mickevh
Distinguished Member
I'd be interested to explore how you have determined the incumbent HH "cannot cope" - have you any evidence (e.g. systems logs, etc.) or have "talked yourself into it?" There are many many cause of Wi-Fi problems and it is unwise to "just assume" all ills are attributable to your router. Thusly, a replacement may not be the cure all.
At the SOHO end of the switch market there's not a great deal to choose between them. Mostly you're shopping for the form factor (e.g. plastic versus metal) the "light show," if that sort of thing turns you on, and the price and warranty. You could compare the packet switching rates/bandwidth on the datasheets, but pretty much everything can handle full throughput on all ports simultaneously these days.
I'd just stay clear of any generic unbranded stuff and stick with one of the "big boys." I advocate buying 10/100/1000 (AKA "gigabit)" switches rather than slightly cheaper 10/100, though the latter is getting rare now. Then it's really about choosing an appropriate number of ports. Most "desktop" switches are "unmanaged" which means there' nothing to configure, just power up, cable up and off you go. Beware that some of the higher port count models might be active fan cooled which might make more noise than you think. But smaller "desktop" models tend to be passive cooled. Rack mounting options might be something to consider if you are thinking of deploying into a "proper" equipment rack, but it's not required. Desktop switches tend to be powered off an separate "wall wart" PSU rather than a built in transformer running off a "kettle lead." Bear in mind you'll need to get some juice to it.
At the SOHO end of the switch market there's not a great deal to choose between them. Mostly you're shopping for the form factor (e.g. plastic versus metal) the "light show," if that sort of thing turns you on, and the price and warranty. You could compare the packet switching rates/bandwidth on the datasheets, but pretty much everything can handle full throughput on all ports simultaneously these days.
I'd just stay clear of any generic unbranded stuff and stick with one of the "big boys." I advocate buying 10/100/1000 (AKA "gigabit)" switches rather than slightly cheaper 10/100, though the latter is getting rare now. Then it's really about choosing an appropriate number of ports. Most "desktop" switches are "unmanaged" which means there' nothing to configure, just power up, cable up and off you go. Beware that some of the higher port count models might be active fan cooled which might make more noise than you think. But smaller "desktop" models tend to be passive cooled. Rack mounting options might be something to consider if you are thinking of deploying into a "proper" equipment rack, but it's not required. Desktop switches tend to be powered off an separate "wall wart" PSU rather than a built in transformer running off a "kettle lead." Bear in mind you'll need to get some juice to it.
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