I have enjoyed the Linksys 8-port switch for more than 2 years, and it has never let me down. In this review I share the configurations in which I have used the switch. I also discuss switch v.s. hub network connection solutions.

In the box

The Linksys EZXS88W Workgroup 8-port switch comes in a cardboard box with the switch, a power supply brick and documentation in it. The switch itself is a blue/black colored plastic box with three indicators for each channel in front and 9 RJ-45 patch cable connector sockets in the back (one socket is for the uplink connection). The power brick is the usual “plug-me-in-the-wall” device. Documentation is comprehensive enough and even includes instructions for those determined to make their own network cables, with connector pin-outs – a handy reference.

There are no driver disks, and none is needed. Plug it in, and it runs. The setup boils down to running cables between computers and the switch and plugging them in, which can take anywhere between 10 seconds and 10 days (the latter case is when you need to run lots of cables through ceilings, walls, floors, etc…)


Features and benefits

The switch is capable to connect up to 8 devices in a star-topology. There is also one up-link port, which shares one channel for other network interconnection devices.

Each channel has 3 LED indicators: Link (indicating the successful connection of another device to the port), Collision/Full (indicating the operation of the channel) and the mode indicator showing whether 10Mbit or 100Mbit link is present.

The switch is 10/100Mbit auto-sensing, which means it can determine the connection speed the devices use, and operate properly.

The switch is compatible with Category 3 or Category 5 cables, but I strongly suggest the latter for quality and reliability reasons.

The switch is compatible with Ethernet standard IEEE 802.3 and IEEE 802.3u and uses CSMA/CD protocol. This is sufficient for almost any SOHO computer networking.


What you will need

You will need to get RJ-45 patch cables (normally the basic ones, not the crossovers). If you have just two computers that you want to interconnect, you could actually do away with a single crossover cable and save the switch. But for 3 and more devices on the network you’ll need to purchase or make the patch cables.

The switch has 8 ports, this means that you can connect up to 8 devices. Therefore you may need up to 8 cables. This might cost you more than the switch. However, if you are handy, you can buy one long cable, a bunch of RJ-45 connectors and a crimping tool, and make the custom cables for yourself (and later for your friends) for much cheaper, and exactly the length you need. That is exactly what I did, and it cost me about $50 for all the mentioned above (long live Ebay). Now I have a bunch of cables ranging from 1 foot to 250 feet, all connected to the switch, which is handling them flawlessly. I am still making some for my friends once in a while.


Hub v.s. switch

As you may have heard, the two most commonly used devices to set up a network of computers are a hub or a switch. Both of these devices have cables connected to the each of the computers and devices (such as routers, other hubs or switches) in the network The hubs tend to be cheaper. Then why go for a switch?

The difference between the hub and the switch is how they handle the information traffic flowing through them. The hub lets everybody hear what everybody on the network is saying. Sometimes devices “speak” at the same time, resulting in a so-called collision. Then the devices have to say the same thing again. The more devices are connected together, the more likelihood of collisions, or “information-jams”. Ever been in a traffic-jam?

Network switch in turn examines the information, and establishes the pathways of communication only between the devices that want to “talk” to each other. Thus, the collisions are less likely to happen, and the performance can be higher. Therefore the switch is the preferred device (although more expensive) for the medium and large networks.


Test environment

My switch connects the following devices:

- A few computers ranging from 200MHz laptop with 10Mbit PCMCIA network card to a powerful workstation with 100Mbit network card.
- Linksys router/firewall.
- Linksys wireless hub.
- Occasionally Linksys Ethernet to USB converter.

Over the time different brand network cards have been used, including Linksys 10/100, D-Link, SMC and IBM cards.

The cables run between 1 foot and 250 feet long. Sometimes a few cables have been with loose ends (no devices attached), but this created no problems. Sometimes all 8 ports have been connected and actively used. Again, no performance problems were observed.


Performance

The network traffic through the switch has been running between the router and the computer workstations, as well among the various devices connected. All this results in a mixed topology multi-speed (10 and 100Mbit) network. At some point the network even had two different sub-domains using the same switch simultaneously.

The Linksys switch has performed flawlessly in any of the configurations I have used it. I have not noticed any local network congestions or delays, even when moving large amounts of data between the computers.

The switch becomes warm when powered for 24 hours every day, but not excessively hot. It has a ventilation holes on the top, which have proven to be sufficient. But, avoid letting your cat to sleep on them :-)


Conclusion: highly recommend

I recommend this device to anybody who has at least 6 and less than 9 devices to connect in a network. The only minor annoyance is that every device in my configuration has needed its own power supply. That’s a lot of bricks plugged in the wall :) Therefore, if you plan to use a router or wireless hub, I’d suggest buying a combined device that has all the functions you desire (Linksys has quite a few options). However, the routers usually come with less than 5 ports, thus, if you plan to have more, you still might need the switch.

Another minor annoyance is that the switch comes in a smaller form factor than the routers, therefore it does not stack nicely on the top or below of the slightly larger Linksys connectivity devices. But it fits snug between the other smaller switches or hubs, if you happen to have them.

What is the next thing I’ll throw at the switch? I’ll plug in wireless compact-flash adapter in my digital camera, and run the pictures straight from the camera through the wireless hub and the switch to wherever my little heart desire :-)


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 76
Driver Availability: Windows, Linux, and Mac