We've had a re-wire on our house (never again, but that is a long story!) and as part of the work, CAT6 cables were installed for TVs and the office. We need to get an 8 way network switch (if that's the correct terminology) and wanted to get advice or recommendations from the OV9 collective on which one. I've seen some which do POE, but I'm not sure if that's required. I'm a luddite when it comes to IT!
I have had a load of Netgear ones and they just work, and keep working reliably. Cheap from Amazon. Apparently I bought one of these in 2022: https://amzn.eu/d/03WmZVaB
Metal case which is nice. Though I have plenty which are plastic and that’s not an issue.
DeskJockey wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2026 6:59 pm
Do you plan to power cameras or other devices directly from the switch? Then PoE (Power over Ethernet) is needed.
Do you want/need to segment the network? If yes, you'll need a managed switch that'll do VLANs.
What throughput do you want? 1Gbps/port enough or do you want 2.5 or 10?
Where will it sit? Inside the house?
This is getting too complicated for me
No plan to power cmera etc It's purely to get hard-wired internet to the laptops in the office and various smart TVs around the house.
Not a clue about whether i want or need to segment the network.
Internet speed into the house is 500mbps, so presumably 1gbps should suffice.
Jobbo wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2026 9:45 pm
I have had a load of Netgear ones and they just work, and keep working reliably. Cheap from Amazon. Apparently I bought one of these in 2022: https://amzn.eu/d/03WmZVaB
Metal case which is nice. Though I have plenty which are plastic and that’s not an issue.
@DeskJockey clearly showing signs of having worked with customers in the past who want to know why what they've bought doesn't do what they (never) asked for
Yup, just get the one Jobbo linked - they're fucking indestructible. Their PSUs aren't, but that's a problem for fifteen years time.
If you need anything more complex than that, let whomever is setting up something more complex pick and choose.
That said, for those who haven't been paying attention, 5-port 2.5gb switches are getting more common at cheaper (if not still cheap) prices, worth looking at if you have super zippy fast internet.
The managed 2.5gb switches I have for the Unify stuff are £65 for a five port which isn't bad for a PoE powered (as an option) five port 2.5gb switch that you can fiddle with.
