Switch vs. Hub

[owensdj]

Are there any disadvantages to using a switch rather than a hub for an office network, other than the higher price?

 

[kylef]

Switches are simply superior choices. They have no disadvantages to hubs other than that they are more complex (but you don't know it) and slightly more expensive.

 

[Paulson]

Originally posted by: owensdj
Are there any disadvantages to using a switch rather than a hub for an office network, other than the higher price?

Switches direct traffic in a much more efficient manner than hubs, which is why they're more worth it... switches route access between to computers (or computer to internet) and only access to those... when a hub will take and send out data to all ports on the hub (instead of just one specific port)

Hubs imho are pretty much not worth it... just get the switch and you wont have any network congestion...

 

[Omagh]

You could save a few bucks with a hub and in a small network it wouldn't be noticed.
Ask yourself if saving 20.00 is worth the small access time difference you will see?

 

[bbqweed]

Go with the swtich...hubs communicate via half duplex...meaning a computer can only send or receive info. With a switch...you are communicating in full duplex mode...computers can send and receive info at the same time. Also, with a hub, devices are sharing bandwidth between one another...whereas a switch will allow the full network bandwidth amongst the computers....meaning if you have 100Mbps network, then each port will communicate as such.

Go with the switch....because it's worth the extra 20.00 if even that. And if you ever decide to share high speed internet...you can get a 1 port router...and hook all computers to the switch to share online access.....

switches are "smart" hubs...and hubs are simply seldom used....

 

[SuperMachoMan]

FWIW a switch adds a SLIGHT amount of latency over a hub because the switch actually needs to check the MAC address of each incoming packet and reference it against it's MAC address table whereas the hub actually just spits the packet right back out.

Of course this performance benefit is negligible in comparison to the huge decrease in performance resulting from the increase in network congestion whenever more than one computer is trying to communicate at the same time.

 

[Texun]

I swapped my hub for a switch and the speeds are still 2.1M+ on a 3M cap, which I almost never got anyway. The benefit for me is that moving large files between computers is MUCH faster because of the full duplex nature of the switch.... and the 10/100 NIC's.