Have you ever tried to connect a device to your router and realized that there are no more open Ethernet ports? It will make you think about buying network switch to add more ports for expansion, but you don’t know what else you’re looking for. In general, unless your home network is incredibly basic, you’ll want to 2.5 GbE or faster managed network switch. This will give you a solid foundation for your network to grow with no performance bottlenecks and access to advanced features like VLANs.
Why buy managed network switches instead of unmanaged ones?
Everything is under control
Managed network switches justify their higher cost giving you more options. Network flows, controls for creating virtual LANs (VLANs), and better visibility into how well data is flowing around your network. Of course, they also add more ports to connect to the best wired devices in your home. It all needs to be compatible, because the more things you connect, the better it will work for devices that don’t have Wi-Fi options.
You’ll also get per-port security features like Access Control Lists (ACLs). network access control only to devices you allow. And one of my favorites: monitoring cables to warn of any damage or potential bottlenecks caused by low transfer speeds. I want to be able to set high-quality quality of service (QoS) settings so that browsing is never slowed down by heavy data transfers, and now, thanks to the magic of Power over Ethernet, my wireless access points are set up with a single twisted-pair cable.
You can also notify you when your desktop or other devices go offline if you’re busy with high-uptime tasks. You don’t need it (always), but once you taste it, it’s hard to go back.
Some features are worth paying more attention to
Especially if you want to run IP cameras
Before I switched to UniFi I messed with selecting my last managed network switch. I wanted to run away Cameras and access points with Power-over-Ethernetbut I missed the part in the specs that states the maximum power per device and the total power budget of the PoE ports. I assumed that all eight PoE-powered ports at a maximum of 60W per port would be usable at this wattage. I made a mistake and it meant I couldn’t get some of the Wi-Fi 7 access points to work without external power.
You can basically switch to a 2.5 GbE enabled network switch as this speed will remain relevant for quite some time. Only recently have the average household gained access to gigabit or higher speeds from their ISP, and consumer equipment is still mostly on gigabit Ethernet. Most computer motherboards use 2.5 GbE, which is more common in laptops and other devices. If you know you’ll need additional bandwidth, 10 GbE is more affordable these days. It really depends on the other devices you will have on your network and how much you want to expand in the future.
Cheap unmanaged switches still have some use cases
Be as accurate as you can deal with uncontrolled switching in some cases, for example, if you are adding only a few Ethernet ports to a relatively flat network, or if you have a complex network that needs additional monitoring and management functions. They are easier to install and not every device needs insulation.
Not everyone wants to spend time at home as a system administrator, and connecting a few extra devices is not a big deal. The price difference between cheap managed network switches and unmanaged ones is relatively small, so I’d be interested in getting a managed one even if I never use the features.
Managed network switches are one of the best network upgrades
Your home LAN doesn’t have to be a complicated and mysterious task. The learning curve for using a managed link is very gentle and you get significant visibility and segmentation. And you probably don’t need to learn anything right away, because network switches are plug and play until you want to configure your home network, at which point you’ll need to learn how to access the local admin UI. If you don’t need the complexity, then an unmanaged transition will do just fine.
