TRENDnet TE100-S5 5-Port Ethernet Switch (5 x 10/100Mbps Auto-MDIX RJ-45 Ports)
by TRENDnet
|
List Price: Our Price: $12.97 You Save: $19.02 (59%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $12.95 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of TRENDnet TE100-S5 5-Port Ethernet Switch (5 x 10/100Mbps Auto-MDIX RJ-45 Ports)
Customer Review: Great product, easy to use
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this product while looking for a way to split the LAN at my job into two. We get one ethernet cord running to our desk and that's it. I was worried that my company would have some kind of block to not allow this to happen (they don't allow streaming video, audio, etc... so they block a lot of things). I found the unit on sell (about half price) and decided it was worth the price to try it. I tried it at home at first and it worked great (I have a router at home, so don't really need this at home, but just wanted to make sure it worked at home so if it didn't at the office, then I'd know it wasn't the device). I unplugged the ethernet from one computer, plugged this in and plugged in two computers. So, basically, there was one ethernet cord going from the router to the TRENDnet box and two computers branched off from there. Worked great - no set up needed, just plug-n-play. So, now for the big test: I took it to work. Worked with no big problems - same plug-n-play. The only thing is that when I plug my computer directly to the work LAN, it says the connection at 1 GBPS, but through this device, it shows up as 100 MBPS. I can't really tell any problems so far with speed - everything is working as normal, but now I have online access on both my work computer and my laptop. So, for me, this device works as advertised and meets my needs.
PS - sorry for my non-technical review, but I'm no tech expert!
PPS - don't forget you'll need an additional ethernet cord to make this connection. I didn't think of it at first, but luckily remembered before I finished my transaction and was able to pick up a cheap 3-footer.
Customer Review: Solid and ease of use
Summary: 4 Stars
I am satisfied with this product. This is my first ethernet switch. I purchased this item after reading a lot of reviews. For the price and features, this product is great. It was easy to set up. Although the labelling of ports as to which can be used as input is rudimentary, it is logical to use the first port that is next to the "power" LED. So, essentially, this is a 4-port switch. I have a single Comcast cable account (single IP address) and I use this switch to split the internet connection between my LCD TV (to browse the internet from the couch, watch movies on NetFlix) using my Wii console and my laptop so that I can use either to connect to the internet. It works great without any issues. So the switch enables a single IP address to be split between one computer and other non-computer devices like a gaming console. You cannot use more than one computer using a switch. You will need a wired/wireless router which incidentally I bought ( a wired TRENDnet 4-Port Broadband router for $25.00) subsequently and am currently using. More details on this when I write my review for the router which is working great. I am still using the switch to split the internet connection at the TV end to connect to another laptop. The possibilities are endless. BTW, I bought all the cables, router, Wii LAN adapter, etc from Amazon.Customer Review: Get something else for anything other than occasional use
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased two of these units on two different dates. I wanted to split a CAT5 drop to enable a Tivo; another to enable a game console.
The unit worked for about 6 months. Then, strange timeouts started on the game console. I tried everything without luck. Having never had a single switch of any brand go bad, I troubleshooted this switch last. Once removed, the problem completely went away.
About 3 months later a similar thing happen with Tivo. We were trying to view some pictures from vacation using Tivo Desktop. It worked fine many times before, but all of sudden I was getting weird Tivo error messages. I change everything, updated everything... I kicked myself when I remembered there was one of these hubs hidden back in the entertainment center. Again -- I take it out of the loop and all is well. No more problems.
I am only left to conclude this unit is fine for an occasional splitting of a connection; however, it's not for "turn it on and forget it" use... Clearly the mean-time-between-failures is very low. With 2 units from 2 different lots going bad in a cooled environment where they are literally not touched for months leaves me to believe I was not simply "unlucky".
You get what you pay for.
Customer Review: easy to set up and works great
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this Ethernet switch a couple months ago and was afraid to use it because I am not very technical. The other day I decided it was time to get it out of the box; it looked simple enough but the book was unclear so I decided to call their support. I called support and it was easy enough to get to a human who spoke good English ... in a couple minutes he helped me set it up and although he said I won't be able to be on the internet with 2 computers at once with out a router ... I do not have a router and I am on 2 computers on the internet at once! It is really cool.
The box is very simple: slightly tacky blue plastic with a port for power and 5 Ethernet ports.
To me, their directions are useless, it does not explain exactly how to set it up. All I had to do was take the Ethernet cable that came out of my modem and used to go into my computer, and plug it into any port on the Trentnet box, and then take additional Ethernet cables and connect them from the Trendnet box to additional computers and there it is! Their booklet said things like "The surface must support at least 1.5Kg for the switch" - I have no idea what that means.
Anyway, I am using it, it is great, they were easy to deal with and I am happy.
Customer Review: Set It And Forget It - What a Value!
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many here, and many users around the country, I needed to split one ethernet cable between an ever-increasing horde of internet-capable devices. Folks, ethernet cable is not like phone cord - unfortunately, you can't just buy a Y-splitter. But guess what - with this little blue network switch, which is just as cheap as most splitters, you can get everything you need done.
I use this switch to split one cable internet connection between my PS3, internet-capable TV, networked Blu-Ray player, and home theater PC. So this fit my needs perfectly - one input and 4 outputs. All 4 devices work perfectly, and there is no noticeable speed reduction compared to a direct hookup to the bare cat5 cable. It was literally a plug and play proposition - no setup at all. The switch does come with a "wall wart," a small AC adapter that pulls a relatively paltry 1.3 watts when plugged in.
I'm writing this review to make things easier on people who want to do what I did but not go through the research and trial and error that I did. Don't waste your money on a splitter! At this price and with this ease of use, this network switch is your best bet. I don't even really mind that it's blue, at this price.