[SOLVED] how does netgear prosafe plus switch gs105ev2 compare these days?

[Deepwaterlife48]

how does the netgear prosafe plus switch gs105e v2 hold up to other switches these days? i've literally had this thing through 3 different apartments in 2 different states since i believe 2012. recently i replaced all the cat5 (not5e) to cat6 patch cables, but it got me thinking about the switch too. i've never had an issue with it, that ive been able to tell, but its 10 years old now. is there a reason to get a newer one? will a newer one allow better signal with less interference or what?

the current one has all 5 ports used.

 

[bill001g]

Pretty much all the small switches are the same. Internally they almost all use the same chip. None of these consumer type equipment makers design and manufacture their own chip. They are all made by say broadcom.

I like the ones in the metal case that way if it gets dropped it does not break. Performance wise I doubt you will see any difference.

The only ones I have had fail got damaged by lightning and they were on a UPS and a surge protector.

If you want more ports the 8 port versions of those devices are still cheap, I tend to like the tplink one but I think netgear sells a similar one for about $1 more. You could also plug the 5 port switch into the 8 port switch if you wanted even more ports. The only down side is all the devices on the second switch would share the same 1 gig to the main switch. If you were to buy say a 16 port switch then all ports can run at full gigabit all at the same time. For most people they come nowhere close to maxing out these switches, almost all can run every port at full speed in and out all at the same time.

 

[gggplaya]

If you want to upgrade, you can get a 5 port 2.5gbe switch. That's only if you need to transfer large files between computers or backups. Or have >1gb internet.

Higher end computers now come with 2.5gbe ports. Higher end routers also come with 2.5gbe ports.

 

[Deepwaterlife48]

@bill001g @gggplaya if they are similar chips do newer ones, is there a way to tell if these are the current ones?



this is my current 10+ year old one.
https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Giga...gear+prosafe+plus+switch+gs105e,aps,74&sr=8-1

this is the one i was looking at
https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-5-Po...gear+prosafe+plus+switch+gs305e,aps,74&sr=8-1

it seems like the 305e is supposed to have a better flow rate from what i tried to research and the outer casing doesnt really matter to me. basically just trying to future proof a bit like i did with my patch cable and figured the switch would be the next logical step. i dont really need extra ports at the moment.

 

[bill001g]

Not sure where you saw it has a different flow rate. I forget when consumer switches went to asic rather than use processors. It has been a very long time though.
These type of devices can pass 1gbit up and 1gbit down on every port all at the same time. I doubt you come anywhere close to this limit. Now some switches with say 8-16 10gbit port you still have to read the fine print if they can run at those extremes.

I suspect the 305 is just a new model number.

Note unless you know why you need a managed switch save the money and buy the unit without the "e" on the end. There is not much use of these features in a home network.

 

[gggplaya]

If you want to future proof, you'll need to buy a 5 port 2.5gbe switch. They're around $115 to $150. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XWK4HNT

People's internet plans are already pushing just over 1gbps, a standard plan now for many comcast customers is 1200mbps.

 

[Deepwaterlife48]

Not sure where you saw it has a different flow rate. I forget when consumer switches went to asic rather than use processors. It has been a very long time though.
These type of devices can pass 1gbit up and 1gbit down on every port all at the same time. I doubt you come anywhere close to this limit. Now some switches with say 8-16 10gbit port you still have to read the fine print if they can run at those extremes.

I suspect the 305 is just a new model number.

Note unless you know why you need a managed switch save the money and buy the unit without the "e" on the end. There is not much use of these features in a home network.

i have some computer knowledge but stuff has accelerated to much in the last 15 years im completely dwarfed these days.
i got it from the netgear forums:

Early GS105Ev2 firmware release dates from 2013, first major update from November 2016.
Early GS308E firmware dates from March 2019. It's simply a new hardware model, probably initially intended for different sales channels.


"GS105E is End of Life. GS105E is a DHCP client.
GS305 is not. GS305E is."

Smart Managed Plus switches make an ideal upgrade from Unmanaged switches, with easy-to-use web browser-based management GUI, and essential Layer 2 switching features including VLAN, QoS, Multicast and Link Aggregation.

"GS305 has larger buffer memory/frame sizes than GS105 and better power performance." GS305E has this reduced power over 105e as well."

GS305 does not have DHCP because there is no IP stack as it's an unmanaged model. GS305E does have an IP stack, does support DHCP for address assignment (it's on the data sheet, too).



i understand some of that but not all of it.
as far as model numbers. the last digit is whether its a 5, 8 or 16 port.
1 is the old model. 2 is an older version with plastic shell. 3 is a metal shell that is the newest.

i basically use the older current one as a switch between my tv, ps4, hue lights and the router. i dont use it for any business purposes.

 

[bill001g]

So how much of the stuff you cut and paste from the marketing stuff do you actually understand.

You have to avoid the ....wow look at all this stuff I don't understand it must be good.

Explain even one of these feature you might use.

There is no need for any IP addresses or management if you are not going to use any the features and just use it as a simple switch.

End of life just means they are not selling it anymore. It is not like a router where you might need firmware updates. A switch is has all its features when it is manufactured. It uses asic chips which in effect is a fixed hardware based program.

Now I guess if you really care about the power the newer devices use a bit less. You will never recover the difference of the purchase price compared to the electricity you save.

In the end what you describe your need for is a simple unmanaged switch. Do not let the marketing guy snow you with tech speak. Unless you actually know why you need a managed switch you do not need one. It is very rare someone to need a manged switch in their house.

 

[Deepwaterlife48]

i mean i'm not trying to upset you or anyone else.

so the current one i have is the 105e because when i originally bought it around 2012, i was explained to that the e model was the version that i needed because it would afford the most adaptability of plug and play and would provide better security. i had bought a new router at the same time but i havent been able to use that router on this apartment complex ever so i ended up getting rid of it. it was explained to me in 2012, that the dhcp applications while mostly for business security, would provide security in file transfers and gaming applications. i have not in recent years, ever used software to update the firmware on my current 105e. it has been a plug and play device for me for my entire length of ownership. apparently at some point the 105/105e did get newer firmware according to their website, but that could be tech sales speak. which made me think mine is antiquated.

end of life on current technology always throws me for a loop, because it seems end of life cycles for devices has changed greatly in the last 20 years. the power difference is negligible, just thought it was a cool feature.

the amount of ports on my current one is 5. one is used to connect the switch to the wall router outlet. one is for a smart home device. one for tv. one for the computer. one for gaming console.

between your previous posts and this one it seems like the 305 may do me fine, but that imay have been snowed into buying the E version of my current 105, when i didnt need it.

the difference between the 305 and the 305e is about 16 bucks. i might just go with the 305 and be done with it.

 

[bill001g]

I am mostly frustrated by the marketing guys and dishonest sales people confusing consumers. This is similar to the sales guy who talks about how great the performance of his tires are in cold and snow ignoring the fact that the customer lives in miami where it never snows.

You need to spend time being a educated consumer. Even reading a very basic wiki page on DHCP would tell you they were telling you outright lies. The only purpose of DHCP is to assign IP addresses to devices. It is not a security function in anyway.

Some things end of life is a concern if for example you might need a software fix. A switch is pretty much like a toaster it does its job until it fails and you toss it out and buy a new one. Now something like a very old router that does not support the modern wifi encryption is a different story.

 

[Deepwaterlife48]

alright. so then i was duped years ago when i bought it. i'm getting the 305 and being done with it. in the mean time i'm reading more on switches and routers. i dont have a choice with the current router but when i move in april it'll be good to know. i will have now upgraded the patch cables from cat5 to cat6, the switch. think i've done all i can with this topic.

thanks all.