This means it will contribute to a little more energy use on your network, but again, not bad. It isn’t too bad, but it is rated at up to 12.24-watt max energy use (we saw an average of around 6-7W during our own use thus far). The unit does crunch through a little more power than your typical switch. Given that, we were only able to test the normal US standard ourselves.
It comes with an adaptable power plug so that you can use it literally anywhere throughout the world (mostly). You simply plug it into the wall and then start inserting your various Ethernet runs into it like you would any (unmanaged) switch. It is unmanaged, so it doesn’t take any experience on your part to set up (there are no settings or interfaces to worry about). It offers a lot of expandability to your home (or office) network. It does seem to maintain a neutral position when it comes to this price tag, comparing it to similar brands like TRENDnet. However, this isn’t anything new when compared to everything else out there. This is an incredibly powerful switch, at least it comes to the 2.5Gbps (2.5GbE) market.Īs mentioned, it is a bit pricey. So what about the one we are talking about today? The Zyxel Model MG-108s is an 8-port option that offers 2.5Gb ports through and through, with a total switching capacity of up to 40Gbps (which you likely wouldn’t be able to hit if you tried, therefore it is also likely a theoretical threshold). Especially, if you have web servers hosted on such networks. Where devices like this are a no-brainer. You can focus on your local LAN parties instead, or any media or NAS collections you maintain across the network.Ĭommercial/enterprise networks are a whole other beast. So for now, you can consider it futureproofing for when you do break into a multi-gig router and internet connection. Take Netgear’s Nighthawk RAXE500 router, which offers 2.5Gbps and multi-gig support, for example. Netgear also has a Nighthawk X10 that features an SFP+ 10G connection on the back which can be used to tap into a 10G switch–like the Zyxel Multi-Gig 12-Port Switch Web Managed Switch (Model XGS1210-12). That doesn’t mean they don’t exist though. This is because you won’t normally find a multi-gig internet connection for consumer ISP accounts (yet). You are limited to transfers between these systems/devices as most routers do not offer 2.5Gbps+ just yet. Now, all of those systems have a much larger pipeline between each other for transferring data back and forth. However, once you have made it, it’s as easy as running Cat5e or better to all of your systems and then buying into the before-mentioned adapters for each one. Compared to a 1Gbps 8-port option (which average around $20-$60 depending on the level of switch you chase after), this is quite the jump. Zyxel’s 8-port option (model: MG-108) currently retails for around $169. The price of these adapters is quite comparable to your normal 1Gbps options, so that’s a perk. You can typically find a 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter for your computer at around $30, allowing a computer or laptop to ride a 2.5Gbps network relatively affordably. This includes the price of the option we are discussing today. Thankfully, these costs are typically limited to just the switch/router options and not so much the devices that connect to them.
That being said, these devices are still generally expensive when compared to your typical 1Gb solutions (which you find in most of today’s modern routers and switches). Devices like the Zyxel 8-Port 2.5G Multi-Gigabit Unmanaged Switch. All you’ll need are the devices that support it. Therefore, as long as you have Cat5e (at least), you can make the jump to 2.5Gb connections throughout. Even worse, you may be limited to cables already ran throughout your walls. It will generally cost less than heading toward 5Gb or 10Gb options, which would also require you to run new cables (Cat 7 or 8 preferably). If you are looking for a little more oomph from the wired connections within your network, moving up to 2.5Gbps is a start.
0 kommentar(er)
