There is a device that can solve many problems in our home network, also in the professional environment, and it is none other than a network switch. Thanks to this equipment we will be able to “expand” the number of wired connections that the router offers us. This is the main use by home users, but not all equipment on the market offers the same benefits. Therefore, we tell you which are the best network switches to buy in 2021 with a network switch buying guide to expand wired connections at home.
The network of our house is made up of different elements . Without going into network topology to see its structure, we know that there are key elements such as the router, the network cards or the switches, known as switches. Now is the time to find out which are the best network switches to buy in 2021.
What is a switch and when should we install it?
A switch is “the logical digital device for interconnection of equipment that operates at the data link layer of the OSI model. Its function is to interconnect two or more hosts in a similar way to network bridges ” ( Wikipedia ). Normally, the router we have at home is a 3-in-1 device with a router, switch (with 4 ports) and a wireless access point.
Its basic function is to join or connect devices in a network , being used in home networks to expand those usual 4 ports that the router offers. Due to its speed, we have 10BASE-T (10 Mbps speed), 100BASE-TX (100 Mbps speed) or 1000BASE-T (1000 Mbps speed) router, in addition to the 10GbE that is beginning to become popular.
There are switches from very basic with 4 ports and unmanageable to true beasts with dozens of ports. Obviously, here we are going to focus on the domestic sphere, although you can see a complete list, if you enter RedesZone, with the best switches.
SUBSCRIBE HERE TO AMAZON PRIME
Network Switch: Buying Guide with the Best in 2020
We are going to see some models that can help us expand our network and that offer us many possibilities:
NETGEAR Nighthawk SX10
Managed switch with 2 10Gigabit ports with the NBASE-T standard and 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports. It is a product oriented mainly to gaming, but it can be perfect to have the most advanced network possible by being able to configure aspects such as QoS, bandwidth or even customize the status LEDs of the switch.
Netgear Nighthawk GS810EMX-100PES – Pro Gaming SX10 Switch (8 Gigabit Ethernet Ports with 2 10G / Multi-Gigabit Ports)
Buy it at
EUR
354.43
D-Link DXS-1100-10TS
This model has 8 10GBASE-T 10 Gigabit ports and another 2 SFP + ports for connecting fiber optics. It has manageable firmware with which we can create VLANs, configure IGMP Snooping, do Port Mirroring or configure STP and RSTP. In addition, it is ready for IP video surveillance and for VoIP.
D-Link DXS-1100-10TS – 10GbE Managed Layer 2 Switch (8 10 GBase-T ports and 2 SFP + ports, 1U, bandwidth control, VLAN, traffic storm control, IGMP, loop detection)
Buy it at
EUR
521.74
NETGEAR GS908E
We continue to go down the price range with this manageable model with 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports for the LAN and 2 USB ports that allows us to configure aspects such as QoS or limit bandwidth.
Netgear GS908E-100PES – Signature Smart Managed Plus Gigabit Ethernet Network Switch (8 Ports with Simple Cable Management and 2 USB Charging Ports)
Buy it at
EUR
69.00
D-Link DGS-108
If we prioritize port expansion and price, we have this D-Link model with 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports . Despite not being manageable, they allow the IGMP Snooping function.
D-Link DGS-108 – Network switch (8 Gigabit RJ-45 ports, 10/100/1000 Mbps, metal chassis, IGMP snooping, autosensing, QoS 802.1p traffic prioritization) black color
Buy it at
EUR
27.71
D-Link DGS-105
The same as the previous one, but only with 5 ports and a cheaper price.
D-Link DGS-105 – Network switch (5 Gigabit RJ-45 ports, 10/100/1000 Mbps, metal chassis, IGMP snooping, autosensing, QoS 802.1p traffic prioritization) color black
Buy it at
EUR
17.95
D-Link DGS-1005D
Most basic version of the brand, although with a nice plastic casing, ideal in case we have to leave it in plain sight. It has 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports with Auto MDI / MDIX.
D-Link DGS-1005D – Network Switch with 5 Gigabit 10/100/1000 Mbps Ports Unmanageable Layer 2, Black
Buy it at
EUR
13.99
TP-Link TL-SG1005D
Solution for home users who do not want to spend too much to expand their network , but want to have more ports for wired connections. This model offers 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
TP-Link TL-SG1005D – Gigabit Network Switch with 5 Ports (10/100 / 1000Mbps, No Configuration)
Buy it at
EUR
12.72
TP-Link TL-SG105
Metal housing version of the previous model that also incorporates the 802.1p standard for QoS .
TP-Link TL-SG105 – Switch 5 Ports 10/100/1000 MBps Ethernet Switch, Gigabit Switch, Status Indicator, Stainless Steel with Super Heat Dissipation, IGMP Snooping, QoS, Black
Buy it at
EUR
16.95
Linksys LGS105
Amazon ranks it among the top rated models with 5 self-sensing Gigabit Ethernet ports, easy Plug and Play connection and QoS (Quality of Service) performance optimization feature.
Linksys LGS105-EU – Unmanaged Business Desktop Gigabit Switch (5 Ports, Plug and Play, Power Saving, Traffic Optimization), Blue and Black
Buy it at
EUR
22.90
Netgear Nighthawk GS810EMX-100PES
It is a ten port Gigabit Ethernet Switch that is clearly geared towards the gaming world. It is a team prepared for 4K HD streaming and for virtual reality, which gives us an idea of its power. We have three levels of traffic management in addition to QoS.
Netgear Nighthawk GS810EMX-100PES – Pro Gaming SX10 Switch (8 Gigabit Ethernet Ports with 2 10G / Multi-Gigabit Ports)
Buy it at
EUR
161.69
QNAP QSW-1105-5T
This Switch has five 2.5G Multigigabit ports with speeds of up to 298 MB / s. The metallic finish is good, although its design is not really spectacular. It is quite silent because it does not have a fan.
QNAP QSW-1105-5T Unmanaged Gigabit Ethernet Switch (10/100/1000) Black
Buy it at
EUR
119.14
Aruba Instant On 1930
In this case we have nothing more and nothing less than 24 Gigabit Ethernet PoE + ports and 4 SFP + ports at 10 Gbps. As you can imagine, the performance it achieves is really very good. This is one of the best switches with cloud management, as we have many options to configure it and an exceptional deployment with Aruba Instant On access points. This swicth incorporates an 800 MHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with 512 MB of SDRAM and 256 MB of flash. It may be something big, but considering that it has so many ports both its measures of 44.25 x 26.47 x 4.39 cm (1U) and its weight of 3.5 Kg, they are not as excessive as they may sound in A beginning.
Aruba Instant On 1930 Managed L2 + Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000) White 1U Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Buy it at
EUR
404.26
Edimax GS-5424G
The Edimax GS-5424G has 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports with the 1000BASE-T standard. In addition, it has 4 more SFP ports oriented towards fiber optics, since they use the 1000BASE-X standard. We have at our disposal the Long Range mode , which will allow us to have data from 200 meters away. It has a switching capacity of 52 Gbps, forwarding rate of 35.7 Mbps, MAC table of up to 8K entries and support for Jumbo Frames with a length of 9K bytes. Its dimensions are 441 x 197 x 45 mm, with a weight of 2.52 Kg. It has many LEDs where it indicates the operation of all ports, including SFPs.
