Adding Ethernet Ports with a Network Switch

[@lesliedeana5142]

You know that you are obsessed with computers when you outgrow your 2nd 16 port switch!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Hi Leslie. And yes, that does strike of obsession. :)

[@Reziac]

LOL, I have this problem... three 8-port (the big brother of Chris' switch) and ... I think I need to buy another.

[@montecorbit8280]

@@ExplainingComputers At 3:16 types of switches.... You haven't mentioned it yet, and I haven't finished the video....but this might have been a good time to mention hubs and the difference between hubs and switches. I don't know if you can even get hubs anymore, but you mentioned 10 and 100 megabit switches, if you can get them you can probably get a hub....

[@reecebower9934]

I was recently gifted a 48-port gigabit tp-link. I used to have multiple 8-ports. Really nice to cut down on clutter and power cables.

[@Reziac]

@@reecebower9934 I have a pair of 24 port someone gift me, but I use the 8-ports because my PCs are all over so it's actually less clutter -- fewer cables!

[@brysi]

I was hoping you were gonna touch on POE switches when describing the different kinds but this was great and very informative.

[@ExplainingComputers]

A very good point. I must return to POE.

[@terrydaktyllus1320]

@@ExplainingComputers I agree, POE is definitely worth covering in a bit of detail, particularly in reference to Raspberry Pi and SBCs. So far for SBCs there are: 1. A couple of models that support POE natively (I can't remember which ones but I have definitely come across it), 2. Some boards support it with the addition of a board or a hat, as Raspberry Pi does, and 3. You can buy "splitters" that will separate the POE into standard Ethernet and a separate USB or barrel jack to power the device that way.

[@SeanBZA]

@@ExplainingComputers Yes POE is becoming very common as homes get IP cameras and such installed, which all then only need a single cable run to the device. While IP camera prices are dropping, you still find it common to have cameras that use coax cable, though there you also have use of UTP cable as well and a balun at each end, so 2/3 pairs are used for power to the camera, and one pair is used for video back, allowing you to have 2 cameras at a single point, and only run one low cost cable. There I have often used CCA wire, as the cable is very cheap, not that great for flexibility, but as it will be installed once, and left alone, cheap in that you can run 2 or 3 to all locations for future expansion, as the hardware is upgradable, and the biggest cost of installing them is laying the cable, not the actual cable itself. I have used entire boxes for a 4 camera install in a small house, just having those spare cables tucked up out of sight meant the future upgrade to 8 or 16 cameras was very low cost to do.

[@tedoyle61]

Yep with all the network cameras and what not.. that could be quite interesting.

[@SeanBZA]

@@terrydaktyllus1320 The splitters are common on CCTV, powering a camera that is non POE, or to allow you to put in single POE cameras without needing to spend a lot of money in upgrading a switch, often a more expensive managed one still with a lot of service life on it, to POE. Seen them a lot with one or two IP cameras running POE, and the server has a 48 port manages switch that is not POE capable, but the replacement is likely to quadruple the cost of the install.

[@LannisterKing]

i dont trust wi-fi at all i have all wired network at 2.5GBE/1GBE network

[@JeffGeerling]

5:15 thank you for your excellent translations for those of us not in the UK :)

[@SebLukaTech]

YES, appreciate it also, while @Jeff Geerling, hope your recovery goes brilliantly. Peace all!

[@RoboNuggie]

A back to basics guide on an essential need for those of us who perhaps prefer non-wifi connectivity when we have a choice! Thank you Chris, have a great Sunday.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Perfectly said! :)

[@dougr.8653]

Hey, RoboNuggie. Thanks for the challenge of using FreeBSD in 2023. I’m testing NomadBSD and it is awesome. Nice to see my two favourite content creators in the same comment section 🤣

[@Reziac]

@@ExplainingComputers Which brings to mind... maybe you'd find a topic in comparing the BSD desktops (I've never had any luck with them myself).

[@ExplainingComputers]

@@Reziac A "FreeBSD Week" video remains on my slate! :)

[@VauxhallViva1975]

I still prefer hardline wherever possible. WiFi bands are getting VERY clogged up with everything now wanting their slice of the bandwidth, and I find that hard-wired ethernet is simply the most reliable, with the least number of problems - compared to WiFi connections. WiFi has it's place, sure, but if you have a device that has an ethernet port on and and WiFi also, USE THE ETHERNET PORT if you possibly can.

[@pavan13]

I have the TL-SG105E but it can be managed through the web and also has the indication Led for each ports

[@harrkev]

Don't forget to mention the physical layout of the switch. Some are great for desktop usage. All of the ports and power connections are on the back, and the lights are on the front. Others have ports and lights on the same side (like the one you got), but the power connections are on the other side.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good point.

Having the ports on the front and the power connection in the back is better for a switch on a test bench, because the ports are all where you can easily reach them. If you are using a desktop switch to permanently install multiple devices on a single desk, you might prefer the ports and power in the back and the lights on the front, or if you find the blinky lights distracting you might prefer everything to be in the back. If you're going to wall mount the switch, where the ports are doesn't much matter; you'll almost always install it with the ports on the bottom because the network cables will hang more neatly that way, and the other stuff will just be wherever it is. If you're doing a larger scale wired network installation for a house or small business, it's also likely to involve a patch panel. That would be a subject for another video!

[@GEOsustainable]

Funny you should mention lights. I am on a quest to remove as many lights from my life as I can. The few I do have all have electrical tape covering the lights. The one's I can get to, I snip with pliers to disable them. The night never looked better, I can finally see the stars from my window again. I don't need a light to tell me if something is working, that is why I keep a hammer on the desk, to motivate electrical things. JK. Note to all designers, lights are just phantom loads and should be eliminated. The power consumed by phantom loads across America must be in the gigawatts.

[@ElmerFuddGun]

One other point... is a _switch_ doesn't share a 1Gbps (in this case) limit between all the ports. ie. Port 1 can talk to port 2 at 1Gbps at the same time as port 3 is talking to port 4 at 1Gbps. This is the big advantage of a switch over older hubs that would bottle neck by sharing its total bandwidth. This is especially important for networks with many more connections. Imagine how a 24 port switch can still keep 24 computers all happy at the same time.

[@6581punk]

Yep, what you have described is the difference between a hub and a switch. For a busy network you look for a wirespeed switch as that has enough processing power to service all ports at full speed.

[@terrydaktyllus1320]

@@6581punk There's one more important difference that people often forget - a hub is half duplex transmission whereas a switch is full duplex.

[@Reziac]

Thanks. That explains why I've never observed any bottlenecking among my mess of PCs and switches. (Randomly daisy-chained every time I ran out of ports.) And sometimes several are busy at the same time.

[@RottnRobbie]

@n n I don't know of anywhere you can buy a new hub, but old stock certainly does exist. And in _very_ limited circumstances, can be useful. I have an _unpowered_ hub in my laptop bag for the rare case where I need to work on a network issue for somebody in a location where there's no extra power or ethernet outlets. All switches require power, but some very basic hubs like mine are essentially like line splitters. It's slow as heck, but it's small and light enough not to matter, and with it and a patch cord I can tap in anywhere there's an RJ-45 cable connection.

[@saharatul]

Please review used small form factor Dell PCs like the Optiplex 3060 Micro. They can be good alternatives considering the Raspberry Pi drought.

[@mrh829]

This is completely pedantic, but worth mentioning that there are some networking professionals that will insist that making a DIY CAT6 network cable with crimp-on connectors won't be "CAT6 certified," and instead all of your DIY wiring should run between punchdown jacks, and use pre-made patch cables from the jacks to your devices. That said, I've certainly never run into any issues myself when using crimp-on connectors, but if a poor connection was made with the crimp, I can see how this could lead to intermittent connections or reduced transmission speeds, so just something worth considering when deciding how to go about running network connections. At a minimum, anyone making DIY cable connections should always have a tester device to test each pair of wires to make sure all connections are made and going to the proper pins at the other end of the cable.

[@Colin_Ames]

An excellent guide to the basics. I had to do something similar when I moved into my current house. My ISP’s gateway is in the kitchen, and it’s logistically not possible to run an ethernet cable to a room above the attached garage. The ISP provided what they called a “pod” which connects wirelessly to the gateway, and which I have upstairs (like a mesh network). The pod has two ethernet ports, and is also wireless, but my original XBox needs ethernet, as does my desktop PC, so a simple switch provides that functionality.

[@wildbill23c]

I just use an old Linksys Router as a dumb switch at the other end of my house...runs from the DSL modem into the spare bedroom....gives plenty of additional connectivity.

[@trevorford8332]

Sounds like you need a bigger home, for all your hardware. 😊

[@ExplainingComputers]

It does indeed in danger of taking over . . .

[@XSpImmaLion]

Great explainer! I'm running something similar here, but I have two switches.... one by the side of the main router, and one under the TV. I've been considering going in the rabbit hole of managed switches with either pfsense or opensense though... I have a major issue at home here that the router provided by my ISP is an old piece of crap brand that I now know has a fixed and vulnerable admin password scheme, unpatchable. The ISP is refusing to replace my equipment and I doubt they'll have anything better there to replace anyways, so I'm offloading everything I can from it and putting hardware in front of it to stop any potential attacks. It's fiber, and I can't find any good fiber router to buy locally that has a reputation of being secure enough. Also considering to use my old Raspberry Pi to shove a PiHole in front of it too... xD Oh well, lots of side projects to go into.

[@Tom-sg4iv]

I just sold all my managed switches and got simple Tenda switches, saving about 10watt on each

[@Reziac]

I have three of those TP-Link 8-port switches. Literally the most painless hardware I've ever owned -- just plug everything into whatever port is convenient, and it all works. (They also have cable-sensing, so any cable will work.) In fact I have them daisy-chained (something like your setup) with almost every port occupied, and still no issues whatever. Also, that switch runs very cool -- no need for a fan. An excellent example of how to make home networking easy for anyone.

[@MicrobyteAlan]

Very interesting and well presented thanks. Good stuff to know.

[@michaelclement1337]

I used a discarded modem as a 100mb switch at the end of a 20mtr cable and it’s perfect for zoom regardless of whatever is happening in a house of tech savvy kids. Perhaps when I get into file servers I’ll do the upgrade but until then I’ll stick with the ewaste I’m using

[@ExplainingComputers]

A good solution. I too like avoiding e-waste.

[@LeeZhiWei8219]

I'm taking a computing course in school and we just covered networking last week with Gigabit Switches and LANs. What a coincidence. Awesome video. Love your stuff. PS I think I used this switch too.

[@SylphidUndine]

i'm all for ethernet ports. it's just so much more reliable than wifi. and most of the work i do is stationary anyway.

[@danielmalcom7643]

Hi Chris, as a network engineer, a great starting video for people. But slightly upset the ocd , when you didn’t use port 5 for your uplink. I know it doesn’t make any difference, but port 5 just sits over there on its own, saying I am the uplink. Lol. 😂

[@moe4b]

You're still on phone line? That must stuck; How fast is your internet, my ADSL tops up at 8mbps

[@markamd1]

I'm also on a phone line and i get about 180megs/sec

[@Saavik256]

I use a 24-port managed switch at home, in which I recently had to replace the fan because it started sounding like a turbine. It's ridiculous how loud a 40mm fan with a busted bearing can be!

[@daveac]

As always a very useful guide. I have for some time an unmanaged Network Switch (sitting behind) my UHD TV which has an Network port (that I find better than wireless) for streaming 4K movies. As well as the TV I connect my YouView (Freeview) Box, my Humax Satellite Box and my Apple TV Box. The powered box works seamlessly with them all.

[@rv6amark]

Thank you for staying with a basic switch installation. I had installed the very same switch in a room where I have 4 computers (you can never have enough computers in a room, can you?). I apparently did everything correctly, because it exactly matches what you did and works great. Consider a video on POE switches for the future since POE boards are available for many of the Pi's now, including the zero W!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Lots of requests here for a PoE video. Noted!

[@MG-bv1vl]

Can you do a Video on the difference between a Switch and Hub? Thank you in Advance!

[@ToroMoto]

This was very useful an I'm currently wiring a house for network cable.

[@jgurtz]

Good basic info here for those raised on wireless! One thing I learned the hard way over the years when connecting an outbuilding with Ethernet is to make sure the mains ground is also connected between the two buildings. If not, ground loops can form and some devices will experience odd and difficult to troubleshoot connection issues. Another issue is if the local weather includes thunderstorms: depending on the nature of the buildings the Ethernet connection can be a path for lightning to infiltrate. For these two reasons, I now do building to building connections only with fiber. It is kind of annoying having to get media converters or pricier switches, but it does prevent these kinds of issues. There are also Ethernet optical isolators available which can solve ground loop-related issues.

[@harrkev]

Hmmm. The Ethernet standard is supposed to allow for stuff like that. All incoming data is sent straight to a transformer, so a common ground should not be necessary. This is how you can plug a computer into a POE switch without frying it.

[@m8hackr60]

@@harrkev This ^^ But funny enough, I had POE fry a port on a cheap switch. I can tell you that I was pretty worried about my POE switch on the other end... But a few months later and I think I'm gtg. 😉

[@yogimanuk]

Great video as usual Chris. I would have pointed out the awful positioning of the power cable relative to the ports, this always seems like a dumb idea to me for a desktop or wall mounted switch. Having the power on the opposite side of the unit is fine in a cabinet but messy otherwise. Doesn't detract from your fine videos though.

[@parrotraiser6541]

The slow oozing of network kit over the diminishing desk space makes me wonder if some hardware vendor is missing the opportunity to provide a modular switch set-up like Lego, or the elegant computer setup that Motorola produced in the 1990s, just before they quit the business. That interlocked physically to form a tower, automatically making connections.

[@ExplainingComputers]

A very nice idea.

[@donkeyk1988]

Always find your home networking content really informative, hardwiring the house is something I’d like to do at some point. Perhaps a series of videos on the subject?

[@ExplainingComputers]

An interesting idea . . . will keep in mind. :) For others, my Ethernet wiring video is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3elgqaLrNaslck

[@donkeyk1988]

@@ExplainingComputersyeah I found that video helpful too - it was that video and this one that gave me the idea to suggest a series on it. Not sure what the viewing figures would be like but I’d certainly watch it!

[@GizmoFromPizmo]

The TP-Link brand of networking hardware is very good and very reliable. If I have a choice between TP-Link and any other brand, I'll choose TP-Link every time. I've had a lot of success with that brand.

[@jmwintenn]

interesting, both my trendnet and netgear switch said to use port 5 for the gateway connection.

[@Calculus58]

Worth checking that all the ports on the router are 1Gb. My router has a port that is restricted to 100Mb, so that would not be the one to plug a switch into.

[@doyourhomework7305]

You can even power that one with a USB to DC barrel plug cable since it runs on 5V. Can save some cable clutter if you already have a free USB socket nearby anyway.

[@ExplainingComputers]

A very good point.

[@RoshiGaming]

Even if I already know the content of the videos, I always enjoy watching your videos Chris, nice and concise! This video, like many, also got me thinking about my own setup at home, and I somehow forgot about an 8 port cisco switch I had laying around upstairs that will help quite a bit with expanding my home network for free!

[@graphosxp]

unmanaged switch also work great when paired with MOCA Adapter for Ethernet Over Coax.

[@tonykeltsflorida]

My switch is the TL-SF1005D. It is almost the same.

[@Uniblab8]

I use switches on my network. Very convenient and cost-effective plus they work very well. This is a good video that validates my limited knowledge of how these things work and if I did, indeed, make the right decision in employing them. Perhaps do a video on bandwidth (if you haven't already) for those who confuse how router speed and bandwidth work. I suppose there are many ways of explaining this to those with limited knowledge of how these are affected by how many devices are being used at the same time versus the advertised speed of the router itself.

[@sagetechnology4913]

You have VDSL? And do you still get 45/9 as you demonstrated in previous videos? Don't you live in Nottingham? and shouldn't it be fairly easy to get cable (FTTC/B) or Fiber (FTTH/P) Internet, being that Nottingham is a major city?

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, I have VDSL with a 45/9 connection. A faster connection could be possible, but not without some logistical headaches. And I've no need for more speed.

[@kencreten7308]

That reminds me... I have a few switches that need installing. :)

[@srtcsb]

I've got at least one hub and one extra switch packed away somewhere (don't really need them anymore). I guess if I had more RPi units going, I'd need to use my switch, but I don't really bother with all that lately. This is useful information though. Thanks for another great video.

[@Nza420]

Years ago, when I had DSL, the modem lived on the first floor, at the rear of the house. I needed connectivity for the front of the house on the second and third floors. I crawled under the house, sent the patch cable up through a hole I drilled, and then proceeded to army crawl the hundred feet or so to the front of the house with the reel of cable. I used a hub on the second floor and ran another cable from the hub up to the third floor. A few years ago, my brother pulled those cables out, only to discover that wifi in a Victorian era house doesn't really work that well... needless to say, he expressed his regret. Even though it was 24 years ago when I pulled those cables, the rating was Cat5e, which still is capable of 1 Gbit.

[@001delight9]

still using the DSL modem, i've missed the old days of DSL since 2008, until last year, i've got the fiber, it's mandatory in my country on my telco provider that all former DSL subscribers to convert to fiber

[@kjrchannel1480]

I still use a hub as they were called many years ago. I think people are fooled into paying more for GBit internet, when they only use WiFi. My speed is 20Mbs , so the 100Mbs router and hub are more than enough in my case. I think cat5 is king, but I hate when the clips break. Luckily I found repair clips in a bag of 50. I wish I had those a long time ago.

[@ExplainingComputers]

They are still called hubs! :) A switch is in effect a smart hub, that knows what it is connected to, and routes data accordingly. Switches used to be a lot more expensive than hubs. But these days switches are much cheaper, so hubs are rarely used.

[@BestSpatula]

Instead of suggesting Cat6, you should probably suggest Cat6a which is generally about the same price, but can do 10Gb at the full 100 meters.

[@ExplainingComputers]

And I was worried that I should have indicated that Cat5e leads would be fine. :) I totally agree with your suggestion to future proof if permanent cabling is being installed. But the chance of anybody at home needing a 10Gb connection lead -- implying that they have a 10Gb connection on the devices at both ends -- is very slim right now, and likely to remain so.

[@rickharms1]

I am a retired system admin/tech. The first 10Mb switch I worked on cost $10,000. They dropped in price a bit.😀😀😀

[@ExplainingComputers]

Wow! What a great statistic.

[@encycl07pedia-]

Suggestion: Go over the ethernet-over-power networking (not PoE). It's pretty ingenious way of adding wired networking to a building one doesn't own or can't modify with new network outlets.

[@martinsmith5028]

Thanks Chris, another great vid. PnP unmanaged was how I added extra ports to my home office (mancave)

[@bfapple]

Does it mean anything that port 5 is separate? Or is that simply due to RJ45 sockets not being available in odd quantities.

[@ExplainingComputers]

It does not mean anything. My guess is that this is the case because they could not get a 5-port RJ45 block, so had to build the switch using a standard 4-port block, and a single.

[@bfapple]

@@ExplainingComputers Thanks. A great video as always 👍🏻

[@jimbrown9542]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but double check the ports on your router, older routers especially, can have a mix of 100M and 1G ports on the back. I have 3 of these switches dotted around my house and they are invaluable in use, even for those devices that have both wifi and wired connections, I always use the ethernet connection first.

[@MyMy-tv7fd]

I just lost patience with my wifi and plugged two patches into the D-Link router - and of course they fly. So now I am looking at ensuring that I do not run out of ports...down to my last two...how timely can we get?

[@ExplainingComputers]

I remember talking to a telecoms engineer a few years back, and he was complaining that "almost all customer Internet connection problems are actually WiFi problems -- and can be solved by connecting to the router with Ethernet". :)

[@JeSuisUnePatate]

I still have the first gigabit switch that I bought almost 25 years ago and it's still working fine! It's the only computer component that I ever bought that it isn't obsolete or died yet. 🤓

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

I have an identical setup to connect the router in the living room to the attic where I have rather too many computers. Our house had been wired for data when we moved in, though for some reason there was no ethernet socket near the incoming phone line. A little rerouting of an unused cat5 cable that terminated in the attic solved the problem, and it now connects to a 5-port unmanaged switch that supplies an internet connection to 4 computers. 😄

[@ExplainingComputers]

Cool.

[@GladiatorUTD]

What is the difference between plugging the cable coming from the wifi/router into port 1, as a pose to plugging it into port 5 that is labelled Link/Act?

[@ExplainingComputers]

No difference. :) The Link/Act -- link/activated -- label refers to what the LEDs show on all of the ports. My guess is that the one port on the end is different as they had to build the switch from a standard 4-port RJ45 component, plus an extra single one.

[@temyraverdana6421]

Wow, very very interesting lesson. Thanks a lot

[@aldfort5781]

Sorry, noob question. I use IP over mains to get ethernet upstairs in the house. Can I connect a switch to the upstairs ethernet port? (Yes I know it will be bottlenecked to an extent.)

[@ExplainingComputers]

No problem at all. Yes, you can plug a switch into an IP-over-mains adapter. It should work fine.

[@j.macjordan9779]

Let's say I didn't want to attach my switch to my router; instead I wanted it to facilitate communications for a basic Kubernetes cluster or something of the like - let's say I had my main PC (x86), a Win11 MS Volterra (ARM64), a pair of Jetson Nanos (ARM64), & a pair of Beelink SER5 Ryzen 5 5500U Mini PCs (x86), & I had a bigger switch, & I wanted to link all this hardware up for some reason or another. All but the Jetson Nanos would be running Windows 11 Pro (Ubuntu for the Nanos); all would technically have wifi access through their own hardware & all would have storage through their own hardware as well, thereby not absolutely needing direct Ethernet connectivity to my router, just the Network Switch. In this case, is an unmanaged switch pretty much out of the question? Because connecting them via a switch currently...none of them will even recognize one another without some effort. Is there any automatic recognition once Kubernetes is installed on one machine? Or, Would this require installing Kubernetes individually on each machine, setting static IP addresses, using the manager interface to enter all the IP addresses & then assigning various roles, etc., then deploy? And even then, would all this instead require a managed switch...? I thought it was supposed to be simple to deploy Kubernetes -- I recall Google's CEO demonstrating how easy it was at one of their tech shows by stating "Hey Google" ... "Please set up for me a Kubernetes Cluster running on this number of computers!" ...& 10s Later, Google says ~"Done." Meanwhile, I don't even talk to my devices like any lunatic might? ...I just don't understand Google; they'll probably have the software discontinued once it becomes a fairly simple install...& that could literally be this week still for all I know!

[@iankearns]

We had a young noob start in our team earlier this year and didn't have any concept of cabled or wired ethernet. Only ever used WiFi for mobile devices, smart devices and even gaming.

[@mr.dingleberry4882]

Hello Ian, do you mind telling me what is it that your team does? I'm looking forward to a career as a network technician/sysadmin, so in case thats your occupation I would like to know what topics would you consider as essential to be educated in for those fields?

[@paulanderson7796]

Most corporate building centric LANs can work with smart switches. There are arguments for switching at layer 3 even if your hosts on each VLAN don't exceed that by private IP class. Corporate networking is very different from domestic and SME networking.

[@Vampier]

I use TP-link for everything network related in my home with several NAS server and ProxMox instances running - never had a problem - except my main router needs a reboot every once a while, but that's nothing a TP-link power switch can't automate ;)

[@gcolombelli]

I got an TL-SG108E years ago and it works like a charm, it even supports IGMP snooping and works with the IPTV boxes my provider sent to connect to my PON ONT. Very quiet and doesn't get hot, very reliable. Despite being unmanaged, it still got some limited features that plain old "unmanaged" switches don't usually get, like assigning VLAN identifiers to each port and also port mirroring, so I guess it's on the "smart switch" category. The only thing I think would be nice to have that is missing is 802.1X (PNAC), but then, that's not something most people would miss having in their home network. 8:20 oh no, if it's going outside, consider using a pair of media converters and optical fiber, the 8-bit Guy used to just run an UTP cable like you between his house and his parent's house next door and after one lightning strike nearby, he had some massive damage to stuff connected to ethernet. Some 8P8C connectors even fused into the ports on one of the switches if I recall correctly.

[@BigA1]

For the record, can you expand a system by plugging one of these switches into one of these switches and if so - is there a practicle limitation?

[@ExplainingComputers]

You can do this, but no more than two such "hops" is generally advised.

[@GizmoFromPizmo]

If I have a network printer I want connected and I don't have a gigabit switch, I have used a small 10/100 switch to get the job done. Printers don't require high bandwidth.

[@TrollingAround]

Thanks, another clear and helpful vid. Worth noting that Windows sometimes does funny things to bandwidth during file copies, probably better to use iPerf3?

[@Sgthawker]

What about daisy chaining switches? I have a 5 port hooked to my router with a cable into my upstairs with a second 5 port switch, and from it, a cable back into my living room, hooked to a third 5 port switch. I have limited access to run these cables to a single location for say a 16 port switch. Does this cause any problems? By the way, I enjoy your content, thank you for your efforts.

[@alexlandherr]

I’ve got one 5-port gigabit desktop switch daisy-chained into my first gigabit desktop switch (of the same model TL-SG105) because I have *many* RPi:s. The second switch is some cheap little D-Link one. FYI: Though mine doesn’t say “S” at the end of the model name.

[@cumberland1234]

It looks like the only marked difference is something to do with the rubber feet

[@TheFrantic5]

I keep getting vaguely annoyed at having to clarify "Network Switch" considering how popular the Nintendo Switch is.

[@Zactivist]

Great video as always. I have several 16 port switches and haven't added to them in years, even though they are full. I've found since I've had a mesh network with ethernet backhaul my wireless speeds are just as fast. I never thought I'd operate most new devices wirelessly, but that's been the case for several years. (My desktop computers all wired except one for my wife in the kitchen- all streaming devices, laptops etc wireless).

[@Builtbypete]

I saw your comment on network speeds. I think Monaco has a mean speed of 319Mbps. The UK is way down at 145Mbps.

[@elmestguzman3038]

Thank you for the content. Have you ever though about making a pfsense/opnsense type router video?

[@ExplainingComputers]

I have not, but it is a good idea. Noted!

[@ledoynier3694]

Incredible, so people can get a network going without expensive UniFi stuff youtubers keep hammering us with :)

[@matneu27]

"Rooter" pronunced in Germany 😉 Anyway there is also a company that sells "modified" switches for audiophile people with the promise of better sound experience and less disortion. Sure no snake oil product 😁

[@melon3210]

Why is the 5th port on that switch kind of seperated? Does that one have any special features like PoE?

[@ExplainingComputers]

It is separated because nobody sells a 5-block RJ45 connector. So they have to build the thing from a 4-block, and an extra socket. There are no special features.

[@WildkatPhoto]

Sunday morning Switched EC

[@manout-kidin8735]

So how many PC do you have running @ your home on any given day ? Its ok to be not exact . Less or more than 5 ?

[@ExplainingComputers]

Very rarely more than two running at the same time, unless I'm rendering animation. But even then, under five. :)

[@tadashitani]

Hi, I got surprised you are not using a pfSense or any Unifi product. Perhaps a good suggestion for a video would be talking about this?

[@williamarnold4349]

Good informative video, thank you.

[@dant5464]

Regarding power consumption, and to give people a general figure, at the plug my 16 port unmanaged Netgear switch uses around 22.55 kWh over a year, which is £7.63 at the current rate of 33.83p/kWh.

[@ElmerFuddGun]

Wow, I didn't know electricity was so expensive in the UK. Mine in Canada is less than a 1/5 of that.

[@ElmerFuddGun]

But that is one thing (electricity costs) that most people unfortunately don't think about and they keep plugging things in that they don't use or need.

[@dant5464]

@@ElmerFuddGun it was 9.4p five years ago. I'm pretty sure I heard of some places in Europe being >50 (euro) ¢ /kWh recently

[@ElmerFuddGun]

@@dant5464 - Oh. That's a crazy increase. All because of the war, I guess.

[@terrydaktyllus1320]

@@ElmerFuddGun That's what our corrupt government here would have you believe anyway...

[@menone8532]

I'd like to see you a video about moca adaptors. Getting 1 gig fiber internet installed this month. I'm going to use moca adaptors to turn my old cable from my home office to my garage across my driveway into a nat cable. Seen good results on u tube about it. I'd rather hear your take about it if you can review it.

[@mr.dingleberry4882]

What an amazing video! As someone who is into computers, I am embarrassingly uneducated when it comes to networking and have only recently started to work on that so this type of content is very valuable. I also appreciate that you clarified this 5:28 because the meaning of these terms can be rather difficult to tell apart for someone in my position. You also answered every single one of my questions with that "Speed Bottleneck?" segment before I even had a chance to ask them! I remember seeing someone mentioning "Explaining VLAN" as a video idea on your 2022 channel update, and I believe I'm not the only one who wishes for more networking content in general as it seems to be an unexplored frontier on your channel. There is so much stuff to learn there, and I think many people would love to learn them from you!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your kind feedback.

[@billythekido1414]

Useful guide Chris. You haven't updated or built a new PC in while!

[@ExplainingComputers]

You are right -- a build must be on the cards. :)

[@MiniRockerz4ever]

I got a network switch connected to a network switch, because router only gets good signal in 1 room and wifi is a joke if you have solid walls...

[@thabg007]

I had a nice 8 port router + a 16 port switch, both 1 gigabit, but the router died, and by that time my fav brand of router newest routers were only 4 port, but since I had plenty of room on my 16 port switch I bought the wifi AX/6E 4 port router. Most devices that are wired to the network use cat 5e or 6 UTP cables. But when backing up to my NAS, when full gigabit speed is needed the most my computer &/or NAS would drop down to 100mb mode. Which was annoying, but I unplugged then plugged back in then it renegotiated the connection back to 1 gigabit mode. I got tired of doing that and switched my main computer and NAS to cat6 STP. now it always stays in 1 gigabit mode.

[@Pumpkinhead77]

It's a lot simpler than I expected. I thought you might have to configure the router somehow.

[@TheTrueCBaer]

The statement that all ports get full speed when the traffic is non colliding is not true. And also the traffic may get prioritized depending on what port you plug in. However if you don't push things you can just ignore that. These unmanaged switches have a lot of secret details. If not in the documentation of the switch you can read the datasheet of the chips in these.

[@USBMEDICMalcolmScole]

So nice seeing stan lee again . Im hooking out my nighthawk with ddwrt from its draw where it sits an meditates.....Keep wondering if i can get a tiny core linux desktop running off the router hardware.

[@GutnarmEVE]

*edit* thanks again for a well-thought-out video; had you posted this like 2 months ago, I'm damn sure my dad would've got it and sorted out things on his own. due to your neglect of timely publishing, we had to socialize and have dinner aswell. now that i think about it: thanks again ;) anyways. still wanted to mention this: bandwidth is shared between connected devices on a "hub" - quite extinct in today's networking world (last i've seen was a 10mbit ether+bnc combo), but still a familiar concept with usb devices. networking switches have a stated backplane switching capacity/bandwidth; basically, how much parallel traffic they can handle between their ports. if you daisy-chain them, the obvious bottleneck is that single connection point limited to that port's bandwidth. "pro"+ switches tend to have a couple extra ports with higher bandwidth for exactly that reason (like, a 48-port 1gbit switch having a pair of gbic slots, or proprietary "up/down" connectors at the back)

[@TomMannCenturia]

I have the 8 port of that switch, amazing how quickly you can fill it up.

[@alanthornton3530]

Excellent video & very timely Chris, I'm planning on building a small media centre to sit behind the TV, our wi-fi router only has 3 Ethernet ports & I'll need the spare port for the network switch to connect everything else up! A happy Sunday to you &

[@ExplainingComputers]

Greetings Alan.

[@weedwacker1716]

If you had several daisy chained together, would you you suffer at the far downstream end? Or is it strictly a matter of how many devices are using the network at ounce?

[@HKey_Root]

I have three networked radios plugged into a switch and the RF interference on the 2 metre band is horrendous. I'll be going round the cables adding ferrites to see if I can kill it.

[@hob991]

Now that is interesting, back in the day I ran 16 computers (2 dual processor motherboards so effectively 18 computers) using 2 x 8 port switches each port running 8 (9 if you count the dual 1.8 Ghz chips on the same motherboard as 2, the Think cancer research project ran one research module per processor ) there was no need to use a port for connection as the" tight VNC " software allowed the master pc to control the other 7 (8) this was in the dial up days so a lot of time connecting each network of 8/9 processor chips for the upload/download of work then the same for the other network. Happy days N

[@thenotred]

Very useful video explaning the network switch! Just got one myself to expand connections between my computer, mesh WiFi, and the main router. Soon, might add a network printer and a NAS.

[@waynenewark5363]

When I moved my router to a central location in the house I installed 2 unmanaged switches so like you I had access to multiple wired connections in 2 other rooms. I prefer wired connections for both speed and reliability. I hate it when a device complains of no internet access because they cannot connect wirelessly to the router. With a wired connection I can log into the router to check its status and reboot it if necessary.

[@cpuuk]

I had one of those, it died after a year. Currently used as a door jam (I kid not). Point being, buy a spare.

[@deadlinerhorus]

Some Switches do have the feature to show the Link Speed by blinking LEDs in a different color scheme. Won`t miss this simple but useful feature today!

[@brucefay5126]

I am generally amazed that small switches intended for desktop use have the ports on the front (opposite side from the power connection). This makes sense for rackmount equipment, but not desktop, where the cables are coming in from behind. I use several Netgear unmanaged switches that have all connections on the back and status lights on the front. Perfect for cable management.

[@aurvaroy6670]

Yeah all the small desktop switches are different. Some have everything on one side, others have either power connection on the opposite side or LEDs on the other side. Definitely something to consider when shopping for desktop switches

[@petesime]

I use one in combination with a powerline network adapter. So much better than wifi - admittedly not as good as an ethernet cable from the router, but I'm not in a position where I can have that installed.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

I used a powerline in the same way, but even though it was a high quality TP-link powerline adapter I would get occasional dropouts, so (as described in my above post) I went to the trouble of hardwiring a connection and I've not had a single dropout ever since. It's definitely worth the effort !

[@GEOsustainable]

Who uses these port hubs anymore? Takes me back to the days of melted CD's in my car.

[@ExplainingComputers]

There are no hubs in this video -- a switch is NOT a hub. They are used by people who need more Ethernet ports.