Adding a second network switch to my network

[Ferkner]

I currently have a TP-Link AX3000 router on the main floor that serves all the wireless contraptions in the house as well as an All-in-One PC and various living room gadgets (Nintendo Switch, Nvidia Shield TV, Wii U). The last port on the router has a Cat 6 cable that goes through the floor to the basement where it connects to a D-LINK 16-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Desktop Switch. Attached to this are my main PC, a QNAP NAS that houses and serves media as well as acts as a network drive for the house, another Shield TV, a Raspberry Pi running only pi-hole and a couple of game consoles that don't get much use.

 

At some point in the near future there will be a second PC in the basement which will be mostly used for gaming by one of my kids). I am re-arranging the basement with the TV and media stuff on one end (where the cable comes through the ceiling) and the computers at the other. Instead of running multiple ethernet cables along the floor I was thinking of getting a second switch for the computer end of the room so I only need to run one wire.

 

So my question is, what sort of switch would be best as a second switch? I use my computer a lot for downloading and accessing the NAS and eventually the other computer will be doing a lot of gaming and virtual schooling (if that is still a thing by then). I am not sure if I will keep the NAS with the media stuff as it is now or with the computers. Two computers, a printer and dual gig ports on the NAS would require 5 ports. Would another unmanaged gigabit switch be sufficient or do I need something better to ensure the best speeds for everything? Is there a benefit to getting two new switches that are linked together by 2.5GBE even though the router is only gigabit? My main concern is not having one computer slow down the other on the network.

[Electronics Wizardy]

any gigabit unmanaged switch will work fine here. Id just get a 8 port as there cheap, and you might ad more devices.

 

2.5gbe isn't supported by many devices, and costs much more, so don't bother. You probably don't even have a wan speed that fast.

 

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Litewave-Unshielded-Unmanaged-LS1008G/dp/B086384H7C/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=8+port+gigabit+switch&qid=1604808755&sr=8-8

Here is a example of a switch that will work fine.

[Ferkner]

6 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

any gigabit unmanaged switch will work fine here. Id just get a 8 port as there cheap, and you might ad more devices.

 

2.5gbe isn't supported by many devices, and costs much more, so don't bother. You probably don't even have a wan speed that fast.

 

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Litewave-Unshielded-Unmanaged-LS1008G/dp/B086384H7C/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=8+port+gigabit+switch&qid=1604808755&sr=8-8

Here is a example of a switch that will work fine.

I don't. I was just wondering if 2.5 between the two switches was worth it.

 

The model you linked to is $45 on Amazon in Canada for some reason, but this one should be fine and about the price of the one you linked to considering exchange rate: https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_1045_355&item_id=034281

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, Ferkner said:

I don't. I was just wondering if 2.5 between the two switches was worth it.

 

The model you linked to is $45 on Amazon in Canada for some reason, but this one should be fine and about the price of the one you linked to considering exchange rate: https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_1045_355&item_id=034281

yea that switch seems fine, and will work fine for your use.

[Ferkner]

What's the difference between it and the Litewave version?

[Falcon1986]

11 hours ago, Ferkner said:

What's the difference between it and the Litewave version?

Litewave... 16Gbps switching capacity (1Gbps per port full duplex).

 

SG1008D... 10Gbps switching capacity (not sure how that's divided among 8 ports.

 

If you the switch will be busy with large file transfers for the majority of the time, you should look into switches with higher switching capacity. For normal home use, this won't matter; just get what is affordable and available in your region.

[Ferkner]

8 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Litewave... 16Gbps switching capacity (1Gbps per port full duplex).

 

SG1008D... 10Gbps switching capacity (not sure how that's divided among 8 ports.

 

If you the switch will be busy with large file transfers for the majority of the time, you should look into switches with higher switching capacity. For normal home use, this won't matter; just get what is affordable and available in your region.

It turns out that I never got rid of the 8-port Netgear switch that I upgraded from, so I don't actually need to buy anything at this time, which is great. If it turns out I need to buy something better, Litewave sounds very compelling.