Help me choose the right switch please!

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KuRe
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Help me choose the right switch please!

Post by KuRe »

I'm currently running a small home network with 5 computers, and am looking for a switch. I DO NOT need a router! :)

So far, I've been looking at these models of switches:

3Com® OfficeConnect® Dual Speed Switch 8 Plus
http://www.3com.com/products/en_US/deta ... 3C16791-US

Netgear FS108
http://netgear.com/products/details/FS108.php?view=

Netgear FS608
http://netgear.com/products/details/FS608.php?view=

Also a question on the two netgear switches: Is there any difference between them besides their outer shells?

If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to post!
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YeOldeStonecat
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Post by YeOldeStonecat »

I've been digging the new Linksys series for little networks, pretty inexpensive too, about 45 - 50 bucks.

http://www.linksys.com/products/product ... 47&scid=31

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BaLa
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Post by BaLa »

Cat, not that it matters all that much on a home network, but do you think the Linky would be better than the 3Com?


The Specs on the 108 aren't the same format as the specs on 608.

One diff. I did see was the FS108 does not have Auto-Uplink (didn't see it mentioned in the specs)


I have the FS608 btw; seems to work ok
haven't had any probs with it, but it's a simple little switch, and I'm prolly not close to pushing it.
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YeOldeStonecat
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Post by YeOldeStonecat »

BaLa wrote:Cat, not that it matters all that much on a home network, but do you think the Linky would be better than the 3Com?
For the home grade products, eh they're all quite similar about now. The home series 3COM's are "OK", not the same as their sweet SuperStack business series.
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koldchillah
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Post by koldchillah »

KuRe, any of the mentioned switches will most likely take everything you throw at them. Which switch to buy doesn't really become an issue until you want to get into layer 2-3 managed switches that do a little more than just pass traffic around.
YeOldeStonecat wrote:sweet SuperStack business series.
eh. They are 'ok'. Excellent features, good solid performance, but once they are stacked about 3-5 deep, using the web admin console can be like trying to load one of today's elaborate websites on a 14.4K modem. Sometimes you have to refresh just to get the "device view" button to finish loading.. Then again, ours have all 48 ports chugging away 24/7 :p
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KuRe
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Post by KuRe »

I was doing a little internet searching, and I saw someone stating that when the FS108 has all 8 ports occupied, things began to messed up. He said when he called the rep, they told him to find a different router because the "backplane" was not meant for his "needs".

Anyone care to comment on this backplane issue? Again, this is only what I read from a customer's review :D


I appreciate your suggestion, YOSC, but after my experience with the BEFSR41(s) :irate: .... I think I'm going to stay clear of Linksys products for a while unless they've changed since the BEFSR41 days...
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Post by KuRe »

Speaking of 3com SuperStack switches... would this one be practical (if I got it for pretty cheap) it's a 12 porter, but I often have friends over with their computers to play LAN games...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 62777&rd=1
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koldchillah
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Post by koldchillah »

KuRe wrote:Speaking of 3com SuperStack switches... would this one be practical (if I got it for pretty cheap) it's a 12 porter, but I often have friends over with their computers to play LAN games...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 62777&rd=1
Not bad if you can actually get it that cheap.
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YeOldeStonecat
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Post by YeOldeStonecat »

KuRe wrote: Anyone care to comment on this backplane issue? Again, this is only what I read from a customer's review :D


I appreciate your suggestion, YOSC, but after my experience with the BEFSR41(s) :irate: .... I think I'm going to stay clear of Linksys products for a while unless they've changed since the BEFSR41 days...
I've actually had good experience with Linksys latest line of switches, especially their new business lines since Cisco bought them out. Honestly never really had problems with the old BEFSR41 routers either...and I have over a hundred of them out there in the field. Not the fastest things around, but bang for the buck, they do the job for basic setups. But their EF and SR series business switches are pretty nice.
http://www.linksys.com/products/group.a ... 35&scid=39

Backplane speed is what the switch can handle as the sum of all it's ports, lately figured in duplex mode (each port, if your NIC is also 100 meg duplex, can support 200 megs. So a 16 port switch should have a 3.2 gig backplane. An 8 port switch should have a 1.6 gig backplane.

Another brand known for performance, Compex. We have a couple in the office. I used Netgear quite often a few years ago, but several times in a row their support really let me know, once with a pretty big tax company branch office during peak income tax season.

http://www.cpx.com/products.asp?c=Switches

If you have LAN parties, snag a 16 porter. Heck, switches are so inexpensive these days...
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