Network Switch Buying Guide: Which One is Right for You?

In this video, I walk through a series of questions that will help you determine what kind of ethernet switch you need for your home network.

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0:38 Necessary preparation steps
3:27 Questions you need to answer when buying a switch
6:30 What ethernet switch should you buy?

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Here are some examples of switches that I recommend (depending upon the needs of your home network)

Netgear 5-port unmanaged gigabit switch (the switch I used in this video): https://amzn.to/41TogIW

Netgear 8-port unmanaged gigabit switch (an 8-port version of the switch above): https://amzn.to/3FGHXwa

TP-Link 5-port unmanaged 100 Mbps switch: https://amzn.to/4l1UkTM

Netgear 5-port managed gigabit switch: https://amzn.to/4l5GCiM

TP-Link 5-port PoE switch: https://amzn.to/4hEREZD

What ethernet switch should you buy?
In order to figure out what kind of ethernet switch to buy for your home network, there are a few questions you need to answer:

•How many devices do you need to provide with a wired internet connection? Do all devices need to connect to the switch, or can some devices connect directly to your router?

•Do you have clusters of devices that you want to provide with a wired internet connection? Will one ethernet switch suffice, or would two smaller switches suit your needs better?

•What are the internet activities these devices will be performing? Are they low-bandwidth tasks or high-bandwidth tasks?

•Do you want a plug-and-play switch, or are there certain configurations you would like to make (e.g. Quality of Service, virtual networks, etc.)?

•Do you need to provide devices with power via ethernet cables (e.g. security cameras, wireless access points, etc.)?

Your answers to the above questions will help you determine what kind of switch you need and how many ports it should have.

Conclusion
If you have any questions about what type of ethernet switch you need, please leave a comment below.