can be a lot cleaner to have the ports on the back and just lights on the front with this many ports it’s too much work to manage vs looks. I like this set up, I’ll just have to clean up the cabling coming into it.
It comes with hardware to mount it on a rack but it also comes with rubber feet so you can just set it on a shelf like I did.
The fan on this is noisy. I have a room where most of my equipment is stored so it won’t bother me but I hope it’s not going out. I did check with support (you need to select the business option to get someone who knows) and while they can’t tell from a distance if it’s bad or not they did say it will be noticeable. Quiet is a perspective on the listener…
It comes with a total of 28 ports, 12 of which also provide power (POE). For a general business network switch most of the devices you are connecting have their own power so for a while anyway there are plenty of POE ports on this thing.
Is it overkill for a home network? If you are like me and have a small home business network it takes care of my needs and gives me plenty of room to grow, especially with POE devices becoming more abundant in the future. It is easy to manage even though it will take me a little while to figure out everything. Overall a great device to help control my network.
| Voltage | 240 Volts |
|---|---|
| Interface Type | PoE, SFP |
| Data Transfer Rate | 1000 Megabytes Per Second |
| RAM | 128 MB |
| Wireless Type | 802.11bgn |
