[RndTbl] SOHO Switches

[Gilles Detillieux]

According to Bill Reid:
> Brock Wolfe wrote:
>  > I need to do some network upgrading and started looking at 16 port
>  > ethernet switches for a small business network. The D-link, LinkSys,
>  > 3COM, Netgear, SMC, Ovislink, brands seem to be mostly available for
>  > this market niche.  Any recommends on make/models or features to use
>  > or avoid.   Thanks in advance for the advice.
>  >
>  > Brock
>  >
> 
> 
> The last couple of switches I bought were Netgear's FS605. Good price 
> and they have both been working without problem for a few months. A 
> great feature which is becoming more common is the ability to sense 
> which pair is receive/transmit so you do not need to worry about 
> rollover cables, etc. In other words any port can be the uplink port. 
> SMC also has this feature.
> 
> 
> As a side note: I would like to see equipment which requires a power 
> adaptor to use the kind that only use one space on the power bar. I have 
> seen one on a Netgear router last year and thought what a great idea.

We're using OvisLink SW-800 mini 8-port 10/100 switches on a couple
spots on our net here in Physiology, and they've been trouble-free so far
(about 2 months).  They too have the automatic crossover on all ports,
which is a nice feature.  Based on my experience, I'd expect that their
16-port product would be a safe bet too, though I wouldn't have too many
concerns about any of the brands you mention above.  The power adapter
is a bit on the large size for the 8-port model (heavier than the switch
itself) so you'd want to put it at the end of a power bar.

-- 
Gilles R. Detillieux              E-mail: <grdetil at scrc.umanitoba.ca>
Spinal Cord Research Centre       WWW:    http://www.scrc.umanitoba.ca/
Dept. Physiology, U. of Manitoba  Winnipeg, MB  R3E 3J7  (Canada)