[ecopsorn]

Hi there

I know this is off-topic, but I couldn't post in the offtopic section somehow

I'm currently planing the network for my new house that will be done in spring next year.
So now the question popped up if I should plan in an unmanaged switch or a managed switch (planing to buy Cisco most likely).

For private use, I somehow don't see a point of buying a smart managed or even managed switch.
But you guys probably know better!

Any suggestions?

[jammyb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_swi...on_options

Unmanaged switches — These switches have no configuration interface or options. They are plug and play. They are typically the least expensive switches, and therefore often used in a small office/home office environment. Unmanaged switches can be desktop or rack mounted.

Managed switches — These switches have one or more methods to modify the operation of the switch. Common management methods include: a command-line interface (CLI) accessed via serial console, telnet or Secure Shell, an embedded Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent allowing management from a remote console or management station, or a web interface for management from a web browser. Examples of configuration changes that one can do from a managed switch include: enable features such as Spanning Tree Protocol, set port bandwidth, create or modify Virtual LANs (VLANs), etc. Two sub-classes of managed switches are marketed today:
Smart (or intelligent) switches — These are managed switches with a limited set of management features. Likewise "web-managed" switches are switches which fall into a market niche between unmanaged and managed. For a price much lower than a fully managed switch they provide a web interface (and usually no CLI access) and allow configuration of basic settings, such as VLANs, port-bandwidth and duplex.[14]
Enterprise Managed (or fully managed) switches — These have a full set of management features, including CLI, SNMP agent, and web interface. They may have additional features to manipulate configurations, such as the ability to display, modify, backup and restore configurations. Compared with smart switches, enterprise switches have more features that can be customized or optimized, and are generally more expensive than smart switches. Enterprise switches are typically found in networks with larger number of switches and connections, where centralized management is a significant savings in administrative time and effort. A stackable switch is a version of enterprise-managed switch.


I'd buy unmanaged.

[artrafael]

Moved to Off-Topic.

[ecopsorn]

thanks.. I know what the difference between the switches is.

I just thought it could probably make sense to increase the throughput on the port where the HTPC is plugged into, but well an unmanaged switch should be sufficient.

[nickr]

Funnily enough I have been researching switches today too.

Given that I plan on supporting GigE, I don't really think I'll need to increase the throughput per port. 100M ethernet is well fast enough for any current video implementation and a factor of 10 inherent in having GigE capability should be ample.

I may change my mind when I have a house full of 8K tvs, XBMC machines to drive them and high bitrate video to make it all worthwhile, but if I can afford to do that (and assuming it is even realistic and worthwhile and is feasible before I die), I'll get a new switch too

[ecopsorn]

Funnily enough I have been researching switches today too.

Given that I plan on supporting GigE, I don't really think I'll need to increase the throughput per port. 100M ethernet is well fast enough for any current video implementation and a factor of 10 inherent in having GigE capability should be ample.

I may change my mind when I have a house full of 8K tvs, XBMC machines to drive them and high bitrate video to make it all worthwhile, but if I can afford to do that (and assuming it is even realistic and worthwhile and is feasible before I die), I'll get a new switch too

I don't know what you mean? GigE switches are almost standard nowadays and are only a little more expensive then 100mbit switches. The big price differences start to kick in when you want smart managed switches or even full managed swiches.
But it seems like there is no added benefit for XBMC by buying a managed switch instead of an unmanaged switch.

[Harro]

I see no need for a managed switch. I run a small office with 10 comps connected and use a unmanaged switch. If I see a need to limit bandwidth to a comp, go into router and limit it. So get a great router and use unmanaged switches is my vote.

I also stayed away from Cisco from bad reviews I had read. I went with a D-Link router and TRENDnet switches. I have had 0 problems with either of them running over 3 years now.

[nickr]

Funnily enough I have been researching switches today too.

Given that I plan on supporting GigE, I don't really think I'll need to increase the throughput per port. 100M ethernet is well fast enough for any current video implementation and a factor of 10 inherent in having GigE capability should be ample.

I may change my mind when I have a house full of 8K tvs, XBMC machines to drive them and high bitrate video to make it all worthwhile, but if I can afford to do that (and assuming it is even realistic and worthwhile and is feasible before I die), I'll get a new switch too

I don't know what you mean? GigE switches are almost standard nowadays and are only a little more expensive then 100mbit switches. The big price differences start to kick in when you want smart managed switches or even full managed swiches.
But it seems like there is no added benefit for XBMC by buying a managed switch instead of an unmanaged switch.

What i mean is, I don't think management will be needed for a whole house xbmc/media setup unless maybe some time in the future we start regularly pumping much higher bitrrates around the house.

[ecopsorn]

I went with a D-Link router and TRENDnet switches. I have had 0 problems with either of them running over 3 years now.

I haven't set in stone yet whether I buy Cisco or not. I just thought it's convenient to have the network products from the same manufacturer (though it actually would not matter).
I like the Cisco Access Points, where you can set up one access point and the others you might need in the house get automatically config'd within the same SSID [Model: WAP321]. Haven't checked any other solutions yet.

Could you tell me the model of your D-Link router you have that I can check it out?

What i mean is, I don't think management will be needed for a whole house xbmc/media setup unless maybe some time in the future we start regularly pumping much higher bitrrates around the house.

Makes sense

[Harro]

Here is a link to the router I got.
D-Link Dir 655
I had this router laying around and converted it to an access point. Linksys I used DD-WRT firmware on it.
I am using 2 of these for my switches TRENDnet

I should note that with the router I still have good wireless connection through 4 walls and into a metal building about 120 ft away. 3bars but with the access point I have extended that range just haven't measure how much more.

[ecopsorn]

Here is a link to the router I got.
D-Link Dir 655
I had this router laying around and converted it to an access point. Linksys I used DD-WRT firmware on it.
I am using 2 of these for my switches TRENDnet

I should note that with the router I still have good wireless connection through 4 walls and into a metal building about 120 ft away. 3bars but with the access point I have extended that range just haven't measure how much more.

thanks man

[TugboatBill]

Isn't Linksys a Cisco company?

[nickr]

Isn't Linksys a Cisco company?

yes

[gibxxi]

A quick note for those who have such a configuration, Remember that LACP-based ethernet teaming requires features that are usually only bundled with smart/managed switches. So if you have two endpoints over which you may need to copy your entire media library or any large amount of personal data (NAS / Media Centre PC, etc.) then a managed switch will (in the main) support bonded ethernet connections like LACP (802.3ad) connections, whereas an unmanaged switch probably won't. Also check for Jumbo frames support if that's something you use, as some of the cheaper unmanaged switches won't support this either.