NETGEAR GS108 ProSafe 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Desktop Switch
by Netgear
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List Price: Our Price: $59.95 You Save: $10.04 (14%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $34.95 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of NETGEAR GS108 ProSafe 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Desktop Switch
Customer Review: Going On Third Unit
Summary: 2 Stars
I thought this was a really good switch. It had all the good features for a pretty reasonable price and it runs at gigabyte speed. I bought mine in Feb. 2007 and in Aug. it quit. They sent me a brand new unit and then that one quit in Nov. I am now waiting for my second replacement unit.
I have to say that Netgear's customer care people are quite co-operative and they replace their defective products right away without an argument. But I have to wonder what it going on with this product. If this third unit quits, I think I'll just find another switch and call it even.
The irony of it is that this thing replaced a really cheap plastic Netgear 4-port switch that I bought at a store for $10. That switch has lasted quite a few years -- in fact I'm running on it now. It works perfectly.
PS: If you've done much research, you know that the gs108 has a lot of features that the other switches in this price category lack. My advice is to first find out if Netgear has fixed the problem I refer to and, if you can satisfy yourself that they have, go ahead and buy it.
ADDED Sep. 5, 2009: The thing died on me. I don't know how they can keep replacing these under warranty with the same unit that has the same problem. Threw this unit in the trash and bought a D-Link.
Customer Review: Very disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased the NETGEAR GS108 to replace a Gigafast 10/100 switch; to speed up backups from our home gigabit enabled PCs to our NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. Well, it was a disappointment from second 1.
My DSL router just rebooted continually, and I suffered from local broadcast storms. I am using a Proline DSL router, from my local carrier. Wireshark showed the broadcast traffic was being switched erratically, thus its continuance.
I called Netgear Tech Support, very bad. They asked just a few basic questions, and then said my unit was faulty and that it should be returned. Lucky for me that Amazon has a great return policy, I really appreciated that. 2 stars because of that.
My son advised me to purchase an HP ProCurve Switch 1400-8G. Bless his nerdy heart. Well, I did, and it has worked flawlessly. Available via Amazon for a similar price. Lifetime warranty too, amazing for a device like this. It is working flawlessly.
Of course, your mileage may vary. Many people seem to like the NetGear product, and that's why I purchased it initially.
I should also add that the gigabit switch update has shortened my backups to 10 minutes from 30. Not bad.
Customer Review: Dead After 18 Months, Warranty Service Horrible/Impossible
Summary: 1 Stars
This product is unreliable with notorious Netgear customer support. Warranty is useless.
Purchased from Amazon back in Aug, 2008, had been happy until the day before Easter Day (March 22, 2008). The switch suddenly stopped working, all 8 lights blinking with wires unplugged.
Called the support twice, both transferred outside USA. The second time during normal business hours, asked to transfer back to USA, was told no customer support in USA, asked to talk to supervisor, after 20 minutes, the supervisor picked up and put me on hold, then hung up the phone after 20 minutes...
Also according to the warranty card, you have to pay shipping charges BOTH for the defective unit and the replacement unit. Plus the replacement unit is REFURBISHED. By taking into account of the shipping cost, you are paying half price for the refurbished and error prone product again.
I have so many network switches with a lot cheaper prices, they have never failed. So why pay more for this unreliable device?
We don't mind paying more for quality products. My recent experience did raise concerns on Netgear's ability to maintain the quality for the product.
Customer Review: Works just fine.... but
Summary: 4 Stars
I am not sure if it's a Netgear problem or just the way things are with these switches.
I have a webcam going through it with a dedicated IP address.
I find it kinda lagging and functions in time/slice manner. Ya know, do a little bit of this and that, but not continously.
The webcam have no problem with other switch, like Belkin, but for some reason Netgear may not be able to handle the streaming video?
The image kinda jumps in 1/3 second increments. There is no adjustment or software to fix that problem. If you use it for data, you won't know the difference. Using it for a webcam is annoying.
So, if you are going to connect anything that requires streaming video, look elsewhere. BTW, this Sony webcam capable to stream 30fps and never see any lag over the internet.
I can imagine how slow this will get if if I plug in another machine.
Right now the webcam is the only one plugged in.
I have no idea how this thing can handle 1 Gb data... if can't handle 1/10th of the speed.
So, do some reasearch and ask lots of questions.
I did, but still wound up with this not-so-good switch.
Customer Review: Solid performance, compact form
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this GS108 to replace an overheating Netgear GS605 switch. This switch's metal casing and design seem better suited to dissipating heat than the plastic casing of the GS60x series.
While both GS10x and GS60x are comparably priced gigabit "dumb" switches from Netgear, the GS10x switches feel much more solid as if they were business-grade products. The GS10x (this switch) also supports jumbo frames unlike the GS60x, which should make for better peak gigabit performance. Unless the asthetic of the white case appeals to you, the GS10x is the superior choice over the GS60x series.
As others have noted, the photo here is out of date, the current model of this switch is a compact fanless form-factor barely larger than the width of the 8 network ports. Since there's no fan, there's no noise at all. The only drawback to this compact design is that the activity/link LEDs are now built into the port and are all one color. You can't tell at a glance if the port is connected at 100Mb or 1000Mb... That minor quibble aside, this is an excellent product, highly recommended.