Incorporating an Unmanaged Switch into Your Home Network

When it comes to expanding your home network, simplicity often reigns supreme. That's where an unmanaged switch comes into play, offering an easy, plug-and-play solution.
Let's explore why and how you should incorporate one into your home setup, focusing on two of our best bargains: the DGS-105 Gigabit Switch at just £13.49 and the DES-105 Fast Ethernet Switch at an incredible £10.99.
 
Why Use an Unmanaged Switch at Home?

 

1. Expand Your Network:
  • If you've run out of ports on your router, an unmanaged switch like the DGS-105 or DES-105 allows you to connect more devices without the complexity of additional network management.
2. Plug-and-Play Convenience:
  • No configuration is needed. Simply plug in your devices, and they're ready to go. This makes it perfect for home users who prefer simplicity.
3. Cost-Effective:
  • With prices like £13.49 for the DGS-105 and £10.99 for the DES-105, unmanaged switches offer an economical way to enhance your network's capabilities.
4. Performance Boost:
  • The DGS-105 provides Gigabit speeds, ideal for streaming, gaming, or transferring large files quickly. The DES-105, though offering Fast Ethernet, still significantly improves connectivity for basic needs.
5. Reliability:
  • Built for durability, these switches operate silently and efficiently, ensuring a stable network.
How to Incorporate an Unmanaged Switch:

 

Step 1: Identify Your Needs
  • Determine how many additional ports you need. Both the DGS-105 and DES-105 offer 5 ports, perfect for most home setups. For more ports, we have 8, 16 and 24 port variants available in both fast ethernet and Gigabit versions.
Step 2: Placement
  • Choose a central location where Ethernet cables can reach all your devices, making sure one main cable from your router can connect to the switch.
Step 3: Setup
  • Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to your router and the other to one of the switch's ports. Then, connect your devices (computers, gaming consoles, smart TVs, etc.) to the remaining ports.
Step 4: Power Up
  • Plug in your DGS-105 or DES-105 switch. It's that simple - no need for configuration.
Step 5: Enjoy
  • Your network is now expanded, ready to handle the connectivity needs of your home.
Advantages for Home Users:
  • Enhanced Speed: For those using the DGS-105, enjoy up to 1000 Mbps data transfer rates, making your network activities smoother and faster.
  • No Technical Hassle: Ideal for those not keen on diving into network settings; it's all about ease of use.
  • Energy Efficient: Both models are designed to save energy, reducing your power consumption.
Advantages of Multi-Gig Unmanaged Switches

 

Whilst Fast Ethernet or Gigabit will suit most users, for those looking to future-proof their network or already have devices supporting higher speeds, consider the DMS-105 5-Port 2.5G Multi-Gigabit Desktop Switch:
  • Future-Ready Connectivity: With each port capable of up to 2.5Gbps, this switch is perfect for Wi-Fi 6 access points, high-speed NAS, gaming, and 8K video streaming, ensuring your network doesn't become a bottleneck.
  • Automatic Speed Adjustment: The DMS-105 supports auto-sensing, adapting to the speed of connected devices, from 100Mbps to 2.5Gbps, maximizing performance without manual configuration.
  • Silent Operation and Energy Efficiency: Just like our other unmanaged switches, it's fanless, providing silent operation and energy-saving features, suitable for any room in your home.
A Note on Simple Smart Switches for Home Users

 

While unmanaged switches offer simplicity, stepping up to a simple smart switch can provide additional benefits without overwhelming you with complexity:
  • Basic Management: With a smart switch, you get a few controls like port disabling for security, basic Quality of Service (QoS) for prioritising traffic, or even VLAN support for segmenting your network.
  • Monitoring: Even if you don't plan on deep network management, the ability to monitor which devices are connected and how much traffic they're using can be insightful for troubleshooting or understanding your network's behaviour.
  • Future Proofing: Smart switches can adapt to future network needs without requiring a complete overhaul, providing a slight edge in scalability for growing home networks.
Whether you're looking to expand your home network quickly and affordably with the DGS-105 or DES-105, or considering the step up to a smart switch for a bit more control, or even opting for the multi-gig speeds of the DMS-105, D-Link has you covered. With our current bargain pricing, there's never been a better time to enhance your home networking setup.

If you need any advice on Home networking, you can contact us via our live chat - or drop us an email


By Alan Jones, Marketing Manager, D-Link

A highly experienced Marketing professional, Alan Jones has led the UK&I Marketing Strategy of D-Link for 5 years.