Replace home hub with new router or by a managed switch

[gingerangles]

Hi All!

Wondering if I can get some advice... My home hum (i think it is that that is the problem) seems to be struggling with my network.  I have 2 Netgear EX7000's plugged into it to provide wifi and additional ethernet ports as well as a netgear 4 port unmanaged switch.  The wifi on the hub is turned off.  I seem to encounter random internet access issues... no connectivity errors when I still have internet, dropping network connection (ethernet and wifi) and I dont like how the hub cant really see the switches and seems to get in a muddle with devices and ip addresses.

So... I came to the conclusion what I needed was a managed switch... something with enough ports everything can go in to that barring the odd device or two.    After this is how networks are setup where I work with all the network management taken away from the 'modem'.  But it occurred to me this may not be the best home setup and may not make best us of my 2 EX7000s?  

I'd be very grateful for any advice on my situation in relation to either adding a managed switch connected to the hub or am I barking up the wrong tree and really need a better router and to continue making use of the ethernet capabilities of the EX 7000s?

Thanks in advance

[licquorice]

A managed switch isn't going to help if the problem is the hub, a managed switch only deals with the Ethernet layer and has nothing to do with the IP layer it is not a replacement for a router.

If you believe the problem is the hub, you could get a third party modem/router. Make sure you get the appropriate device for your service.

[gingerangles]

Thanks @licquorice !  That is kind of what I'd come round to thinking.  I must be mistaken though as I thought that a managed switch took over the 'router' parts of the hub's operation if so desired but this is not the case?

[licquorice]

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@gingerangles wrote:

 I must be mistaken though as I thought that a managed switch took over the 'router' parts of the hub's operation if so desired but this is not the case?

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Definitely not.

[gingerangles]

right... bit more reading up for me then.  It is a case of leaving the hub in place and hooking a router to that or replace the thing entirely with something more user friendly?  In that scenario is there any benefit to a managed switch if doing nothing fancy network wise?  I may be adding cameras to the network at some point but imagined them having their own poe switch entirely.

[licquorice]

Replace the hub entirely.

What broadband service do you have?

You don't need a managed switch.

[gingerangles]

I'm with BT. When things got bad the other day luckily I had a 2nd hub that I setup and it seeme to fix the issue but I bet a reset of the original would have done the same. 

[licquorice]

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@gingerangles wrote:

I'm with BT. 

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Yes, but we need to know what type of broadband you have to make sure you are getting the correct replacement modem/router.

Are you on standard copper broadband (ADSL), superfast fibre to the cabinet (VDSL), ultrafast fibre to the cabinet (G.Fast) or full fibre to the house (FTTP)?

[gingerangles]

What is the best way to be sure about that? I'd of guessed it was fibre to the cabinet... certainly physical copper into the property.

[licquorice]

I suspect it is FTTC, what speed is your broadband?