Is the hub a good switch?

[Finkfan77]

Hi everyone. 

I’ve had a search but can’t find an answer to this question. I have just added wired points around my home during recent building works. 
I now have 8 points dotted around that start under the stairs where my BT hub is located. I realise with this many points that I do need a switch, but the size of the switch would depend on an answer to the question posted, ‘is the Hub a good switch?’ Should I buy a switch big enough to accommodate all these points? Or can I make use of the ports on the hub and purchase a smaller switch? Which option is going to give me best performance? 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Finkfan77 

Welcome to this user forum.

If you use the home hub ports, then if the hub reboots, or you have to restart it, then you will lose connectivity between Ethernet devices.

If you use a separate Ethernet switch, with one port connected to the home hub purely for Internet connection, then connectivity between devices will be maintained.

Get an Ethernet switch which is large enough to cope with any future expansion.

[Keith_Beddoe]

Just to add to what I have said, I prefer to use managed Ethernet switches as they do offer additional features like link speed control and QOS. They are a bit more expensive.

These are what I use,  NetgearGS108E-300UKS about £29, eight ports.

Unmanaged switches are much cheaper.

[licquorice]

A switch is an Ethernet layer device hence all routing will still be done by the hub regardless of whether you use one port or three. Hence it will make no difference which method you choose.

You will lose connectivity between devices if you reboot the hub regardless of which method you choose.

[gg30340]

For all the difference in price between a 5 and 8 port switch you should go for an 8 port switch.

One of the ports will be needed to connect to the hub which leaves you seven for you network. You will use one port on the hub for your network then you will have a couple left on your hub should you require more in the future.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@licquorice 

I use a TP Link modem/router with one port connected to an eight port switch, just to provide a connection to the Ethernet. 

If I disconnect that single port, all my Ethernet devices can still communicate with each other. That switch also is onward linked to another in the loft, which has a server, and some other devices connected, which also stay connected to other internal network devices, and a wireless mesh system.

I assume that the switches are remembering the internal routing, based upon the device MAC addresses. All that is lost, is the path back to the Internet.

[ptrduffy]

Routing is only required if traffic is moving between IP networks - all devices in the home will be on the same IP network, so traffic within the home won't be routed by the hub, it will simply be switched (ARP is used to translate IP to MAC addresses to make this work).

[TimCurtis]

I use TP-Link TL-SG108E managed switches as I know these handle BT's multicast transmissions (BT TV) well  , not sure about the Netgear ones.

[Keith_Beddoe]

The Netgear managed ones have IGMP snooping, but as I  use a retail BT YouView box with no BT TV services, I assume they would work fine.

[ptrduffy]

I have a Netgear GS116Ev2 managed switch.  As @Keith_Beddoe says, they do IGMP snooping - my BT TV Pro box works perfectly with this switch.