what to look for in a switch?
what to look for in a switch?
You're facing a challenge with your current setup as the fiber upgrade moves to higher speeds. You need more Ethernet ports—two downstairs and two access points upstairs—while keeping costs low and avoiding white switches. Look for budget-friendly gigabit switches with solid features, preferably in non-white finishes.
Are VLANs, PoE, or rack-mounted solutions required? If not, this unmanaged gigabit switch meets the needs here: https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-16-Port-G...B01AX8XHRQ. Otherwise, a web-managed PoE switch would be better.
unmanaged devices are going to stay on the floor. $67 is quite costly. in mind, I should have at least two 4-port units (preferably more than one), placed upstairs and a few downstairs where only two ports are needed. skipping PoE would save effort.
It offers 16 ports, which is a noticeable jump from the $20 price of a 24-port model. If you don’t require more than 16 or so, an 8-port setup should suffice. You can find suitable options here: the first link and this second one on Amazon. Power over Ethernet works well when you have specific needs, but for a single access point, adding another wall outlet likely won’t be a major issue and may not justify the extra expense.
PoE isn't really suitable in this setup; I'd prefer wall sockets instead, particularly for the switches. One is on the floor where the cable from upstairs enters, and another is near my computer—both have power outlets nearby. The APs might have used it before, but it doesn't matter much since they'll be close to power too. They come with decent length cables. Thanks for the ideas! I think I'll order one tomorrow from a Swedish retailer. It's nice that it's not plastic and offers good value.
Its generally not a great idea to have ANY electrical appliance on the floor that wasn't specifically designed to be there. Its also generally recommended to use as few switches as possible, they used to say only three unmanaged ones, but I have never had issues using more. If you include software bridges and my WiFi bridges, I have SEVEN switches. Although I'd love to reduce that number, main reason I haven't is larger switches being actively cooled and I don't have a server closet to hide it in.