Here's my story. I used to have (note past tense) pretty much all Linksys gear in my home. Router, switches, print servers, etc. Over a half-dozen devices because our condo is wired like an office with network drops everywhere.
All of a sudden in the span of about 6 months, one-by-one most of the devices just died. They had power, but simply would not pass network traffic. I wrote to Linksys and basically said, "Here's my situation, meet me half-way, do something, anything to keep my business." They never replied. So I began a quest to look into a new switch for my home office. I decided I wanted a 16 port model because I might max out an 8 port unit.
I noticed that the "ProSafe" line from Netgear comes with a lifetime warranty and 24/7 technical support (although how much support can one need for an auto-sensing switch, assuming it's actually working.) So I gravitated toward that line of products. Then looking at the comparison charts I was trying to determine the difference between the mid-level "GS" series and their top-of-the-line "JGS" series switches.
There is only one: The JGS models have a built-in power supply. Meaning, no "brick," just a standard 3-prong power cord.
Sold!
My only complaint (and it is significant): The little fan inside this monster is quite noisy. Almost as loud a standard desktop PC, which uses a much larger power supply and fan. Mind you it does not sound "cheap." It sounds like a quality fan and power supply. It quite simply needs a little better ventilation and Netgear needs to invest that whopping extra 2 bucks on a higher grade fan that it is truly whisper quiet.
So in summary, fine for a network closet or an open area with a few people an other things that make modest constant noise, but think about it a bit if it will be in a "quiet" office setting. With quieter operation, it would easily earn 5 stars in my book. Netgear JGS516 ProSafe 16-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch
This is a boring category - especially for a small business with only moderate networking requirements.
I needed a short depth form factor to fit into a rack mount system. This device fit.
I wanted 1 GBPS to maximize desktop to NAS backup. This unit delivered. I can max out the link using Norton Ghost to DLink NAS from my Dell desktop. There was no performance degradation from adding 100MB and 10MB devices to the switch (there isn't a lot of traffic on the network).
So, it simply delivered on all needs.
It's an unmanaged gigabit switch, so there's no features to be reviewed. It does its job fine, in fact, I think the throughput might have increased when I replaced my SMC gigabit switch with this one.
Two things though, the fan noise is noticeable from 3' away. Heck, my Intel quad-core Antec Sonata rig is quieter than this switch.
Another thing is, this switch won't work if you have a mis-wired network cable. My old SMC switch will at least drop to 100mbit/s speed (since 4 wires required by 100mb/s speed are still correctly wired), with this switch, it's all or nothing. No big deal though, a good network cable fixes the problem.
I would've rated this a 4.5 star.
This product is excellent for what its intended to do - unmanaged gigabit switch. Because others have appropiately covered the product's technical merits, I wish to focus on the issue of fan noise, which I think has been exargerated by some reviewers. I have had my product on continuously now for over 2 weeks - the noise is more a quiet gentle humming noise that stays on continuously - guite pleasant, actually. I have my switch installed in my walkin closet, which is adjacent to my bedroom. I can only hear the humming noise inside the walkin closet but not in the adjacent bedroom, and would not mind if my bed were any closer to the switch - this is really a gentle noise. My switch handles 6 IP cameras, 4 computers, 1 xbox game, the router and other network accessories - I am using all but one port. I am glad I did not downgrade to a lower model because of this exargerated noise issue noted by a few reviewers. I recommend this product, if you need that many ports as I did.
Like the prior reviewer said, if its buried in a closet or setup in a loud rack of computers fine. But if you have it in the room with you all day, the cooling fan they uses is unethically loud. I've got a Core I7 computer with a honking graphics card and its more quiet than this simple unmanaged switch. It's literally driving me nuts and I'll be returning it for a product that isn't as loud.
Functionally it seems ok. THe physical mounting options are primarily for a rack or laying on a table. No wall mount without Jury Rigging it.
This product is a no brainer. Plug it in, attach your network components and you're done. Works with my two workstations, wall jack for intermittent notebook use, my Wii, my Verizon Hub and modem, addt'l downstream switches of different manufacture, network storage, you name it.
REALLY wanted to try the Cisco/Linksys product since that is what I have for other network products but after repeatedly reading negative reviews concerning longevity, I went with Netgear. Have had it about 2 months now so I really can't offer an opinion on Netgear's reliablility but the existing reviews were far better than the competition.
I have mine located in a downstairs office where ambient temp is always in the low 70s. I can barely hear the fan when I am sitting next to it on one of the work stations. In any other similar location, I would not consider fan noise to be an issue.
UPDATE 01 Oct 2010:
Have had it over a year now and have had NO issues, still works after power outages, spikes, surges, you name it. Boots right up and stays up...until the power goes out again (sigh).
UPDATE 28 May 2011:
Flawless. I'm not holding my breath any more. Giving every impression it'll outlast me. - Gigabit Switch - Networking - 16 Port - Gigabit Ethernet Switch'
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