What switch would I need

[MagnumSkyWolf]

So I'm not the best when it comes to networking so bear with me. I need to add a switch to my home network because more ethernet ports are required. My question is do I go with a 2.5gb just a normal switch? I have a motherboard compatible with 2.5. I  also have a Synology ds920+ which I use regularly not sure if that will take advantage of the 2.5 but I thought I would add that in. 

 

My ISP is also currently updating the lines in my area to 2gb which will take a good few months at the moment I'm on 500MB but may one day upgrade to 1gb or the 2gb option not sure if this info helps but I thought the more info you have the better it might be for me lol.  So which would you recommend I buy a 2.5 or just get a normal 1gb? I will be looking at an 8-port version 

[another random person]

Really depends on your expected use. If you are planning to upgrade your ISP plan to the full 2Gbit and would likely benefit from/saturate the connection then I'd lean towards the 2.5 option. The DS920+ from what I'm aware of doesn't natively support 2.5gbe but can be made to with a USB dongle. 

 

In terms of the switch, do you have a home network ecosystem? (e.g. Ubiquiti, TPlink, etc.)

 

My personal preference is spend now and save later but the affordable option is usually the best option.

[Raiyu]

The synology NAS you listed has 2 1GB lan ports that you can aggregate (use both the lans ports for double linking rate) to 2gb so theres not real purpose for you to get 2.5. if I were you id get a gigabit switch with more ports

[MagnumSkyWolf]

4 minutes ago, another random person said:

Really depends on your expected use. If you are planning to upgrade your ISP plan to the full 2Gbit and would likely benefit from/saturate the connection then I'd lean towards the 2.5 option. The DS920+ from what I'm aware of doesn't natively support 2.5gbe but can be made to with a USB dongle. 

 

In terms of the switch, do you have a home network ecosystem? (e.g. Ubiquiti, TPlink, etc.)

 

My personal preference is spend now and save later but the affordable option is usually the best option.

Oh sorry, I have two Asus RT-AC86U routers using the mesh system for the wifi.  

[ChrisLoudon]

13 minutes ago, MagnumSkyWolf said:

So which would you recommend I buy a 2.5 or just get a normal 1gb? I will be looking at an 8-port version 

If your ISP is upgrading to 2Gbs then I would do as much as you can to make sure all client devices on your lan are 2Gbs (2.5Gbs).

 

Any unmanaged or at the very most 'smart managed' 2.5Gbs switch will do the trick. 

[MagnumSkyWolf]

6 minutes ago, ChrisLoudon said:

If your ISP is upgrading to 2Gbs then I would do as much as you can to make sure all client devices on your lan are 2Gbs (2.5Gbs).

 

Any unmanaged or at the very most 'smart managed' 2.5Gbs switch will do the trick. 

Just looked into it they are planning it but may not being rolled out till late next year 

[ChrisLoudon]

1 minute ago, MagnumSkyWolf said:

Just looked into it they are planning it but may not being rolled out till late next year 

An 8 port 2.5Gb switch doesn't cost a huge amount more than a 1Gbs one so I'd get your infrastructure ready for when it does.

[Raiyu]

4 minutes ago, ChrisLoudon said:

An 8 port 2.5Gb switch doesn't cost a huge amount more than a 1Gbs one so I'd get your infrastructure ready for when it does.

in my area its about 150ish for a decent 2.5gb 8 port switch vs 40ish for a decent 1gb 8 port switch thats quite a bit higher

[ChrisLoudon]

4 minutes ago, Raiyu said:

in my area its about 150ish for a decent 2.5gb 8 port switch vs 40ish for a decent 1gb 8 port switch thats quite a bit higher

Ahh, I got my Netgear for about £80ish if I recall.

 

I suppose for 40 or 50 quid its no great loss if the OP on 1Gbs now and then need / want to upgrade to 2.5gbs in a year or so.

 

 

[MagnumSkyWolf]

7 minutes ago, Raiyu said:

in my area its about 150ish for a decent 2.5gb 8 port switch vs 40ish for a decent 1gb 8 port switch thats quite a bit higher

For me in my area it's 20 for a TP-Link 8 port 1gb or 208 for a TP-Link 8 port 2.5gb. Unless I go down the Aliexpress route. Which there's a 9 port 2.5gb option with one 10gb port for 100 euros. 

[Raiyu]

4 minutes ago, ChrisLoudon said:

Ahh, I got my Netgear for about £80ish if I recall.

 

I suppose for 40 or 50 quid its no great loss if the OP on 1Gbs now and then need / want to upgrade to 2.5gbs in a year or so.

 

 

please send link to that switch 

[Raiyu]

Just now, MagnumSkyWolf said:

For me in my area it's 20 for a TP-Link 8 port 1gb or 208 for a TP-Link 8 port 2.5gb. Unless I go down the Aliexpress route. Which there's a 9 port 2.5gb option with one 10gb port for 100 euros. 

i wouldn't trust networking appliances to an unknown company, tp-link d-link netgear linksys cisco ubiquiti asus come to mind as known trustworthy companies, do keep in mind that if a switch comes from a factory with a modification to spread a worm you wouldnt notice until its to late.

[ChrisLoudon]

6 minutes ago, Raiyu said:

please send link to that switch 

I'll check when I get home from work later and report back.

[MagnumSkyWolf]

Thanks to everybody for advising me I made my decision to stick with the 20 euro TP link. The way I looked at it was I could spend 208 on something I might never use or might not fully utilize for another year or two. Where as the 20 euro option I will 100% use and if down the line I need to buy the 208 version that's no problem. 

 

Again thank you all for helping me out. The model if anyone is interested is TL-SG108S. 

[NobleGamer]

33 minutes ago, Raiyu said:

The synology NAS you listed has 2 1GB lan ports that you can aggregate (use both the lans ports for double linking rate) to 2gb so theres not real purpose for you to get 2.5

My understanding of Link Aggregation is that it cannot split the same TCP/UDP session between multiple links/ports. So if OP expects ~2gbps for a use that happens to be single session like backups might, then I wouldn't expect them to break 1gbps barrier for at least those single session uses. If however their concern is throughput over multiple sessions, then LA may help and be a good interim option instead of jumping to 2.5gbps before their ISP makes it available.

 

29 minutes ago, ChrisLoudon said:

An 8 port 2.5Gb switch doesn't cost a huge amount more than a 1Gbs one so I'd get your infrastructure ready for when it does.

~$20-30 for a smart managed eight port switch versus at least $100 for an eight port 2.5gbps switch. That's as much as a 5 times increase in price - Sounds non-trivial, especially in regions where all this costs even more, but maybe that's just me.

 

The under $100 2.5gbps switches seem to be 5 ports or unmanaged.