Gigabit switch to upgrade my LAN

colors6

colors6

Disciple
I have a Dlink dir 816 router with 4 100 mbps Ethernet ports.

I have a synology NAS and Apple TV with 1gb Ethernet ports. Those devices are limited by my routers 100mbps Ethernet ports.

Will this gigabit switch increase my LAN traffic to 1gb if I use the following switch mentioned in the link


I dont want to buy another router if the switch can help me to create a 1gb wired LAN between my Apple TV and synolgy NAS
 
It's just a switch. The data on your network has to pass through your router. If the router is limited to 100 Mbps, then the switch can't increase the speed.

Think of it as a pipe carrying water. If the source to your house is a pipe of 1" diameter, then you can't increase the rate of flow of water by putting a 2" diameter pipe inside your house.

If you're looking for a Gigabit router, you can buy something like these:
TP-Link AC1200
D-Link AC1200

They are not significantly expensive compared to the switch. Get one of these and sell your old router in the market section.
 
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Can’t sell the router as it was provided by my isp for free. I might have to return it when I surrender the connection

so, the switch won’t help with my LAN traffic?

I was hoping the switch would help with gigabit LAN speeds between my NAS and apple tv.
 
I will recommend router over a switch if there is no requirement for many gigabit ports. Cost of a quality switch is comparable to entry level ac routers. Also you will need a router replacement since you are limited by routers ethernet ports. I will recommend this new launch by D-Link. https://www.flipkart.com/d-link-dir-1260-1200-mbps-router/p/itmaef60a696aeec

It's a decent router for the price. It have 4 gigabit ethernet ports, WPA3 compliant, easymesh support and decent specifications.
 
I'm waiting to get a wifi 6 router.

Right now they are either too expensive and/or buggy have heat issues.

I really was hoping a gigabit switch would solve my LAN issues.

Bummer that they are limited by my router ethernet ports.

I guess I'll make do with my current situation and wait for wifi6 thing to stabilize
 
You are looking at few years to get a decent WiFi 6 routers for cheap. Sub 10K Wifi 6 Routers are mostly trash and most even does not support the new band 6E. Best to get an AC router for cheap right now as most devices does not support 6E. Only top of the line supports 6E.
 
@TinTinSnowy

I am not too crazy about D-Link routers. No firmware upgrades.

I would prefer a router which has vpn client.

Any idea about this tp-link router and how it compares to the router you mentioned?

TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Gaming Router - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router for Home, Compatible with Alexa, VPN Server, Parental Control&QoS, Qualcomm Chipset (Archer A7)
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07CC7BHXH
 
colors6 said:
@TinTinSnowy

I am not too crazy about D-Link routers. No firmware upgrades.

I would prefer a router which has vpn client.

Any idea about this tp-link router and how it compares to the router you mentioned?

TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Gaming Router - Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Internet Router for Home, Compatible with Alexa, VPN Server, Parental Control&QoS, Qualcomm Chipset (Archer A7)
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07CC7BHXH
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Openwrt supported routers will be better due to regular firmware updates & open source code. But then we are looking at spending more money on the router. I prefer to spend less and replace router in a few years as newer chips fixes hardware vulnerabilities.

Archer A7:
+AC1750
+USB 2.0 Port
+OpenWRT Support

DIR 1260:
+WPA3
+Faster CPU with one more core

I went with D-Link because of faster cpu and wpa3. I got it for 1.7K with card discount and will be upgrading again in a few years. Better than going out all on a router in one go as routers get outdated quickly.
 
@TinTinSnowy

Does dir1260 have vpn client support. If yes, Can I setup the router for vpn for some of my devices? Or is that not possible? If I setup vpn on router, do all the devices have to use vpn?
 
There is something called QuickVPN in this router. I am not sure how it work though. I generally setup vpn on device level. I will be receving the router tomorrow. Can check and tell you then.
 
colors6 said:
I have a Dlink dir 816 router with 4 100 mbps Ethernet ports.

I have a synology NAS and Apple TV with 1gb Ethernet ports. Those devices are limited by my routers 100mbps Ethernet ports.

Will this gigabit switch increase my LAN traffic to 1gb if I use the following switch mentioned in the link


I dont want to buy another router if the switch can help me to create a 1gb wired LAN between my Apple TV and synolgy NAS
Click to expand...
Yes it will.
Just make sure your gbe devices link up at the gbe switch and not on the router switch.
The routing tables are maintained at the switch level so LAN traffic between devices linked to the switch will happen via the switch.

Naturally your upstream connectivity to the Internet for these devices will still be limited to 100mbps (as your 100 mbps router sits in the path) - but for pure LAN traffic between gbe devices connected to the gbe router, you will get full speed.

PS: having said that, your DIR816 is long overdue for an upgrade - unless you have a really bad internet connection and/or very few mobile devices
And no, routers don't get outdated quickly - they probably have the longest lifespan for home computing devices
gourav said:
It's just a switch. The data on your network has to pass through your router. If the router is limited to 100 Mbps, then the switch can't increase the speed.

Think of it as a pipe carrying water. If the source to your house is a pipe of 1" diameter, then you can't increase the rate of flow of water by putting a 2" diameter pipe inside your house.

If you're looking for a Gigabit router, you can buy something like these:
TP-Link AC1200
D-Link AC1200

They are not significantly expensive compared to the switch. Get one of these and sell your old router in the market section.
Click to expand...
This is incorrect
 
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colors6 said:
@superczar can you recommend a router?
dir 1260 was recommended above.
Click to expand...
It would be a function of the budget. The sheer variance in the amount of money one can spend on a home network is staggering and the deviation range is magnitudes greater than any other home equipment.
Some folks will plonk a 1000/- AIO router and be done with it while some will spend 75X more..
Neither party is wrong as long as they know what they are doing and what to expect

Personally, I would always suggest putting a reasonable sum aside for a good home network - especially considering how much we rely on it (now more so than ever)
 
@superczar

Budget between 2-3k mostly Apple devices, Synology NAS, smart home stuff like bulbs, plugs.

Vpn client would be nice.

I have my most heavily used devices wired like apple tv, nas.

I do use a oculus VR headset so gigabit lan speed would be essential


I have a gigabit dlink dir 825 router but I don't use it as it's unstable and loses internet connection atleast once a day. Had to reboot everyday. So stopped using and migrated to dir 816 which has been very stable but suffers from lack of gigabit speeds and old hardware.
I don't want to end up buying another gigabit router which is unstable and has to be rebooted every day or every few hours.

Any suggestions?
 
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colors6 said:
@superczar

Budget between 2-3k mostly Apple devices, Synology NAS, smart home stuff like bulbs, plugs.

Vpn client would be nice.

I have my most heavily used devices wired like apple tv, nas.

I do use a oculus VR headset so gigabit lan speed would be essential

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
TBH, if you use a good NAS as well as multiple IoT devices, you should look at either a wired router + independent APs or alternatively,at least a high grade AIO router ..
Also, high speed VPN is quite taxing so all the more reason to get a good router.
Because basic networking equipment is so cheap - and well, does work for the most part - it is easy to assume a robust home network is not really worth the incremental cost.

The only part where you can get away with cheap and good is the wired segments of your network where you can have all wired connections terminate on 1 (or more) low cost gigabit switches - and use an AIO router as a pure Internet traffic handler + AP for your wireless devices
(This of course does not apply if you have 3-4 low speed devices connecting to a slow upstream Internet connection - in which case basic routers will also do the job well)
Unfortunately, with hone networks, you do get what you pay for - so if your use case is complex, be prepared to spend a decent sum .. although thankfully, it will be a one time expense that will hold good for long

I'd wait for others to chip in with their recommendations on 2-3K AIO routers as I am not familiar with the latest equipment in that bracket.
 
@superczar

Thanks for your input.

One last q.

I also do have two apple homepod OGs for my home theatre setup. I dont know if they use wifi or bluetooth for sound. So, will they factor in as well into the router traffic?

- Synology NAS as home media server, apple tv, Oculus VR headset standalone, a couple of smart bulbs, plugs, 2 homepod OGs for home theatre

I also plan to add more smart home stuff, as well as a Apple laptop in the near future.

I understand you don't have a recommendation for 2-3k budget but if you were in my situation what router setup you would buy?
 
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colors6 said:
@superczar

Thanks for your input.

One last q.

I also do have two apple homepod OGs for my home theatre setup. I dont know if they use wifi or bluetooth for sound. So, will they factor in as well into the router traffic?

- Synology NAS as home media server, apple tv, Oculus VR headset standalone, a couple of smart bulbs, plugs, 2 homepod OGs for home theatre

I also plan to add more smart home stuff, as well as a Apple laptop in the near future.

I understand you don't have a recommendation for 2-3k budget but if you were in my situation what router setup you would buy?
Click to expand...
Homepods use wifi.. Lovely devices btw, I too splurged on 2x og and 1x mini ..Lol

Your setup seems very similar to what mine was some years ago.. extensive mixed LAN traffic with a lot of multicast..
And this will only grow over time.

Rule of thumb-
router = wan to LAN traffic including the NAT layer
Switches = LAN to LAN wired traffic + already NATted traffic from internet (ie handled same as LAN traffic)
APs = LAN to wireless devices traffic + already NATted traffic from internet

AIO routers combine all 3 in a single device


Learn from my past mistakes on this and get a good network setup done first before expanding this further and get hit by avoidable frustration :)

You don't need to buy Cisco or the likes ..but Very Low grade networking equipment with high end client devices and a lot of internal traffic is a surefire recipe for endless woes
 
colors6 said:
Let me know how you like the 1260 when you get it. @TinTinSnowy

Is there any advantage of a faster cpu on a router? It's not like one is using it as a media server?
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Sure. I will let you know. I won't be able to give a proper feedback regarding the wifi range/reception as most of my devices will be connected through gigabit ethernet (have concealed cat wiring across the home). Only smartphones and fire tv stick will use the wifi. So this router will mostly act as a switch to jiofiber router for my use case.

Faster CPU always matter whether it's a pc, phone or router. We never know what sort of overhead you may need to run on the device.

Have you tried for a replacement of DIR-825?
 
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