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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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of NETGEAR GS108 ProSafe 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Desktop Switch
Customer Review: Works great, could use some cable management
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this router for a while now and it's fast (gigabit-capable devices connect and transfer at the speeds you'd expect), reliable, and runs much cooler than some older switches I've used in the past. The only thing stopping me from giving it five stars is the cable management, or lack thereof. A switch of this size is most likely going to end up on or under a desk rather than mounted in a rack, and having the cables and status lights all on the same side is a drawback. Assuming you position it so you can see the status LEDs, you end up with a rats' nest of cables that come off the front. For a desktop-style switch, either 1) having the ports on the back side and the LEDs on the front, or 2) providing some method for managing the cables, would be preferred.Customer Review: Linux Ready GS108
Summary: 5 Stars
I placed one of these in a linux network and no configuration was required. All the client gigabit NICs recognized it and switched to 1000 base T. You can use xover or straight through cabling, or mixed, and you can plug the firewall, or modem into any rj45 socket on the unit. I can't even imagine how anyone could fail with this switch. It is fast, and my transfer speeds within the network are about 10 times what they were. Every client needs a gigabit NIC for gigabit to work. This switch is nearly foolproof with Linux, and handles all the traffic you can thrown at it. Real world speeds are 60-70 MegaBytes / second (70 MegaBytes / second = 0.7 GigaBits / second). This unit is like a breath of fresh air after using 100 base T for my whole life.Customer Review: Great switch, lousy power supply
Summary: 3 Stars
I've been using this switch without any problems since I bought it just over two years ago. Then a couple days ago, I noticed that a couple devices connected to it had no connectivity. Later in the day, none of them did. Eventually figured out it was a dead power supply. "No problem!" I thought, since the GS108 has a lifetime warranty! But, after contacting Netgear, I found that the warranty is only on the switch. The power supply only has a two year warranty. Boo. Of course they said they'd be happy to sell me a new power supply. No thanks, Netgear. I'll take my dollars elsewhere. So, in the end, I recommend the switch, but it's wise to have a spare power supply on hand if you can't afford the downtime while you hunt for a replacement.Customer Review: Works fine
Summary: 5 Stars
A note about all the users here who gave this one star because the capacitors blew up within a few months to a couple years of purchase: Do a Google search on "capacitor plague" and read about it. There were widespread problems with electrolytic caps from about 1999 to about 2005. It's not clear what was happening, but it affected a lot of manufacturers, including Dell and others. It's not because they were using cheap parts; it was some problem that affected most of the caps produced during that time, and most manufacturers didn't realize it until they started getting a lot of reports of "my capacitors blew up after 24 months".
I just got one of these and it seems fine. I expect the capacitor problem is now gone.
Customer Review: sturdy but unreliable
Summary: 3 Stars
I like the looks of Netgear consumer switches because of their metal blue casing, the presence of Kensington lock slot (for gigabit models), ability to mount them easily on the wall and their general sturdiness. However, Netgear seems to have quality problems. This 8-port switch died after 1 year or so (as happened to many other people) and was replaced with new one after sent to back (here in Europe 2 year warranty is common). However, I still believe Netgear will get its act together in the coming years. My first Netgear was 5-port hub and have bought 2 Netgear switches in addition. I will probably buy another Netgear switch (different model) in the future if it's needed but should it fail it will be the last one from Netgear.