TP-Link 5 Port Gigabit Ethernet Network Switch

Pros: • Sale price of $24.99 with no rebate is on par with other switches in this consumer range • Piece of cake to setup – plug and play, up and running immediately • Good packaging, not a lot of fluff and wasted space. So many small pieces of network gear come in these giant packages, but not this one • Easily identifiable 24/7 support sticker on the front of the box. When I see something like that – it tells me the company WANTS to help you. So many other companies make it an act of congress to get a hold of them. I’ve owned three TP-Link routers, and a pair of their switches – they all have that 24/7 support sticker • TP-Link regularly responds to issues brought forth in Newegg reviews. Once again, that tells me that the company cares about the consumer experience, and stands by their product lines • Very sturdy – looks and feels like a miniature piece of pro gear • Does not get hot when all 4 channels are downloading from various sources, even in a hot (80* Fahrenheit) room. This switch barely gets warm. I cracked the case open on it, and there’s a nice-sized aluminum heat sink taking care of cooling duties – very nice • Despite its small footprint, does not tip or feel unstable with all five CAT cables connected to it • Performance is solid, like any switch in this category range. Speeds were comparable to running a CAT cable right off the gigabit router it was connected to, and also compared favorably to running the CAT cable right off the modem itself Cons: • Regular price is steep compared to other switches in its class, but it’s on sale often, so definitely not worth docking an egg • While it’s called a “5-port” switch, you really have four ports to work with. Your internet source has to plug in somewhere, right? Overall Review: Tough to get too excited about an unmanaged gigabit network switch, so what I think you’re really looking for here is value and reliability – and this unit brings both of those to the table. Its performance is right in line with most any gigabit switch I’ve used, but I think it’s small footprint + solid construction gives it a little edge over similar units. The thing I’ve almost always notice with network switches that use plastic for the chassis – is that they get really hot when you have a lot of traffic from multiple connected devices. Heat is always the killer with PC components/peripherals, so any time I come across something that runs cool, well it just puts a little smile on my face, because I know that it will last longer in the long run. I tested the TL-SG105 with four desktop PC’s downloading game content with multiple Steam accounts. All download speeds stayed in the 6+MB range, which is exactly what I saw when I tested the gigabit ports on our router (Asus RT-N65U), and right on par with single download speeds. If you need the extra wired connectivity, have an appreciation for willing customer service, and can find the TL-SG105 for under $30 – it’s very easy to recommend as your next 4-port switch purchase.

Pros: – This thing is TINY! Barely wider than the 5 RJ-45 ports across the front, ~4″ x 4″ x 1″. – 5 ports of gigabit goodness!!! – It’s cheap (currently $25), but this may end up being a con as well (if its price point reflects its quality) – Supports IGMP snooping and 802.1p QoS – Supports up to 9k jumbo frames – Supports up to 4k ARP table – Each port has link/activity lights – All metal construction, doesn’t feel cheap – Screw holes in the bottom for vertical mounting – AC adapter is the narrow type (the prongs are in-line with the overall length, not perpendicular) so it only uses 1 outlet on most power strips – Great/cheap switch to give the teenagers for gaming with their friends – Auto-MDI/MDIX means you don’t have to worry if your cable is straight-thru or crossover – So far, I’ve seen REALLY good response from the TP-Link support staff here. They seem to have a genuine concern for their products/reputation (more than you can say for a lot of other vendors) Cons: – Un-managed switch – Touted as 5 port, but I’d consider it 4+1 (the uplink is the +1, but at least it’s gigabit too) – Rubber stick-on feet always tend to come off over time – Manufacturer’s MTBF not listed for this product, combined with another reviewers report of questionable capacitors Overall Review: Not really sure how you could go wrong with this product in 95%+ of home consumer situations. The features are a little lack-luster for me, but as a networking guy by trade, my requirements are considerably higher. The power adapter is 9V 600mA tip positive output.

Pros: Built well, has a sturdy feel to it. Auto-switching ports so you don’t have to worry about using the right port for the right thing. It’s fast, I didn’t notice any decrease in speed through the switch vs straight through the router. Includes small rubber feet to protect the desk you set it on. It’s small and compact while being well made. Cons: Has instructions for mounting to a wall but it doesn’t include the parts that you’d need to do that. Doesn’t include even 1 Ethernet cable, kinda weird for a modern networking device. Overall Review: A switch is a very simple networking device. There’s not much to it. It provides more ethernet ports for you to connect more devices to your network using cables which allows you to free up space on the wireless network. This switch is full speed Gbit which is nice since 100Mbit is pretty slow. As I said it’s well built and includes a 5 year warranty so you don’t have to worry about anything. In closing I can easily recommend this switch for anyone looking to add ports to their home or small business network. It’s being sold at a good price with a long warranty and performs as well as anyone could hope. Overall it’s a solid product.

Pros: This switch is exactly what it says it is, a 5 port no fuss unmanaged switch. I hooked this into my Buffalo wireless G router and instantly worked without any power cycles. I was able to move files from one port to the other with lightning fast speeds, about 200mb/s. I hooked up a test scenario where I could enable Jumbos and got a nice little speed bump from that setting being enabled. I also stuck the unit in a box with no ventilation to test its fan-less design and make sure it didn’t slow down once the unit started to heat up. I had the same throughput regardless of where the box was located. The price is right for a switch like this, there are some lower cost units and then some higher cost units but this offers good features at a reasonable cost to the consumer. Cons: I can’t think of anything wrong with this switch, I can’t complain about it not having features it wasn’t advertised to have. It has everything I would look for in a switch this size and this price. The only thing I can think of is it doesn’t have a very long cord for the power adapter but that would really be reaching. Overall Review: If you are looking for a hard-wired solution to your network and need 4 extra ports for some of your devices, this is the way to go. It has nice features that not everyone will use like Jumbos but the speed is there and this device is a really nice way to expand your network.