[SOLVED] 5 Port Switch selection help(my basic home network info included)

[jaged]

Good day,
I recently had the Home Hub 3000 installed.
2 of the 4 ports are being used, my PC is on port 1 with it's built in NIC & the fiber op tv receiver is on the other.
I'm going to be adding 2 more PC's shortly that I want wired in(instead of using wi-fi) & possibly a 3rd(my wife is working from home now and is getting complaints about her video chat quality over wifi since she's in the opposite end of the house)
Can I use 1 of the 2 remaining ports to add a 5 port switch?

If so, I was looking at the Netgear GS305 or the TP-Link TL-SG1005D.
Is one better than the other?

Do I need to do anything else besides plug the new switch into 1 of the existing ports on the Hub 3000 and then plug my new PC's into the now available 4 ports on the switch?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ralston18]

Yes.

That will work.

Do be sure to buy quality Ethernet cables: Cat 5e, all copper (not copper clad aluminum). Not flat, not shielded.

As for which switch - either one should be fine.

However, for some background about choosing a switch.....

https://www.toptenreviews.com/best-ethernet-switches

Just my immediate thoughts. There may be other comments and suggestions.

 

[jaged]

Yes.

That will work.

Do be sure to buy quality Ethernet cables: Cat 5e, all copper (not copper clad aluminum). Not flat, not shielded.

As for which switch - either one should be fine.

However, for some background about choosing a switch.....

https://www.toptenreviews.com/best-ethernet-switches

Just my immediate thoughts. There may be other comments and suggestions.

Thank you for your reply.

Regarding your comment on buying quality Ethernet cables. I have numerous cables here that I can use. Is there a way for me to know whether the cables are "holding me back" so to speak? I don't have any network testing tools.

 

[Ralston18]

Try each cable using a connection "path" that you know is running at expected/existing network speeds.

E.g., direct between your PC and router. Use the existing cable to check the speed. Then swap in the other (probably longer) cables and check the speeds again.

You should see little or no change.

Unless of course, the existing cable is holding things back and you may be pleasantly surprised with a higher level of performance.

Keep some notes. If the cable speeds are good between PC and router but degrade when the switch is connected in then the switch may be faulty.

Also, if the cables are long enough then run a temporary direct connection between the router to your wife's computer. Establish some baseline speeds there as well. Let her work for awhile directly connected to get some sense of how much the video performance improves. Then when the switch is installed you can check speeds again.

(Note: Remember that only one network adapter (either wired or wireless) should be enabled on her computer. Not both wireless and wired.)

Just be methodical. Sketch out the connections and label accordingly. Add notes as you test and go forward. Change only one thing at a time.

That will help you identify what, if anything, may have gone wrong if performance drops.

 

[jaged]

Try each cable using a connection "path" that you know is running at expected/existing network speeds.

E.g., direct between your PC and router. Use the existing cable to check the speed. Then swap in the other (probably longer) cables and check the speeds again.

You should see little or no change.

Unless of course, the existing cable is holding things back and you may be pleasantly surprised with a higher level of performance.

Keep some notes. If the cable speeds are good between PC and router but degrade when the switch is connected in then the switch may be faulty.

Also, if the cables are long enough then run a temporary direct connection between the router to your wife's computer. Establish some baseline speeds there as well. Let her work for awhile directly connected to get some sense of how much the video performance improves. Then when the switch is installed you can check speeds again.

(Note: Remember that only one network adapter (either wired or wireless) should be enabled on her computer. Not both wireless and wired.)

Just be methodical. Sketch out the connections and label accordingly. Add notes as you test and go forward. Change only one thing at a time.

That will help you identify what, if anything, may have gone wrong if performance drops.

Thanks again for the detailed replies. They are great.

One last thing, should I just use speedtest.net to do my tests with each cable?

 

[kanewolf]

Thank you for your reply.

Regarding your comment on buying quality Ethernet cables. I have numerous cables here that I can use. Is there a way for me to know whether the cables are "holding me back" so to speak? I don't have any network testing tools.

The biggest thing to look for on cables is look at the printing on the cable jacket. Does it say "CCA"? -- Throw it out because it is not solid copper.
Does it have a TIA certification printed ? -- If not throw it out.
Is it 22 - 24GA wire? -- If not throw it out.

 

[Ralston18]

Speedtest.net - ok.

I also use Windows' Network Speed Test.

FYI:

https://homenetworkgeek.com/how-to-test-home-network-speed/

I also use Windows' Network Speed Test.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/network-speed-test/9wzdncrfhx52?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

There may be other suggestions.

========

After purging cables (per @kanewolf) then test the remaining cables.

Just watch the speed results. If inconsistent and/or with wide variances then the results may be skewed by other factors: traffic, weather, etc..

If a cable tests consistently at speed then the cable should be good.

Once you have a sense about what is "normal" for your network it will be easier to do future troubleshooting.

 

[SamirD]

Either of those switches would work, but I would lean towards the tp-link as I have seen a very rare incompatibility show up with the netgear about 3 times on the Internet. It's extremely, extremely rare so if you want to go with the netgear there's a 99.999% chance you won't have any issues. If you have an old router lying around with gigabit ports, you can actually use that as well.

As far as testing bandwidth across your cables, iperf is one of the gold standards for this type of testing. Keep in mind any bandwidth testing can have variance of 10% even when everything is perfect, so don't get too worried unless you're having issues.