networking doesn’t have to be expensive
estimated reading time: 3 - 4 min
if you’re at least a little bit interested in technology, i’m sure you’ve seen blogposts or youtube videos from various tech enthusiasts showing off their networks and talking about their expensive networking gear. they are showing off their switches from linksys, tplink, netgear, ubiquiti, cisco, and similar companies, all costing hundreds to thousands. but does it have to be this way? absolutely not!
having an elaborate and fancy home network is dandy, and all, but do you really need it? there’s a big difference between a want and a need. a cheaper networking device would do its job just as well. you do not need enterprise grade equipment, especially not for home user. hell, you don’t even need to care about having a single line of failure (spof). while you should always practice good networking etiquette, sometimes it’s simply impractical to have two ethernet cables leading into a room to eliminate spof. for most home users the very reason one would get a switch is to connect multiple devices in that room.
don’t get me wrong, i do like pretty blinking lights but is it worth it to buy a premium product, rather than something cheaper? i’d say—not really. i bought a cheap mercusys ms105g switch because i needed to connect both my xbox and my pc to ethernet. i prefer using wired connections, as they tend to be more stable and reliable than wi-fi. before getting the switch, i only had one ethernet lead coming into my room, which was used solely for my pc. that left my xbox stuck on wi-fi 5, and i hate using wi-fi for anything at all, even for my phone! but with a phone, i really have no choice, do i now!?
since running a second cable into the room wasn’t practical, i decided to pick up the mercusys switch to split that single ethernet lead between both devices. now, everything is wired, and it’s working perfectly. just to be clear, i’m not sponsored in any way—i bought the switch with my own money because i needed a simple solution to my networking setup.
what most home users need is simple: for their network to “just work.” their primary concern is, “i have these devices, and i want them connected,” without having to think too much about technical details. in most cases, any affordable switch will do the job just fine. however, there are a couple of important things to watch out for.
first, make sure you’re buying a switch, not a hub. hubs, while cheaper, are outdated and inefficient because they broadcast data to all devices instead of directing it to the right one, which can slow things down.
second, your switch should at least be a 1000base-t switch, meaning it supports gigabit speeds (1 gbps). with more and more home internet connections exceeding 100 mbps, using a switch that only supports speeds below gigabit (like a 100base-t switch) will become a bottleneck, slowing down your entire network. a gigabit switch ensures your devices can communicate at full speed, especially important when streaming, gaming, or transferring large files between devices. so, while you don’t need to spend a fortune on high-end networking gear, these small considerations can make a big difference in your everyday internet experience.
in most home networks, single point of failure (spof) concerns are not something you need to worry too much about. for example, if you only have one ethernet cable running from your router to your switch, that’s perfectly fine for most users. in fact, many people, like me, use just a single connection and everything works smoothly. unless you have highly critical tasks that demand constant uptime, having a single lead is usually sufficient for everyday activities like streaming, browsing, or gaming.
however, if it's practical and convenient, it’s generally recommended to have two ethernet cables connecting directly to the router, so that if one fails, the other can take over. this setup can improve network reliability by minimizing the chances of a complete outage. but again, this level of redundancy is typically more important in business or enterprise settings, and not an average joe.
so, as you can see, building a reliable home network doesn’t have to be expensive or overly complicated. while tech enthusiasts might show off their high-end equipment, most home users simply need a setup that works. affordable switches, like the one i purchased, can easily meet the needs of connecting multiple devices without the need for enterprise-grade equipment or worrying about complex networking principles like single point of failure. besides, with more known brands, you only pay for the brand name, there’s hardly anything to fuck up inside a switch, so even a consumer-grade network switch from a “known” brand is in my opinion waste of money. why pay $50-100, when a similar thing can be had for $15-20, just from another brand? keep it simple, and don’t break the bank.
got more to say? email me: hi[at]riri[dot]my
posted on: 2024-08-17 05:30 PM