The Netgear FS-105 Port 10/100 autosensing switch simplifies 100 MBps switching technology for the small-office marketplace. This product provide a way to instantaneously boost network performance while preserving your network infrastructure, including installed cabling and desktop software and hardware.
All five ports automatically sense speed, installation is Plug and Play, and each connection can easily be upgraded from 10 to 100 Mbps. Each port provides dedicated 10 or 100 Mbps bandwidth for connecting PCs, servers, and hubs. In full duplex mode, each port supports up to 200 Mbps of throughput.
The switch supports n-way autonegotiation, and each port automatically senses and operates at the proper duplex mode while built-in LEDs clearly indicate port status. These features take the burdens of configuration, installation, and troubleshooting off the user.
The switch is Plug and Play, so there's no software to configure. The switch is protocol independent and is compatible with all popular networks such as the Internet, TCP/IP, NetWare, Windows, and LANtastic.
The FS100 series Fast Ethernet switches brings the 100 Mbps switching technology in a compact form factor to the small office marketplace at an aggressive price. These switches segment networks for improved performance, enabling the most demanding multimedia and imaging applications. Since each port is auto-speed-sensing, individual hubs or directly attached servers can easily be upgraded from 10 to 100 Mbps.
Each port can automatically negotiate the network speed and duplex mode with the remote end, taking the burden of configuration off the user. At the higher speed running in full duplex mode, each port supports up to 200 Mbps of information throughput. With it’s speed and it’s reliability, the FS100 series is the best choice for your networking needs.
1 I wish the ports were on the back
I agree with the other reviewers, in that this is a very solid built and reliable product. I've been using mine for six months now and have not had to touch it. It performs very well, as I've ran multiple file transfers simultaneously among four computers and it was amazingly faster than when using an older 10/100 hub.
The one complaint that I have about Netgear switches and routers is that many of them have the ports on the front of the unit instead of the back. If you're installing this in some out-of-the-way place like your attic or basement, or if you're installing in a computer rack where you want everything facing front, this is a non-issue. If you want to put this on your desktop it is a major inconvenience, because the cables coming into the switch will either be strung across the front of your desk, or will snake over and behind the unit. In either case, you have cables on your desktop and it's quite unsightly.
All things considered I'm still happy with the Netgear switch, but if I had it to do over again I would have probably bought one that worked better in my home office.
2 Reliable switch
Sturdy construction in an unobstrusive yet eye-catching package, the FS105 is an excellent workhorse! I have been using one for the past 1 1/2 years without a hitch. Setup is easy and quick so there is very little hassle and headaches involved.
Only one problem is that it tends to run rather warm so I elevate the switch on 2 jenga blocks to allow for better heat dissipation.
3 Good Device, Small Size is a +
I'm not hiding that I like Netgear products for entry level use. This device has a 5th port that you can use in uplink or normal mode. It is very compact with indicator lights for connection and collisions. It is also very reliable.
4 great switch
nice metal box, great upgrade from the Netgear EN104tp i was using previously... but im somewhat jaded as every thing on my network that ive bought instead of been given is netgear...
5 A very nice switch
I have been replacing my ethernet hubs with switches (because the throughput on a switch is much better than on a hub). After extensive review, I decided to get one D-Link 5-port switch and one Netgear 5-port switch, both auto-sensing for 10/100 rate. The truth is, they both work great! They both perform well, and were equally easy to hookup (no software to deal with). I will add one thing, and that is that the D-Link box was a much nicer design than the Netgear. First of all, it is much smaller (the picture of the D-Link here is deceiving). Secondly, the Netgear has the LED lights and the ethernet ports on the same side. For my setup, I prefer the ports on the back and the lights on the front. I think the Netgear switch was fashioned more for a rack. Style aside, a big thumbs up for both of these switches!
6 Excellent, inexpensive switch for home networking
I found this product by Netgear to be very effective in setting up a home network. I switch between a PC using Windows ME and two laptops running Windows 98; the system works very quickly in moving data between systems.
In addition, I use the switch to control access to the Internet from these machines. the value of a switch over a hub is that it grants almost your entire internet bandwidth to the machine requesting it; it moves faster than a hub.
The other great thing about this switch is that it is small; doesn't take up a lot of space, and works reliably.
7 Sharing our Internet Connection!
I bought the netgear for the purpose of sharing information between all our family's computers. It delivers flawlessly form working with our printers to sharing one Internet connection. Which is the main reason why I purchased this switch, so as to have two or more of our computers on the Internet at the same time using the same connection.
8 Best Buy!
With the growing number of PCs and Laptops in my house I decided it was time to install a network. I need a cheap solution that what easy to install and required NO maintanence. The Netgear 5 port switch was the perfect buy for my solution. It sits quitely in the roof of my house with the server and has not failed me yet! It is incased in a hard steel shell making it very strong and reliable. If you're looking into setting up a home network I recommend you buy this switch as you cant go wrong!
9 Perfectly reliable, perfectly priced
Needing a quick & dirty home network solution, I quickly decided on the Netgear switch. All five ports are switched 10/100, half or full duplex, auto-negotiate. After several months of use, I'm happy to say my Netgear switch has never burped once, and blazes as fast as I can ask.
10 How can you go wrong?
10/100 Ethernet switching How can you go wrong? Until the recent demise of the networking industry, I worked for Bay Networks/Nortel Networks and remember raving about 10/100 switches when they dropped to the unheard of price! Wow. An Ethernet switch in my home office.
11 Good stuff
This 4-port 10/100 switch has not shown a single problem since its initial installment for my network. The box is a tough steel case all around. The only issue I would have done differently had I been the engineer for this box design is that all 5 ports are located in the front. I would have preferred to have all my network cables located at the back of the box and all the light monitoring signals located at the front of the box. It isn't a hindering issue since this is based on three key words: Location, location and location. Either way it still works for me and has been working seemlessly for many months now. Windows 2000/98SE and the two Linux distros (SuSe 7.1/Mandrake 7.0) that I invest in have detected NetGear's FA311 NICs without any difficulties. Good stuff.
12 Great; no problems
I don't know very many technical things in networking, but I know that I bought this switch, hooked three computers up, and it works perfectly. Never had a problem. I use the handy uplink port because I had a 50ft crossover cable already through the wall. Great product and looks really sharp!
13 A good, solid switch. A little nicer than others.
With switch prices coming down to about $10-per-port, it's hard to justify buying anything less than a 10/100-switch for all but the most cost-conscious buyer.
As most 5-port 10/100 switches have the same capabilities and cost about the same, there's not much to distinguish one from another. Still, I particularly like the Netgear FS-105 5-port switch. Like other products from Netgear, this switch is a little nicer than the competition because it has:
- Nice sturdy metal construction instead of plastic. The case also has a grounding tab in case you're using the switch in a (electrically) high-noise environment.
- Connection status indicators built into the jacks, so you can easily tell which cable is connected and is active. (The "vistajack" feature.)
- Right-angled barrel power connector which reduce the likelihood of disconnecting power accidentally.
- An easy-to-access switch to toggle port 1 between station mode and uplink mode. Unlike some hubs where two jacks are wired together, this design prevents accidentally shorting a station to an uplink.
- Screw-mount notches on the underside allows for easy attachment to the wall, underside of a counter, etc.
With a 1000-MAC address buffer and 200 Kbytes-per-port packet buffer, this switch can easily handle the typical traffic load of small- and medium-sized networks.
The Netgear product is not the cheapest 10/100-switch (check out the D-Link Fast Ethernet Switch, for example), but for overall design and value-for-money, I still like the Netgear the most.
14 Great for Home Network!
I have bought two of these for home and office use. They work flawlessy and for the price you cannot beat the functionality. I was running at least Windows 98 on all computers I hooked up to the ethernet hub. Windows makes it easy to set up file and printer sharing.
After you are hooked up to a network you will not need to swap disks all the time in order to exchange information or to move files for printing. You can transfer a hundred megabytes in a minute or two depending on the kinds of files.
Setup is a breeze if you have ethernet cards installed already. Even if you do not have cards installed already there are instructions to walk you through step by step. By the way, if you are just using this for a home network, pick out the Netgear hub combo that gives you the most stuff for the cheapest. I have bought at least 3 different ones and the all provide the same functionality as far as I can tell. It is just that sometimes they come with one more port, or an extra cable, or multiple speed compatibilities.
15 FS-105 is a Poor Product.
This product needs a larger backplane to handle a network. I have encountered delays and lost signals with this switch. I asked tech support why this was happening and they told me that this switch could not handle large file transfers. That's too bad because now I'm going to return this product.
16 Fast router, flexible, design is a bit uncomfortable for me.
I originally had a hub, and when I realized that I wasn't getting anywhere near the throughput I would get with a switch, the obvious choice was netgear. the switch is fast, slick looking, and has LED's to tell you everything about your connections. the downside? design. the ethernet cables plug into the front of the unit, while the power cord plugs into the back. the problem here is that if your ethernet cables are as flexible as warm butter, they get in the way of the led's or each other. when i plugged three cables in, the box sat to the side because the weight of the cable held up up. if you are going to wall mount the unit (it comes with screws to do so) then that might help, but if you are going to set it on your desk, the ethernet cables have to run from the front of it, instead of behind... the unit also gets warm, so make sure you have clearance on all sides so it gets air. otherwise, despite the design issues, the product is slick. has led for 10/100mb, full duplex, collisions, and the 5th port doubles as an uplink.... for fast networking netgear makes a quality product.
17 Incredible and economical switch!
Netgear has produced an incredible product and kept it economically priced! Solves the biggest bandwidth problem... sharing! So don't share it, switch it!
