Switch
Switch
My internet isn’t fast enough, and my family doesn’t think it’s worth spending on a whole-house switch. I’m just looking for one small device that costs around $40. I’m curious if it will really slow things down or if it’ll barely affect my speed. Right now I’m using 20 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload. I don’t have much experience with switches—I’ve never used one before.
The main change would be requiring more space, and since no one around thinks about filling the entire house with "gigabiting," I’m going for it myself. I need to move files between my room’s computers (it’s a bit of work, but I believe that’s the only way).
Unless all four connections are active at once, you probably won’t see a noticeable change in speed. Your link between PCs might work just fine when using only two connections, but performance could drop if you send data through all four simultaneously. This applies only when every port is used. If you’re connecting a single PC and a console, switching to WiFi would definitely improve the connection. Or if you’re using just two ports together, it makes a big difference. It really depends on how sensitive your switch is.