Netgear FS608 8-Port 10/100 Fast Ethernet Switch

Rating:
Summary: Sleek, but problems in a busy environment
Review: As others say, the device is small and easy on the eyes. I express caution with regard to critical purposes such as servers and IP telephony; we have experienced some weird problems with this. We have three (Netgear FS608 v2) in two locations; two connected to a 24 port Dell switch and the third I think connects to a Cisco 3524. They may intermittently refuse to forward frames from just one source to just one destination while allowing frames from that same source to other destination, weird stuff like that. Reset takes a power cycle OR just unplug the uplink cable and reconnect. It's a real nuisance if it means you have to drive to work on a weekend or an IP telephone call goes "blip" into la-la land. I'm sure they have a limitation on the size of the MAC address cache but I have not so far researched it. <b>Beware using little switches on big networks!</b> (That sounds like a grade b movie title!)

Rating:
Summary: Sleek, but problems in a busy environment
Review: As others say, the device is small and easy on the eyes. I express caution with regard to critical purposes such as servers and IP telephony; we have experienced some weird problems with this. We have three (Netgear FS608 v2) in two locations; two connected to a 24 port Dell switch and the third I think connects to a Cisco 3524. They may intermittently refuse to forward frames from just one source to just one destination while allowing frames from that same source to other destination, weird stuff like that. Reset takes a power cycle OR just unplug the uplink cable and reconnect. It's a real nuisance if it means you have to drive to work on a weekend or an IP telephone call goes "blip" into la-la land. I'm sure they have a limitation on the size of the MAC address cache but I have not so far researched it. Beware using little switches on big networks! (That sounds like a grade b movie title!)

Rating:
Summary: Works flawlessy
Review: I've had it for a month. It does what it should. No problems easy to set up. What I like is the tiny size compare to the previous generation of switches.

Rating:
Summary: Netgear Equals Superb Service
Review: This holiday season I was a good santa and purchased numerous wireless networking products for my various family members. Sure it was partially a selfish act as I wanted to be able to easily connect when I went to visit, but for the most part it was just an act of giving. I purchased mainly G products and they varied from routers to USB adapters to PC Card adapters. I did also purchase a couple of B products for those in the family that already had some wireless networking products (yes, I know they are backwards compatible but I didn't want to take any chances).

Only two members of the family had installation problems (considering my family is very non-technical I was quite impressed) and those two people both had yet to upgrade to Windows XP SP2. The rest of the family members were up and running within minutes.

As for the couple of family members that did have problems, well they called me first (of course) and I told them to just run back through the installation procedure again. This solved the problem for Uncle Dennis but Grandma Joyce still couldn't get it to work properly. I reluctantly told her to call Netgear's technical support (hey the reviews on Amazon haven't been too pretty for their tech support). I however was quite pleased when an hour later I got an email from Grandma Joyce thanking me for the great gift. I called her back and she told me that after fiddling with the settings with the Netgear people she was up and running within 30 minutes.

Overall, I consider this the ultimate test of product quality and support and I would give Netgear two thumbs up.

I hope this review was helpful to you in putting your mind at ease regarding ease of setup and trust of technical support if needed.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to use and fast
Review: This is very easy to use and needs no configuration. Just plug it in, attach your cables, and off you go. It's compact and fast as well. I have used it for seven months without trouble. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This replaced my 4-port Netgear Hub. Fast, great looking; it now matches my silver computer. My only problem is that now the cables are in the back, and the weight of them tends to pull the switch backwards and nearly off the desk. No big deal though.

Rating:
Summary: Don't use it in your basement
Review: This thing worked fine for about nine months and then died. It doesn't like humidity. I keep my switch and router in my basement. Like many basements, it's a bit damp, though I have a dehumidifier running all the time. It's not that damp in there, but the switch just died on me.

I'd question the power supply or some other factor but my router and DSL modem have never had any problems at all and this is the second Netgear switch I've owned that has gone kaput; my best guess is dampness.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: What can I say, this is one stylish switch! Looks sweet. I purchased it for LAN parties at my house and I have to say that I am not the least bit disappointed. The unit itself is very handsome and very well built. Truly plug and play with newer OS's like Windows 2000 and Windows XP...no software setup required whatsoever. When I use it, I usually have 4 computers hooked up to it (there are a total of 8 ports, so 8 computers for LAN only, 7 for LAN + Net) and then one of the ports acts as the uplink/downlink to my SMC Barricade via a 100 ft. CAT 5e cable and then the SMC Barricade connects to my RCA Cable modem. Again, nothing to set at all! Very easy to use. No problems when gaming for hours on end :) The box also includes a VERY nice standing bracket which actually works! Wow, first time I've gotten a standing bracket that actually HOLDS the hardware in a vertical position stably. This switch is highly recommended for those of you who want a stylish, easy to use, well built, well designed, and truly plug and play switch.

Rating:
Summary: Stylish AND Easy to Use
Review: What can I say, this is one stylish switch! Looks sweet. I purchased it for LAN parties at my house and I have to say that I am not the least bit disappointed. The unit itself is very handsome and very well built. Truly plug and play with newer OS's like Windows 2000 and Windows XP...no software setup required whatsoever. When I use it, I usually have 4 computers hooked up to it (there are a total of 8 ports, so 8 computers for LAN only, 7 for LAN + Net) and then one of the ports acts as the uplink/downlink to my SMC Barricade via a 100 ft. CAT 5e cable and then the SMC Barricade connects to my RCA Cable modem. Again, nothing to set at all! Very easy to use. No problems when gaming for hours on end :) The box also includes a VERY nice standing bracket which actually works! Wow, first time I've gotten a standing bracket that actually HOLDS the hardware in a vertical position stably. This switch is highly recommended for those of you who want a stylish, easy to use, well built, well designed, and truly plug and play switch.