It is not necessary to use a managed switch for a SOHO or a small office. For most home or office networks that are sharing an internet connection, storage, and a shared network with other users, it will just be too much. Many people use their home network or small business Computer Service and Repair network to send videos directly to HDTVs or make VoIP calls. Some people even store their home and small business surveillance footage on the home office network. It may be that an unmanaged switching device is not sufficient in this situation. Instead, it would be better to use a managed or even better, web managed switch.

Why Managed Gigabit Switches Are on The Rise In Small Businesses And Small Offices

Managed Ethernet switches, for whatever reason, have made their way to small businesses, then to homes and offices. Recently, the prices for gigabit-managed switches as well as ethernet switches have dropped, while their features and user friendliness are also increasing. Therefore, it is a wise decision to replace an ordinary switch with either a smart or web managed switch. Why? The quality of the video streams (including security footage) and VoIP. That should be good enough in a company that has VoIP telephone lines. The three main types of network switches are Unmanaged (or unmanaged), Smart/Managed (or managed) and Managed. We will also dispel some common myths. The information provided should allow you to better determine the type of switch that is most suitable for your home or office.

Unmanaged network switch

Unmanaged switch are those that you can plug into the wall and connect all your network cables. The switch will “just work.” These switches may be working for you, too, but stay on the lookout. Maybe it’s time to upgrade to a switch that is managed if the quality of your VoIP phone connection or calls dropped are affecting you. You may need to switch to a managed local area switch or managed LAN switch if your video streaming is not working properly.

Smart network switches

When it became obvious that managed switches had more features and were cheaper, the marketing department of large computer makers invented intelligent network switches. It was important to manage a switch via the web, which led to the terms network-managed switches or web-managed switches. They were sold as switches with smart management of most features. However, they also gave you access via the internet to other features. In general, the web-based interface did not allow you to control all the features on a switch, as compared with a command-line interface. Smart network switches (or web managed switches) can be classified somewhere between fully managed and unmanaged switch. Remember that you want to get the best price/features compromise when buying smart network switches.