What is this?

[Hassan170]

Context:This is in the office i work in. Can someone explain what this is? The brand is TP-Link

[FloRolf]

It's a network switch. 

You plug one network cable in for connection to the internet and then connect 6 more PC's so they can all access the internet. 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

2 minutes ago, Hassan170 said:

Context:This is in the office i work in. Can someone explain what this is? The brand is TP-Link

Looks like an ethernet switch of some sort. Got the model number? It should be on the bottom. Funny how it doesn't seem to have any power in.

[Hassan170]

1 minute ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Looks like an ethernet switch of some sort. Got the model number? It should be on the bottom. Funny how it doesn't seem to have any power in.

The power in is on the side

[WereCatf]

1 minute ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Funny how it doesn't seem to have any power in.

It most likely gets power via PoE.

[Hassan170]

1 minute ago, FloRolf said:

It's a network switch. 

You plug one network cable in for connection to the internet and then connect 6 more PC's so they can all access the internet. 

So a network switch is a hub/extension of sorts, is that correct?

[FloRolf]

1 minute ago, Hassan170 said:

So a network switch is a hub/extension of sorts, is that correct?

Correct. 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just now, WereCatf said:

It most likely gets power via PoE.

Interesting, never seen one like that. All the switches I have (some are TP-Link as well) all came with power adapters. 

[WereCatf]

2 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Interesting, never seen one like that. All the switches I have (some are TP-Link as well) all came with power adapters. 

They do exist, they just aren't that popular.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

6 minutes ago, WereCatf said:

They do exist, they just aren't that popular.

They seem difficult to find hahaha

[Hassan170]

11 minutes ago, WereCatf said:

It most likely gets power via PoE.

I repeat the power port is on the side. It uses a barrel plug. You just can't see it in the picture ij took

[WereCatf]

Just now, Hassan170 said:

I repeat the power port is on the side. It uses a barrel plug.

Okay, if you say so. It's just not easy to see it from the picture.

[Hassan170]

1 minute ago, WereCatf said:

Okay, if you say so. It's just not easy to see it from the picture.

i know my bad

[Oshino Shinobu]

14 minutes ago, Hassan170 said:

So a network switch is a hub/extension of sorts, is that correct?

Basically, but be careful using "hub" to describe it. In networking, a hub is a different device to a switch. Their purpose is the same, but the way they operate is different and switches have made hubs obsolete in modern networks. 

 

Can you see a model number on it anywhere?

 

2 minutes ago, WereCatf said:

Okay, if you say so. It's just not easy to see it from the picture.

You can see it on the left side, just above where it says TP-Link

[WereCatf]

5 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

They seem difficult to find hahaha

Just google for "poe passthrough switch" and you'll find plenty of switches that themselves are powered via PoE, instead of just providing the power. The D-Link DGS-1100-05PD, for example, is the first result for me.

[mariushm]

So everyone just told you... it's a network switch. 

 

It simply routes packets of data between the connectors. If one computer's network card on connector number 7 wants to send data to a computer that's connected to connector number 2, the chip inside simply takes the packet of data and puts it on the connector number 2. 

It can also combine data from multiple connectors into another connector... which is cool, because for example you could have a printer that only receives or sends data for a few seconds at a time and for that, there's no need to have a long cable all the way to another room with all the networking equipment.

 

A switch is different from a HUB (ancient stuff, before switches), which weren't smart enough to keep track of where to put the packet of data and simply put it on all the other connectors (so chip saw packet of data on connector 7, and then simply copied it to all connectors 1..6), leaving the network cards connected to those connectors to simply ignore what's not meant for them. 

 

[Hassan170]

1 minute ago, mariushm said:

So everyone just told you... it's a network switch. 

 

It simply routes packets of data between the connectors. If one computer's network card on connector number 7 wants to send data to a computer that's connected to connector number 2, the chip inside simply takes the packet of data and puts it on the connector number 2. 

It can also combine data from multiple connectors into another connector... which is cool, because for example you could have a printer that only receives or sends data for a few seconds at a time and for that, there's no need to have a long cable all the way to another room with all the networking equipment.

 

A switch is different from a HUB (ancient stuff, before switches), which weren't smart enough to keep track of where to put the packet of data and simply put it on all the other connectors (so chip saw packet of data on connector 7, and then simply copied it to all connectors 1..6), leaving the network cards connected to those connectors to simply ignore what's not meant for them. 

 

Thank you.