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The short answer
An unmanaged gigabit switch is what almost every home needs: plug it in, connect devices, done. Managed features are for networks with VLANs and monitoring, which most homes do not have. Buy more ports than you need now, since the difference in price is small and running out is annoying.
A switch takes one Ethernet connection and splits it into several, with each device getting the full speed rather than sharing it. It is the cheapest and most reliable networking purchase you can make, and it is what turns a room with one socket into a room with a wired television, console and computer.
Unmanaged, smart or managed
- Unmanaged: no configuration, no interface, works the moment it is plugged in. This is what a home needs.
- Smart or easy managed: a simple web interface with VLANs, port monitoring and quality of service. Useful if you want to separate smart home devices onto their own network.
- Fully managed: extensive configuration for business networks. Overkill at home and more to go wrong.
The useful middle case is a smart switch when you want VLANs to isolate cameras and smart devices from your computers. If that phrase means nothing to you, buy unmanaged.
Speed and ports
Gigabit is the baseline and is ample for almost everything domestic. Multi-gigabit switches exist for connections faster than a gigabit and for fast local file transfers to a NAS, and they cost considerably more.
On ports: count what you need and add half again. Five-port switches fill up faster than expected once a television, a console, a streaming box and a computer are involved, and remember one port is used by the cable coming in.
A switch adds no meaningful latency and does not slow your connection. Chaining two switches is fine. What you must not do is create a loop by connecting two switches to each other twice, or connecting a switch back to the router through two paths, which floods the network.
Power over Ethernet
PoE sends power along the network cable, which lets you install cameras, access points and some smart home hubs with one cable instead of two. If you plan wired cameras or ceiling access points, a PoE switch saves considerable work.
Check the power budget, which is the total wattage the switch can supply across all ports. Four cameras at 8W each need 32W plus overhead, and a switch with a 60W budget handles that comfortably.
Switches worth considering
TP-Link 8 port gigabit Ethernet network switch
The default recommendation. Eight ports covers a media cabinet or a desk comfortably, the metal case sheds heat, and there is nothing to configure. This is the sort of purchase you make once and forget about for a decade.
NETGEAR 5-port gigabit Ethernet unmanaged switch, GS305
Where you need three or four devices connected in one place, a small switch tucks behind the television and disappears. Fanless and metal cased means silent and cool, which matters for something living in a cabinet.
TP-Link 8 port gigabit easy smart managed switch
Buy this instead of unmanaged only if you intend to use VLANs to isolate cameras and smart devices. That is a genuinely worthwhile project for a household with many devices, and it requires a router that supports VLANs too.
TP-Link 8 port gigabit PoE switch with 126W power budget
If you are installing wired cameras or ceiling access points, PoE halves the work by removing the power cable entirely. Check the total power budget against the number of devices, and remember that cameras with heaters and pan motors draw considerably more than basic ones.
NETGEAR 8-port gigabit easy smart managed switch, GS308E
Being able to see traffic per port is genuinely useful when something is saturating the network and you do not know what. For a household that tinkers, that visibility is worth the modest premium over unmanaged.
What we liked
- Turns one socket into several at full speed
- Wired connections are faster and more stable than Wi-Fi
- Unmanaged switches need no configuration at all
- PoE removes the need for power near cameras
What we didn't
- Managed features are unnecessary for most homes
- Loops between switches flood the network
- Cheap plastic switches run hot
- PoE power budgets are easy to exceed
Using one well
Put it where several devices meet
Behind the television, at the desk, or in the cupboard where the cables converge.
Run one good cable back to the router
Cat 6 is ample. That single cable carries everything the switch serves.
Never create a loop
One path from the switch back towards the router, not two.
Wire the things that never move
Televisions, consoles, desktops, printers and mesh nodes. Every device you wire frees Wi-Fi airtime for the ones that cannot be.
Give it air
Metal cased switches run warm. A switch in a sealed cupboard under a pile of cables will be hotter than it needs to be.
Label the cables
At both ends. In two years you will not remember which is which, and neither will anyone else.
Will a switch slow my network down?
No. Each device gets the full port speed, and a switch adds no meaningful latency. It is one of the few networking additions with no downside.
Do I need a managed switch at home?
Rarely. Unmanaged is the right answer unless you specifically want VLANs to separate smart home devices, which also requires router support.
Can I connect two switches together?
Yes, chaining is fine. What breaks a network is a loop, meaning two separate paths between the same devices, which floods it with traffic.
What is PoE and do I need it?
Power over Ethernet sends power along the network cable. It is worth having if you plan wired cameras or ceiling access points, and unnecessary otherwise.
How many ports should I buy?
More than you need now. Count your devices, remember one port is used by the incoming cable, and add half again, because switches fill up faster than people expect.
How to choose
Buy unmanaged gigabit with more ports than you need, in a metal case, unless you specifically want VLANs or PoE. Put it where the devices are, run one good cable back to the router, and never create a loop. Then wire everything that does not move, which improves both those devices and the Wi-Fi for everything else.
