Kramer VP 81 - monitor/audio switch - 8 ports

Advantages: small compact size, metallic body, passive cooling=no noise
Disadvantages: gets a bit hot during summer

...using Windows 98/2k/xp over samba, which unfortunately only 50-60% efficient. Transfering files over FTP is gonna be miles faster than samba (windows file and print sharing) They are all auto MDI-X on every port, so it doesn't really matter if you';re using a cross over cable or not, as the switch will sort it out The LEDS on the ports indicate 1000mb or 100mb and the status LEDS on the panel indicate 10mb connection and blinking = activity. It's silent, as it's all passivly cooled, unlike 3com switches/hubs, which is good when you have these in the bedroom! It's solidly built and i really can't fault it, and I feel it's worth the money as most other switches are all plasticy and cheap looking/feeling. 1gb transfer over samba takes around 3-4 minutes... which is fast - as you'd expect for gig ethernet.... and ftp transfers are... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Fast, Reliable switching, Wall mountable, Solid piece of kit
Disadvantages: None!

......Male RJ45 cables that is. Netgear have a good reputation when it comes to network products, and the long running production of FS108 switches is testament to that. I have used several 8-port switches and this is my favourite. Fast It supports 100 Megabits per second per port per direction. So you can be uploading 100 Megabits a second AND download 100 Megabits a second, making a total of 200 Megabits per port. For the technophobic among us there are 8 bits in a byte, so 100 Megabits is 12.5 Megabytes. A fast broadband internet connect will most likely be 0.5 Megabits a second, which is 0.06 Megabytes a second... so this switch can shift a lot of data quickly. Informative Some switches have just one light per port to keep you informed. The FS108 has no less than FOUR lights per port! That's 24 lights plus 1 power... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Probably the cheapest 8-port 10/100Mbit switch
Disadvantages: A little plain

...If you want to connect up more than two computers to make a network, chances are you'll need somehting like this switch. You simply plug the network cables from each computer into the back, and it lets them all talk to each other. This switch allows up to 8 computers to be connected, however more than one (they don't have to be the same model) can be connected together if you want a larger network. The unit is designed to be used with standard UTP cables with RJ45 connectors. I bought this model because it was the cheapest one available and I don't think there is really a lot of difference between one switch and another other than the maximum transfer speed and the number of little blinky lights. This switch will automatically select between 10 and 100 megabit transfer rates but automatically detecting how fast the network cards... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful