Best Gigabit Managed Ethernet Switches For Home and Small Business

If you are on the marker looking out for the best gigabit managed Ethernet switches strictly for home and small business use, look no further.

Ethernet switches are what you would be using on your computer to connect to multiple network devices. Ethernet switch primarily works as an extension of your network hub. The primary objective of using an Ethernet switch is to ensure stronger interconnectivity between your connected devices. They have been quite popular as they are capable of handling heavy network traffic. Let us check out the best Gigabit Ethernet managed switches that promise efficient performance in today’s post.

Also Read: List of Top Unmanaged Gigabit Switches

Best Gigabit Managed Ethernet Switches

Before we could move ahead with the comparison and choose the best Ethernet switches, it would be essential to understanding what exactly is a network switch and how does it work. The network switch forms part of a multi-port network bridge that would help you in handling your connections efficiently.

What Is an Ethernet Switch?

Network switches or Ethernet switches are what would help you connect hardware addresses to process and forward the information between your connected device and the computer. The switches can either be managed or unmanaged.

The Ethernet switches use a packet switching process. Each of the devices will request for packet data and will get it as soon as the switch processes it. Different names know the network switches – Bridging hub, Switching hub, and MAC Bridge being some of the commonly used terms.

Top Ethernet Switches in 2018

The Ethernet Switches have been quite abundant in the market, and that would make it quite challenging to opt for the best network switches that would meet your requirements. The network switch should be the one that would efficiently handle the incoming and outgoing traffic in your network.

D-Link Systems 52-Port DGS-1210-52

A robust network switch that would offer you the excellent performance at its best, this one provides you a massive 52 port configuration. It can indeed be the performer par excellence.

Out of the 52 ports, 4 are Gigabit SFP ports. IGMP Snooping, Port Mirroring, Spanning Tree, and Link Aggregation Control Protocol are some of the features that the switch would offer you.

Some features worth mentioning can be –

• The switch comes with D-Link Network Assistant Utility that improves the management functionality at its best. It is one of the best suited for administration and remote control access.
• Auto surveillance is one of the features would eliminate the need for dedicated security monitoring.
• The switch comes with power conservation features. The D-Link Green is a technology ensuring power conservation without affecting the operational performance.
• The SafeGuard Engine protects your system against virus attacks
• Supports 802.1Q VLAN, Auto-Voice VLAN, and Auto-Surveillance VLAN
• Security features such as Access Control List, 802.1X & RADIUS, ARP Spoofing-Prevention are available

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TP-LINK 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (TL-SG1024)

TP-Link has been one of the most popular computer component manufacturers. It has recently announced a 24 port Gigabit Ethernet switch that offers excellent performance.

The switch offers you full and half duplex transfer modes for different speeds. It is a capable switch that can take care of all your networking requirements.

Here are a few features that would set it apart from the competition –

• The solidly built switch and ensures high-performance data speeds up to 1000 Mb per sec.
• The TP-Link switch comes with 48Gbps Switching Capacity with 8K MAC address table, 10KB Jumbo Frame, and 4MB Buffer Memory. This would ensure a higher performance functionality regarding switching capacity.
• The diagnostic LEDs on the product give you precise information about what is going on with the switch. The LEDs work as the best means of identifying and fixing the issues.
• Green Ethernet technology is what would make it an excellent choice for taking care of your power requirements without while saving the power.
• The switch is easy to handle and configure. The Auto-negotiation on ports should be one of the best features that the switch comes with.

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Netgear ProSafe GS724T Switch

Netgear is a famous American company specializing in world-class products for individual users, businesses and service providers alike. The simple management, a unique technology, and secure data transmissions are what would make it an ultimate choice for all your needs.

The Netgear ProSafe GS724T is the best you can go with and provides you 2 Gigabit SFP ports in a desktop/1U rackmount form factor. Some of the worthy features that would make it an excellent choice are –

• Advanced Smart networking features include Layer 3 static routing with 32 routes
• The switch is specially designed keeping in mind the requirements of SMB customers. The build and design are meant for a high-end performance of the SMB sector.
• The Netgear products come with the capacity to meet the high-level switching capacity requirements of the industries.
• The switches offer you a secure management option. You would be able to setup, configure and monitor the switches in a web browser-based interface.
• The simple GUI makes it the best option you can ever have when it comes to setting it up.

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Cisco SG200-26 26-Port 10/100/1000 Switch

Cisco SG200-26 26-Port 10/100/1000 Switch is an affordable Gigabit Ethernet option that would suit high bandwidth applications. With native support for IPV6 technology, the switch is indeed one of the most reliable solutions for your high-efficiency requirements.

Some of the features that would make it an excellent solution can be summarised as  –

• The Ethernet switch comes with a superb switching capacity of 38.69 Mbit per sec.
• The maximum data transfer rates provided by the tool is 1000 bit per sec.
• The Cisco branded switch would offer you high-speed data connectivity options.
• The switch comes with an inbuilt network security protocols and offers IEEE 802.1X port security

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Linksys SE2800 8-Port Gigabit Switch

Linksys is a company that is well known enough for manufacturing products meant for home and small business users. It offers you a powerful Gigabit speed up to 1000 Mbps and faster than standard Ethernet speeds.

One of the best-selling Ethernet switches, Linksys offers you several features that would make it one of the excellent options for your needs-

• The slimmer, stylish and compact designs are a few parameters that would make it an excellent choice.
• The plug and play compatibility is what would make it an excellent choice for easy setup. The Gigabit switch also supports auto MDI/MDI-X.
• Power saving is what would make it an excellent choice par excellence. The power save feature shuts down all the ports that are not in use, sleep mode when the switch is inactive and energy saving features for the short cable modes.
• Auto-sensing ports technology automatically optimize speed for each connected device
• The Quality of service optimization ensures better compatibility between different ports.
• 10 Times faster rates in comparison to the standard Ethernet switches would make it the best choice for your needs in high-speed environments.

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ZyXEL 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (GS105SV2)

ZyXEL is a well-known manufacturer of DSL and other computer networking devices. An excellent connectivity option coupled with an uninterrupted browsing experience is what would make it an excellent choice.

Designed explicitly for seamless gaming and browsing experience, the ZyXEL 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (GS105SV2) is Plug and Play Compatible. The five port Gigabit connectivity offers an exemplary performance regarding speed.

Salient features worth the mention are –

• The faster connectivity coupled with an ultra slim design is what would make it an excellent choice for all your needs.
• One of the first 10 GB per sec switching capacity would make it a prime choice for your requirements.
• The QoS ports and three phase prioritization functionality is what would make it an excellent performer for all your needs.
• The plug and play connectivity enhance the connectivity options.
• The color LED indicators to let you check the connectivity status with ease and thus diagnosing the issues is quite simple and straightforward.

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The Concluding Thoughts

Finding the best network switch is not quite easy to come by. There are several options available in the market, but the level of information and expertise about the functionality of each of the alternatives is quite minimal. That would necessarily make pinpointing the best network switch a little tricky. There are several features you need to analyze before opting for a switch that meets your needs. Bandwidth utilization, switching capacity, and layer three routing are a few features you need to take care of. We would assume that the list of Ethernet switches we have featured here should be your perfect guide in that direction.

From that perspective, we would consider the Ethernet switches featured in this compilation should be quite handy and adequate for almost all your requirements. Do check them out for your needs and share your experiences with these switches through the comments section here below.