The EtherFast 8-Port 10/100 Workgroup Switch is a quick and easy way to boost your network's performance while migrating to the power of Fast Ethernet. With support for half- and full-duplex speeds, the switch allows your network to run at 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps, 100 Mbps and an incredible 200 Mbps.
The 8-Port Workgroup Switch is designed to meet the needs of small-business and home networks. The eight-port rack-mountable switch is great for enterprise and medium-size business use.
The EtherFast 10/100 Switches pack a full suite of error detection and correction features for reliable communication every time. Auto-partitioning, data collision control, preamble regeneration and incoming frame retiming ensures that not a single bit is lost, even during the heaviest moments of network activity. Built to last, these switches are optimized to deliver high- end video, multimedia and other speed-intensive applications at blistering speeds.
1 Handy...
I've found it to be handy and at a good price, but like other reviewers I had some problems. Ports tend to go bad and sometimes the unit dies. I was able to get warranty replacements and the new ones havent had problems yet.
2 works well while it lasts -- but don't count on long life
I've had two Linksys products die on me shortly after a year (a 4-port router/switch, and now this 8-port switch). It works fine until it dies (but that's like saying a stapler staples correctly: it's supposed to).
Just to note: I run them in a very friendly environment -- no dust or heat or voltage spikes or any of that to blame for the problem. (Also, you can count me as an "expert user".)
I myself will never buy another Linksys product again -- I'll try out Netgear & DLink and other brands, but goodbye Cisco/Linksys. If you chooose to try their products, caveat emptor.
3 Cisco to the rescue
Cisco bought Linksys a while back -- smart move! Can't get any easier -- works great, while it is smaller than the Linksys router, it still sits nicely on top, although feet pattern does not match.
4 Watch out for size difference
I bought this switch because I trust the brand and also because I thought it would stack well with my Linksys BEFW11S4 wireless router (which I've run out of ports on). However, when I received the EZXS88W, it was smaller than in the technical description given by Amazon (which is actually the size of the box, not the switch itself). Because it is about an inch and a quarter narrower than my Linksys router, it does not sit nicely on top or underneath. I know that it's only a small complaint (otherwise the switch is terrific), but I just wanted to let potential buyers know about the possible size difference, especially if one is buying it specifically because it will interface nicely with a previous Linksys purchase.
5 Flawless switch in continuous use for 2 years
I have two of these switches in my network, never turned off connected to Compaq servers.
Not one issue. I see why Cisco purchased this company.
6 Cheap, fast, but beware premature port death
I've been buying Linksys equipment for a few years now and it's all good stuff, at very affordable prices. I've had no complaints with any of their equipment so far, except for one.
I have found (and so have a few of my tech buddies and Network Admins I know) that Linksys hubs and switches tend to have problems with ports going dead or becoming unusable after only about a year of use. That is, one or more of the ports will die within a year's time (or shortly following the warranty period -- this is especially true of the 5-port switches).
This premature port failure is not limited to just the hubs and switches. I've also had 2 DSL/Cable modem routers with 4 port switches exhibit the same problem (in one case, ALL the ports died except for the cable/DSL port).
My suggestion is to buy more ports than you need so that you can still use the hub/switch after some ports go bad. That's why I am buying an 8-port switch even though it's replacing a 5-port switch where 2 of the ports are now dead.
Why 4 stars? Because if you know about the port death syndrome and buy more ports than you need, it's STILL a great deal for the money...
7 Slam Dunk
It is as easy as others say - I added it to my DSL system in less time than it took to read the (sparse) instruction manual.
Plug in, turn on. Done
The manual devotes a whole page to CAT5 cable construction but does not say which type (straight or crossover) to use between the EZXS88 and the DSL modem. (Its straight, as are the cables between the EZXS88 and the computers).
8 Perfect. As easy as an extension cord.
A perfect switch for my home network. I've been using it for months. It is cascaded off my 4 port router when my network expanded. Works flawlessly. You just plug into your network and your up and running. My network consists of a Netgear router feeding this switch which in turn feeds a wireless access point. My only complaint is that I should have bought the 16 port unit as this one is full.
Network novices should remember that an 8 port switch is really only a 7 port switch as the 8th port is shared with the WAN uplink. At least this switch has the separate uplink port.
9 Good Consumer-Grade Switch
If you're considering buying this switch, you most likely have more than a few computers to network. And if you're the casual home user, this switch will give you appreciable performance at a great price. As a geek with 4 constantly-on computers with a mixed OS network, I can say that this switch (which was an upgrade from a 5-port 10/100 hub) really improved my network connections.
First off, you should know the difference between "hubs" and "switches". Hubs are your typical central connecting device that will allow you to hook up more than one computer on to the network at a time. They are usually quite cheaper than switches, at the price of loss of performance. Switches have separate bandwidths for each port, unlike hubs; thus, allowing more traffic to go through between each computer on your network. Of course, if you're going to be doing nothing but sending e-mails and occasional web surfing, a cheap hub will do all of this for you. But for the heavy gamers or those that want to use network intensive tools will appreciate the individual bandwidth that each port gets.
Some people complain that by switching to this switch, their network performance has decreased. This was the case with one of my computers, where transfer rates sharply fell from 42% capacity to 1.2% in a matter of seconds, rendering a 1GB file transfer practically impossible. After a bit of analysis, I found 2 causes for this: 1) faulty cabling, and 2) cheap unreliable network adapter. If you have cheap old network cables that have been crushed by chairs, doors, etc., they could be affecting the reliability of your network, and the full duplex operations of the 100Mbit network could be adversly affected by line conditions to where it has to resend packets to correct transmission errors. The other common culprits are cheaply constructed network adapters (NIC's) with especially poorly written drivers. I replaced all wiring with 350MHz Cat 5e cabling and replaced all cheap cards (e.g., CNet Pro 200) with higher grade ones, and the reliability and transfer rates have soared to a little under theoretical maximum throughputs. According to a network expert, some recommended lower-cost cards are D-Link DFE-530TX (uses the RTL 8139 chipset) or 3Com EtherLink or 905TX series.
Too many people blame the switch when it is really their setup's fault, and it should be pointed out that the switch is very well-made and easy to setup. It should be pointed out that the switch does make an electric "fuzz" noise that many switches/hubs will generate. If you are using quiet computers or laptops or are planning on putting the switch anywhere quiet, you might find the noise distracting. However, it's a subtle "quiet" sound, so the level may vary depending on your perception of loudness. Also, if you have more than 8 computers, it should be noted that these switches are not stackable so you it won't be as neat. Wall mounting is possible and probably recommended, as a small, light-weight device such as this tends to not stay on the ground very well if the angles at which you plug in the network cables lifts or pulls on it.
There aren't any true flaws in the product, works and performs well, and I readily recommend it to anyone seeking to setup or improve a home network on a budget.
10 Fast ,Flawless and Painless
I already have the BEFSR8 Switch/Router and the EZXS88W Switch is a great complement to my existing home network. I literally just plug n play. There was no additional setup involved. I highly recommend this product.
11 love it
i absolutely love this switches. they are great and reliable. i have never had a problem and preformance/price cannot be challenged. if you are wanting something bigger you might want to go with a different name but for this level linksys can't be beat.
12 Standard LynkSys Quality
As others who have written before me, I purchased this device to replace an old 10-base HUB (D-Link, another low-cost, low-quality vendor). It worked fine for the first few days, then I started experiencing network outages from within the LAN. I tried troubleshooting everything; NIC's, cables, the computers themselves. It came down to two test systems who, when connected via a cross-over cable worked just fine. The moment I placed the Linksys EZXS88W between them, the network became flakey, not just slowing to less than 10mbps, many times disconnecting all together while the indicator lights flickered indicating it was at least trying. Replacing the Linksys switch with the old D-Link 10mbps hub the network was magically all better. ALL equipment was thoroughly checked, and the weak component was without question the Linksys switch. This is not the first Linksys item I have had the displeasure of working with, however it is both the first and last Linksys product I have personally purchased. Do yourself a favor, friend; spend the extra $50-$100 and buy a decent switch from a more reputable vendor. The money you "save" isn't worth the hassles.
13 Piece of metal "clanging around" in the unit
I got the unit and it was nicely packed. I unwraped it and immediately heard a piece of metal moving around inside the unit. You can carefully press the blue-top of the unit to reveal the inside and I moved the unit around until the metal fell out. It was a small piece that looked "unnecessary."
I added this switch to my existing 4 port router and it is working great. I have the router in the basement attached to my cable modem and the switch in my attic attached via a 50-60 ft cable (I don't know the exact length since I manufacture my own cables). I have had the 4 port router for about 1 year now and it is flawless. This switch has allowed me to add Internet access into just about every room in my house.
Other great feature about this switch is that it was truly plug-and-play. I attached one end of my cable into an available port of the router, the other end into the switch and _presto_ Internet access via the switch. Manual was unnecessary :-)
14 User Error
I purchased this switch about 2 months ago. I have not had one problem with it. The transfer speeds are fast and network utilization is low. I fell these reviews are unfair because of the many variables involved in networks (i.e. Network Cards, PC configuration, Internet provider bandwidth). Great product in my book.
15 Poor.
I have to admit that I experienced the same thing as some of the other reviewers... at two different locations... Bought the switch, it worked great. Later, it brought the network to it's knees. Transfer rates were the equivilent of a 33.6 modem, ACROSS THE LAN. I would not recommend this product, ESPECIALLY since other people have experienced the same things. The good reviews? Perhaps they haven't had it for very long. Maybe mine was from the same bad batch.
16 don't mistake for a DSL/Cable Router
Unit works properly as a switch but will not configure without a static IP from your ISP. As most ISP's only accord this for business accounts, this is not your box. Quite adequate as a 10/100 switch though limted documentation.
17 Never Had a Problem
...of course, I don't buy products based on their Technical Support department either. LinkSys products have never failed me, and I highly recommend them to anyone, and their technical specifications and abilities are second to none in my opinion.
18 Fast switch, poor quality control
This is the first time I have been moved to write a product review for Amazon.com. I purchased this Linksys 10/100 MBPS switch to replace an older Netgear 10 MBPS hub. The switch comes with minimal instructions only, but mine came with a free CD-ROM installer of TurboLinux. I was immediately impressed with the speed of the switch as compared to the 10 MBPS hub. The switch worked fine for about three weeks, but then I noticed that Internet downloads were stalling when conditions were optimal, and backups across the network became pathetically slow. Windows estimated 17 minutes to copy a 60 MB file between two machines. After spending a week trying to get in touch with Linksys technical support, they agreed to replace the switch only after they received the old one. Good thing I kept the Netgear hub as a spare! The new switch worked fine until about a month ago, when the it also began dropping packets. Data transfers slowed to a crawl (this time an estimated 11 minutes for a 40 MB file), and tonight I replaced the switch with the old hub. Both of these switches were noise filtered and surge protected, so there is little or no chance that they were affected by power line problems. Engineering to the lowest common denominator is not acceptable even in a consumer grade product such as this one. The Netgear hub that this switch was supposed to replace has had more uptime than both Linksys switches put together. I would not buy this product again.
19 Worst Customer Service EVER
I purchased one of this company's products and I have NEVER encountered worse customer service. The 800 number rings and rings and when it finally answers you are on hold forever. When you finally get through to the tech support department, there is an operator who takes a message under the guise that someone will actually return the call. When someone finally called me back (after I repeatedly called them to check the status of the callback), the person could not have been in a bigger hurry to get me off the line. When I followed his instructions, my computer locked up and then he said he could'nt wait for me to fix my computer so he hung up. He actually hung up on me! I could'nt believe it. When I called this company to find out the name of the President, the person answering the phone was reluctant to provide it. When I asked for the President's e-mail address and address so that I could send a letter, this person refused to provide it and also hung up on me. If you are stupid enough to purchase this product after my experiences, all I can say is that you better know what the hell you are doing because Linksys certainly will not help you.
20 For a geek like me to be impressed it takes a lot !!
I work in technology and have for the last 10 years. There are two products that I have that really impressed me....
1. TIVO 2. Linksys router/switch
What it takes for me to actually be impressed by a technology product it has to be simple, (plug and play simple) the right price or better and be 99.999% reliable or better.
This product is simple, just plug the darn thing in and it works. You only need to configure it if you want to do something a little non-standard.
It has yet to fail me and I have had it for quite some time.
If you need to share a high speed internet connection like DSL or cable this product is the best I have seen. Also in it;'s latest incarnation it supports PPPoE so it will work with any DSL provider out there without having to install the crummy ISP software on your actual workstation.
Oh yeah and don't forget it supports NAT (Network Address Translation) so it basically acts as a firewall as well.
21 Rendimiento Excelente!
Adem‡s de que cualquiera puede poner a funcionar este dispositivo con s—lo conectar los cables, este switch permite transferencias realmente impresionantes con soporte para full-duplex. Realmente lo recomiendo por sus excelentes caracter’sticas y precio.
22 Very impressive speeds and handling.
I can't say enough how much Linksys rocks. They are definitely giving 3Com a run for their money. They manage to make excellent quality, well-documented networking products and keep the prices incredibly low.
This switch was a breeze to setup -- plug it in and go. The manual is very detailed and even covers general ethernet cabling types, length limitations, and different ways of chaining other hubs and switches together. Although this is an unmanaged switch, the front LEDs each serve two purposes, unblinking means one thing, blinking means another (the manual makes this very easy to understand).
It's surprisingly small (about the size of a external zip drive -- the picture is kind of deceiving). It's attractive, doesn't take up hardly any desk space. This switch is definitely a winner in my book, and I'll never regret this purchase!
23 You can't go wrong with this
This is a great little box for connecting a small network without breaking your bank.
The EZXS88W has a great work/size ratio. It's small enough to set on top of a computer case and provides eight ports of full duplex, 10/100 networking.
It has a very informative display to give out info for connection speed, duplex connection and collision. The setup is as simple as plugging in the power and network cables. I have yet to run into any problems with this unit and would recommend it without a second thought.
24 Best thing for networking
If you want to do some fast networking you need to pickup a switcher and not a hub. I've always found Linksys to be really good and way much cheaper. Having a 100mb switcher is nice and a lot faster then a plain hub. Setup is very easy.
The only down point is that the power cable doesn't hold tight enough to the back of the switcher, so any minor shake will reset the switcher. I still give it 5 stars because of the great price and performance.
25 Much better!
I can see the difference after going to the Linksys switch over my previous 3com 100Mb hub. Transfer rates doudbled when network utilization is high overall. All systems run fine at 100Mb full duplex and that's with 3com and intel network cards.
