Buying a network switch
Buying a network switch can be crucial to having a stable and reliable home network. Although wireless networks have become very fast, convenient and efficient, they simply cannot achieve the same low latency and high transmission speeds as a wired network. And since most people have multiple computers in need of the same high speed, buying a network switch simply becomes a necessity.
What is a Switch?
But what is a switch? It is device used to connect multiple computers to each other. Usually they are used to create, or extend, a local network. A major advantage of a switch is that they allow for very efficient and fast transfer of data between connected computers. At least that's the basic answer to the question - what is a switch?
Network switch vs. router
Although it sometimes seems that a switch and a router perform the same function, there are some crucial differences. A router usually has a WAN port, which allows you to connect the router to the internet, another network or similar. The reason this works is that routers often have built-in DHCP clients and support for NAT. However, this feature is not available in a switch. But does that mean a router is better? No, they simply have different uses. A switch is usually much more efficient when it comes to handling the transfer of large amounts of data. That's why a switch is the perfect way to extend your own local network
Gigabit switch
A gigabit switch, for example, provides extremely high speed and relatively low power consumption, whereas many routers have a maximum speed of around 100 mbps and require a lot of resources. Compared to a gigabit switch, this is not very efficient. And in addition to the maximum speed itself, a switch often gives very low ping values, which is not least essential for those who like LAN games.
