It is much cheaper than managed switches and smart managed switches, suitable for families and small businesses with limited budgets.

Unmanaged Switch : Normally the cheapest option used to simply connect all Ethernet-based devices into one router. This is normally the best solution for someone not interested in managing their network traffic. Unless you’re planning to use the Ethernet switch as the primary hub for all your devices, odds are you won’t need a 16-port or 24-port switch. However, such a device could be needed if you’re building an office network. When you grow frustrated with Wi-Fi, a wired internet connection is usually your best bet. But you may need more Ethernet ports than your router can offer. That's where a network switch comes in handy. It's an extremely simple and affordable device, and it's one of the best upgrades for a busy home network. A Network Switch Adds Ethernet Ports to Your RouterFixed switches – These are not expandable, and almost all models designed for home or small business use stand in this category. Digging further into the matter, we can break down this category into unmanaged, partially managed, and managed switches. If you want more Ethernet connections than your router can provide, then you need to buy a network switch. There are several reasons why you may want additional Ethernet ports---maybe you own several devices that will benefit from a wired internet connection, or maybe you want to host an old-fashioned LAN party. In any case, an inexpensive network switch will do the job.

It also can be used to build a Dante network, which uses audio from one place to another over long distances. But note this: Use a switch that does not support EEE (Energy Efficient Ethernet), because EEE is a relatively new technology, using a switch with EEE may cause some poor synchronization performance and occasional dropouts. Spanning Tree Protocol ( STP) support for switch and link redundancy without creating loops. Several STP iterations exist and are commonly configured, including traditional STP, per-VLAN STP, rapid STP and multiple STP; Control and performance. A major difference between managed and unmanaged switches is control and performance. From this standpoint, the networking team is responsible for maintaining both managed and unmanaged switches. The difference, however, is teams can configure managed switches to handle network traffic differently. Other differences include the ability to remotely access configurations and the ability to monitor devices using monitoring protocols, such as SNMP, NetFlow and other network telemetry data. Number of ports - The most important thing to figure out is how many ports you need. Think of how many devices you have to connect to your network. If it’s just a handful of them, you could easily get away with a five-port switch, which is perfect for wiring four devices plus connecting your switch to the router. Modular switches – These give you all the expansion capabilities you need and are great for those looking to build a professional network. You can add more modules as your network grows without having to buy a new switch. These types of devices provide utmost flexibility but have exaggerated costs. Yes, the costs are justified by their complexity, but if you’re not planning to connect an entire neighborhood to your home network, a fixed switch could be a better starting point.The overall speed of each switch was also one of the most critical factors; every switch on our list features up to 100Mbps transfer speeds, with most selections able to attain even faster gigabit speeds — perfect for busy networks. Lastly, we provided options with power over ethernet (PoE) functionality so that you can easily supply power to supported devices on your network without the need for a power cable. Best Ethernet Switch Buyer’s Guide Features Why you can trust Windows Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Unmanaged switches are ideal for home users and anyone else with limited tech and IT knowledge. This type of switch is nothing but a simple hub in which you can plug in your devices. Once they are all connected, just put the switch somewhere and forget it exists. You won’t have to make any updates nor provide other types of input, as the switch will do its job smoothly and quietly all on its own. We looked at the strength of connection and general performance compared to the price, as our main factor when deciding which gigabit switches were best. Special features such as link aggregation and temperature control were also considered when weighing up which model would be best for specific needs.Capabilities: Unmanaged switches immediately start forwarding traffic once users have plugged them in. They have no features besides what they need to negotiate transfer speeds and to determine each link's duplexing type. Managed switches can offer a huge number of features that can be configured by IT professionals, thus permitting a diverse array of deployment possibilities. These capabilities allow for optimization of network performance and availability. The first consideration must be how many ports you need. This will be dictated by the number of devices you want to connect. You can buy switches with as few as four or eight ports, and these smaller devices are ideal for the smallest businesses or for a home office. Gamers know the critical importance of fast networking hardware; if your ping is too high, you can experience delays that will cost you, potentially at the expense of a victory. NETGEAR steps in with the ultimate solution, a gaming switch that it calls the Nighthawk S8000. Named after an agile predator, the NS8000 also moves fast, offering 99% lower latency than most standard switches. If you’re looking to give your gaming a competitive edge, consider the best gaming mouse pad too.