Netgear have a good reputation when it comes to network products, and the long running production of FS108switches 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. + A link light so you know the cable is OK + A full duplex light + A 100 Mbps light + An activity light (multicoloured depending on collisions) So I know the exact status of every cable pluged into the FS108 just at a glance.
Reliable These switches are used all over the world and have a great reputation for being long lasting and reliable. I have never had any problems with one, nor heard of anyone who's had problems.
Clever & Secure Unlike a "hub" the switch doesn't take your information and send it to everything connected, it looks at what information you are sending and directs it to that device only. This is not only more secure, but also reduces the collisions of information packets and so the whole network speeds up. Clever!
Very Clever Being an "autosensing" switch it automatically knows whether the device being plugged in is running at 100 or 10 Mbps. Before this feature came along you had to tell a switch which it was, and if you got it wrong it wouldn't work. Also, running at 10 meant ALL the ports had to run at 10, even if they were 100 devices. The FS108 solves this issue by being very clever, and very useful!
Very Very Clever You can have what is called a "straight" cable, where the pins match up at both ends, or a "crossover" cable where 4 pins (2 twisted pairs) are reversed. You'd do that if you wanted to connect two computers directly without a switch. If you plugged a crossover into a normal switch it wouldn't work, because the pins would be wrong. This switch tests to see if it's a crossover and sorts it all out for you, so it will ALWAYS work! Very very clever, very very useful.
Solid Made from quite thick metal and spray painted with a thick layer of good quality blue paint, this device is built to last. I've had it sitting on my window in the sun for 10 months and it's not faded or faultered in any way. It's actually rather pretty too, in a way. The ports where you plug the cables into are very sturdy also, it's surprising the number of network devices that don't have good solid connections.
Well Designed Not only is the networking excellent, but the box itself well engineered. There are four holes on the back for wall mounting, and it can be hung in any direction. That is, having the front facing up, down, left or right. It even comes with it's own screws and raw plugs. The power cable is around the back out the way and all the network ports in a line across the front, with their leds nearby. I have another switch where the cables are all around the back with the power and the leds on the front... it's a nightmare. In my book the FS108 has got it right. There are little rubber feet which keep it staying where you put it. Most efficacious.
Price You can get one for under £50 these days. I bought one to replace my still working £10 Pheenet switch... the FS108 is much better overall, but not value for money wise.
Power Running off mains through a 12V transformer, this won't run up your leccy bills. The transformer has Netgear written on it, which is nice.
Packaging It came in a lovely box, but I noticed they spelt "installation" with only 1 l, so minus points for that. It came with a host of information about setting it up and wall mounting it, and it came with a form to send off for your warranty. I forget how many years it was for, possibly three. The Netgear website has a world of technical information about this, and their many other, network devices. So good support online as well.
Conclusion The best 8-port switch in the world (without getting into the fancy ones which can be computer controlled.) but not great value for money as you could get a cheaper one that would, in effect, do the same thing just not with the same panache!
Pictures
Inside the beast
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Sep 4th, 2004
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