Cisco-Linksys EZXS55W EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch

This Linksys switch is a basic network device that is used in home networks and large companies. It does what it is designed to do, and does it well. There is no configuration, and no set up, just plug and play. I own several of these, and I have never had to touch it after installing it onto my network.There is a basic switch; there is no port filtering, no protocol filtering, and no interference. Some higher end switches come with those features, but in the end they just end up slowing the network down unless they are higher end. Anyone that requires those features should not consider this switch, or any device in this price range. It will just slow your network down, go with an enterprise solution from HP, Cisco or similar.For 99% of the home and small business users looking to buy this, I recommend it highly. IT professionals, or network managers I would look at either a gigabit switch, or something more advanced. On larger networks, with 200+ users, if you install ten of these it will increase latency, and decrease the speed of your network. I am an IT manager and these are great for small singular uses, but do not build or manage your networks with these types of devices. You are asking for trouble down the line.Back to 99% of users, this device is perfect for you. I feel obligated to share my more technical advice for the people in my profession that may purchase this switch.

Purchased this product lookig for a switch that allowed me to connect multiple systems to my home network. And it does that function exceptionally well. I had multiple printers & PC's to connect, and this switch handled multiple connection speeds flawlessly. Stylish and extremely small, it fits on my desktop without taking up very much space (approx 4.5" wide x 3.5 inches deep). All cables and connectors are on the back. The front panel led's for each port display link/act, Duplex, and connect speed.The only thing that needs improvement on this switch is the "user guide" included with the product. There are 6 ports on this switch.. ports 1-5 and an 'uplink' port. But use of the uplink port disbles the use of port 5, leaving 4 ports for your peripheral devices. This is a bit confusing, as the device is advertised as a 5 port workgroup switch. A quick trip to [...] downloading the 'quick-start guide' (which was not included with the product) did a much better job of explaining the use of the uplink and 5th ethernet port. Overall, buy this product if you need a small switch for additional devices. Can't be beat for the price, in my opinion.

If you are a Macintosh user, you should know of a very important limitation of all Linksys hubs & switches, including this one: This switch will NOT route AppleTalk information on your network. What that means is that if you are a Macintosh user who is trying to use file sharing via AppleTalk, or if you have an older AppleTalk printer (such as the older line of HP LaserJet printers), you will be out of luck with this switch... or any Linksys hub/switch. Besides the lack of Macintosh AppleTalk support, this switch seems to work just fine.

This switch does exactly what I needed it to. It is small and easy to set up. Ethernet cable goes in and five more come out. The AC plug is not a huge strip hoging brick. It took zero configuration to get it to work perfectly.I have a long ethernet cable that runs from the cable modem/router in the atic to my computer in my den. I plug that cable into this switch and then two cables come out to my computer and printer. Now everything is networked with my wireless devices. It is exactly what I wanted. I might even get a networked hard drive now that I have the switch in my den.The price on Amazon is really good too. I was going to buy this used on ebay, but found it here for just a few bucks more brand new.It has been running for a few weeks and I have not had any problems with it whatsoever.A+ product.

In our house's home network, Internet service from Comcast goes to a modem then to a router with four outgoing slots -- one to each of four computers by CAT-5 cables. The wires snake through the house and give us fast Internet service.After a few months, my family's wired home network was experiencing growing pains -- the kids' X-Box needed an additional feed from the Internet to play an interactive wargame; sometimes my wife would want to switch locations for a computer. So we had been physically switching cables around -- once we made a mistake and disabled the entire setup -- and this cost me a day of phoning Comcast and trying to re-set the modem until I finally realized what had happened. Further, I was worried that the constant switching would break one of the plastic connectors since they're not suitable for constant unplugging.I was ABOUT to buy a second router which would have been a mistake but I READ THROUGH THESE HELPFUL AMAZON REVIEWS (thank you reviewers!) about routers & switches and I got the general sense that all I needed was this Ethernet switch. The alternative would have been to replace my four-outlet router with a much bigger 8-slot router (more expensive). The manufacturer's descriptions on the Internet about how to rig up a home network were surprisingly sparse -- so I didn't know what would work with what. I had figured I would have had one router feed into another but I do not think this would have worked.So, I bought this switch. It works. There is little documentation in the box but it is simple to figure out where the wires go. One of the cables from the router leads to the Ethernet switch, and from this switch, cables feed to computers, game equipment, and so forth. The cost was reasonable. Sometimes (and I don't know why) one of the lines is a little slow -- with 10 seconds elapsing before a response from the Internet. But I don't know whether this is the switch's fault or Comcast's. Still, overall, I'm a happy camper.Thomas W. SulcerAuthor of "The Second Constitution of the United States"(free on web; google title + Sulcer)