[SOLVED] Unmanaged Gigabit Network Switch (Quien Mas Macho) D-Link, NetGear or other?

[Landstander]

I know this is a somewhat common and nearly pointless question. Also excuse the SNL joke in the title.

I had a repurposed Linksys router being used as a gigabit switch to replace a DES-1005E 10/100 switch I've had for years. The Linksys now has random lockups and freezes; so that's in the recycle pile now.

Most people seem to go for TP-Link gear, and I suspect that is more about price than quality or performance.

I don't mind paying a bit more for something better.
Right now I'm considering the D-Link DGS-1005G which is the gigabit version of the unit I started with. It's plastic, but the styling is pleasant.
The DGS-105 isn't much more, has a metal chassis and is more SOHO oriented, so possibly better technically. If nothing else, it has a better status light arrangement.
The Netgear GS305 is the 5-port version of TH's recommendation in a round up of 8-port switches in 2016 that didn't include TP-Link or D-Link units: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/unmanaged-gigabit-ethernet-switch-roundup,4321.html

D-Link has a lifetime warranty, but considering you could throw out two cheaper units for the same price, I'm not sure that's important.

I'm open to other suggestions, but these seem to be slightly more towards mid-tier rather than bottom.

 

[OrlyP]

For the small bit of cash they're going for right now, there's really no need to overthink it, especially if it's just an unmanaged gigabit switch. Any of the brands you mentioned would be fine.

Now, if you're looking for managed or semi-managed switches, there's a lot more considerations to be made.

FWIW, I'm using managed D-Link DGS-1210-16 and TP-Link TL-SG105E switches and both have been trouble-free. I also have a few off-brand unmanaged switches scattered about. My main switch is a Cisco layer-3 model (3560G). Big family.

 

[SamirD]

Check your linksys warranty--a lot of those were lifetime as well.

I typically try to buy gigabit unmanaged switches with lifetime warranties that meets what I need (desktop/rack/etc). The only time I've seen issues (and no firsthand) is that some netgear and tp-link switches have a very rare issue (only seen it 6 times ever) where they will not properly negotiate with a port or transfer at proper speeds.

 

[Landstander]

Shockingly, the router appears to have had a 1 year warranty that has long since expired.
Although after about 5+ years, it's not like technology hasn't moved on enough to make it obsolete (hence re-purposing it).

 

[bill001g]

For many years inside a router you would find the exact same switch chip as most 5 port switches used. 4 connected to the lan ports and 1 connected internally to the router chip. Some still do it that way but most have moved to a different cpu chip that has the switch on the same silicon but it still functions a independent chip. I suspect this was done because it was cheaper the small amount of technical information you can get does not show any extra features.

 

[robert600]

The DGS-105 isn't much more, has a metal chassis and is more SOHO oriented, so possibly better technically. If nothing else, it has a better status light arrangement.

I'm new to this but ... I wouldn't down-play the led lan speed indicator of the d-link. Not having a lot of test equipment ... I find this feature quite handy. If you're wiring your own cables it's all to easy to mess up and end with cables only allowing 100 instead of 1000.

 

[SamirD]

Shockingly, the router appears to have had a 1 year warranty that has long since expired.
Although after about 5+ years, it's not like technology hasn't moved on enough to make it obsolete (hence re-purposing it).

Very true. And in fact, it may not be bad at all--just a firmware issue. I would flash the earliest version of the firmware that's supported--generally these will be the 'shipping' version that will have nearly zero bugs since it went through the highest level of quality control. Since you're using it just as a switch, it should work perfect again.

 

[SamirD]

I'm new to this but ... I wouldn't down-play the led lan speed indicator of the d-link. Not having a lot of test equipment ... I find this feature quite handy. If you're wiring your own cables it's all to easy to mess up and end with cables only allowing 100 instead of 1000.

Yeah, I too like my 10/100/1000 indicator leds.

 

[Landstander]

Very true. And in fact, it may not be bad at all--just a firmware issue. I would flash the earliest version of the firmware that's supported--generally these will be the 'shipping' version that will have nearly zero bugs since it went through the highest level of quality control. Since you're using it just as a switch, it should work perfect again.

I'd like to try, but I don't see any older versions of the e3200 firmware on their website.