About to do whole home internet installation... Do you guys suggest gigabit switch?

[Zellio2008]

I'm going to be putting 100 foot cat6 cables thru the walls in the upstairs rooms and fishing them downstairs (Don't remind me how difficult it'll be), putting them in the wall and connecting them to my network switch.

I've got two rooms to fish, and two extra network switch ethernet connections. No problem with install.

I have a wireless n router capable of 10/100/1000 but my switch is only 10/100. Do you think it matters if I add a gigabit switch now or wait? The reason I got cat6 is to be future proof.

 

[navychop]

I'd wait until costs come down more, maybe until you're ready to replace your pre-N with a final standard N. Or until you document network slowdowns. That will likely depend upon the number of users.

 

[JAG72]

It all depends on what you will be doing. I went gig since I was adding new as the switches I purchased were only about $30 each. How many switch ports will you be needing for your connections?

 

[Zellio2008]

I have enough ports, I'm just wondering if I should go gigabit yet...

And costs for a gigabit switch are NOT that bad. I just want to know to know how much better gigabit would be versus my current 100 mbit network speed. And don't be a jackass, just because it's rated as 1 gigabit doesn't usually mean it actually DOES 1 gigabit.

And yeah, I do send alot of stuff around to my network.

 

[JAG72]

And don't be a jackass, just because it's rated as 1 gigabit doesn't usually mean it actually DOES 1 gigabit.

Who was being one?

 

[JAG72]

And yeah, I do send alot of stuff around to my network.

If you are sending larger files around your network I would go personally go gig. I noticed a huge difference when I transfer files around my home network.

 

[RealityRipple]

What do you mean a gigabit's not a gigabit? If you're on CAT6, a 10/100/1000 network card, and a gigabit switch, transfers between terminals should be 128 MB/s. The only time I've ever heard of LAN speeds being inaccurate is in Wireless instances, or with bad firmware in the router/switch.

 

[Zellio2008]

Depending on the router and switch, it can be inaccurate. What I said was a hint to tell me which ones are good...

 

[RealityRipple]

Cisco's great if you can afford a high end one.

 

[oktoberrust11]

It sounds like you only have a couple of drops....I would do a new 5 or 8-port gig switch for >$50.

 

[bradleys]

If you're sending large (over 1 GB) files around your network, gigabit is significantly faster. I backup my Winders boxes over my network to my Linux server. I run full backups each time, so they're 8-24 GB each. The time was cut about in half when switching to Gb switches and Gb cards in the PCs.

I use NetGear GS108 switches. I think they can run all eight ports at full speed, but I can't remember for sure. They're on sale at my favorite ovoid-shaped online retailer for $32.74 with free shipping. $4.09 per port is a pretty good price.

There used to be a "puffy capacitor" problem on the GS108, but I think it's fixed on the newer models.