D-Link DGS-2208 8-Port 10/100/1000 Desktop Switch

This switch has been running full time in my home for 10 months with no issues. On my mixed (100/gigabit) network, I notice no slowdown on my gigabit connections, even when both 100 and gigabit connections are active.Connected to it are:Synology DiskStation 209 (gigabit),Dell Precision Workstation (gb),An older Dell Dimension (10/100),An older Macbook (10/100),iMac (gb),Macbook Pro (gb),and a 5-port 10/100 switch, which in turn connects to a networked Blu-ray player, an Airport Express (with AirTunes connected to a sound system), and an Xbox 360.Time Machine backups run flawlessly and reasonably quickly (4-5 times as fast as on my n-class WiFi network). We frequently use AirTunes to stream music, and experience no gaps or dropouts- which were a major issue on the WiFi network, and we have no problems streaming video from the Synology server to our Xbox- even when my kids are both video-chatting at the same time.I don't expect enterprise-class gigabit service from this unmanaged switch, but at around 1/8 the price of a 10-port Cisco managed switch, this does the trick in our home, and works fine right out of the box, with no configuration required.

The switch is easy to use and setup with good performance. There's not much more to add than that really... it does what I expect it to do and looks decent in the process.My main reason for picking this over the other 2 8-port gig switches was the color coded link lights. I have a mixed speed network with some devices running at 10/100 and most running at 1GB, and I find it useful to have some indication that they are running as expected.One last thought: I have had no issues with the switch reverting to ALL 10/100 just because 1 device is running at that speed as some other reviewers have suggested. Presumably this was some kind of firmware issue which has been resolved in recently released models... I didn't have to download any new firmware to fix this.EDIT 12/26/08:I just bought my second one of these units.The first one from this original review is still running strong and I haven't had any issues at all with it; so when I needed additional ports another one of these was a no-brainer.The price is always among the cheapest around for a gig switch (and when on offer with a good rebate it is about as cheap as you'll ever see a good 10/100 MB switch for)Excellent price by comparison, great performance, and no problems at all with one that's been used day-in and day-out for over a year now. What more could you want from an unmanaged gig switch?

Our first product review for Its Geek Time is this nifty gigabit network switch brought to you by D-Link. For years D-link has taken a back seat to bigger companies like Linksys and Netgear for home network equipment. In recent years D-Link has increased their product quality and can contend with the big guys on an equal footing. This switch is a product that proves that.The first thing to note about this switch is it is a gigabit switch with 8 ports for less than $50. A comparable Netgear or Linksys switch will cost you much more money. The other important thing about its speed is you can connect 10/100 devices to it and not lose gigabit connectivity to gigabit enabled devices that are also connected to it. On older gigabit switches, the switch would throttle down to the slowest device connected to it.Another new feature on this switch is its power saving feature. Ports that are not in use are turned off so the device uses less power over all. This turns into cost benefits from less electricity usage, less heat generated by the product, and a longer life span due to less wear and tear. In an age where electricity prices are at an all-time high, anything that saves power is a welcome addition to many homes and offices.In conclusion, this switch is recommended for any home network or small office network that is on a budget and wants gigabit functionality. This piece of networking technology gets a must have 10 on the d10 of networking from It's Geektime.