I am somewhat of a newbie when it comes to IT. Looking to buy a switch to increase number of ports. Using a Motorala modem Surfboard SB6121 and a Netgear router N600 (WNDR3700v2). The ports on the router are all being used. Any recommendations (specific models of Netgear) would be appreciated? I would be connecting a Bluesound Node 2i.
@Brodric mentioned unmanaged switches. It appears these are plug n play which I believe is what I would need.
Yep. Switches just turn a single LAN port into multiple ports. Managed switches have software features that can break the network up into multiple virtual segments, prioritize traffic, and a host of other things. Un-managed switches are just dumb boxes. An un-configured managed switch is also plug n play and will behave as an un-managed switch until it is configured. You just need an un-managed switch, and for that there are infinite choices.
I’ve used one of these for a couple of years with no issues.
But if it has to be Netgear.
None. Audio applications wouldn’t even come close to 50 Mbps per port let alone 10 Gbps.
None like Brodric said in the application we are using them for. It comes down to how much you want to spend and if sticking with a particular brand matters to you. If the metal case matters to you Trendnet makes the same switch in a metal case for a few dollars more. Didn’t matter to me as it’s out of sight.
I find with audio, slower spec’d networking equipment sounds better.
Thanks Elk
I use an ASUS RT-N66U. You can use it in any mode you like. I use it in access point mode happily for quite a few years.
Just add a Netgear switch for extra ports and perhaps an iFi 12v low noise power supply. I use a Cisco 3560 switch that has 8 ports and fibre optic output. I use the fibre optic to my audio system, converted back to ethernet via a TPLink media converter, powered by 9v battery.
Thanks Stevensegal. Might look into those low noise power supplies.