Check if your setup needs managed switches and consider alternatives that fit your requirements.
Check if your setup needs managed switches and consider alternatives that fit your requirements.
Hey everyone, I set up a mini network in my flat because my WiFi was slow and unreliable. Since my house has fibre to the cabinet, the copper part from cabinet to my room caps the speed at around 70Mbps for Ethernet and makes Wi-Fi unstable. This made me stick to using Ethernet for all devices, but it felt clunky and forced me to use multiple ports. I ended up buying a Netgear switch for £16.99 each. One port links to my Apple TV, PS5, and 4K Blu-ray player, while another connects my phone via an adapter—this works at full speed. The second port is tied to a power line port in a small study, which connects to a switch for my computer, printer, and phone adapter. There’s a minor problem: when I use my phone on the network, its speed drops to 50Mbps on my computer. Would using an unmanaged switch be a better fit for this setup? Also, would upgrading to a Cat5e cable help improve performance in the study?
Cat5e cable supports up to 2.5 gbps, with 1 gbps reliably reaching 100 meters. Your 70 mbps likely stems from ISP restrictions rather than the cable itself. It’s conceivable a fiber-to-ethernet converter in the router caps speeds at 100 mbps (fast Ethernet), causing your connection to drop to 70 mbps due to ISP limits. If your switch features gigabit ports, LED indicators may reveal whether the other end connects to a 100 mbps port or a 1 gbps port. Power line adapters are affected by electrical noise from household devices such as phone chargers and microwave ovens, which can disrupt AC signals. You might also benefit from using an Ethernet switch instead of a router—switching to another Ethernet device allows you to see if the full speed is available. Each connected device can access the maximum bandwidth unless additional traffic exceeds it.
Unmanaged switches work well unless you start dealing with VLANs, which aren't necessary for a small home setup. The main advice would be to use your own router connected to the wired network, allowing you to link your phone directly instead of relying on a tether. If you have a modem (such as one provided by your ISP), connect it to the WAN port. For RJ45 Ethernet cables, plug them straight into the router for better performance. This setup usually improves WiFi speed compared to shared connections.