Mark Miller – March 05
Introduction
The following unmanaged mini-switches were tested for compatibility with our campus standard Cisco switches. The switches were tested for compatibility and stability only. No performance tests were done. They all worked fine and no problems were observed.
The switches are similar: they are all unmanaged 5-port 10/100/1000 Mbps switches suitable for connecting up to (4) Gigabit network devices to an existing Gigabit network jack. All the ports on each switch auto-negotiate the speed and are auto-mdix which means cross-over cables are a thing of the past.
Each switch worked fine. Based on lowest cost, the Trendware is a good choice. For a few dollars more, the shapely case and brand recognition of the Linksys is also a good choice. If you prefer an internal power supply instead of a wall adapter, then the Allied Telesyn is your choice.
The prices listed are the prices at the time of this review. Following are the links to the manufacturers’ product page and the links to where they were purchased.
http://www.trendware.com/products/TEG-S50TXE.htm
Available
for $53 from
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=17-111-480&depa=0
http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?prid=528&scid=42
Available
for $78 from
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=33-124-021&depa=0
http://www.alliedtelesyn.com/products/details.aspx?521
Available
for $92 from
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10379351&loc=&sp=1&search_store=19&searchitemnumber=cd59f6