# Workgroup Switch v Ethernet Switch



## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Is there any difference between a "Workgroup Switch" and an "Ethernet Switch"?


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

Nope, just marketing.

The specs could differ, but there is no formal reasoning behind either name.


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

Pretty soon you'll see Home group switch's.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

An ethernet switch is an ethernet switch, no matter how many ports it has. The only real differences are the number and the speed of the ethernet ports (and the archtechture behind them).


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

OK - I need a hand..

I have Verizon FIOS with a D-link router. I need more than 4 wired connections. (There is no modem with FIOS - I have ethernet running from the ONT to my router). I don't have FIOS TV

I have a Linksys ethernet switch. I thought I could hook it up to my router and just plug in my printer/XBOX/etc to it, but that's not working.

Do all my connections need to feed off the switch, or is a combination of router/switch OK?

(I've been in IT for over 20 years, but have never done network stuff, so be kind  )

Thanks!


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> OK - I need a hand..
> 
> I have Verizon FIOS with a D-link router. I need more than 4 wired connections. (There is no modem with FIOS - I have ethernet running from the ONT to my router). I don't have FIOS TV
> 
> ...


Take one LAN port off your router and connect it to your switch (one port). Everything should be working.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

scooper - thanks, i'll give it a shot tomorrow (I'm on PTO for a week of play)


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## funhouse69 (Mar 26, 2007)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Is there any difference between a "Workgroup Switch" and an "Ethernet Switch"?


Unless you are moving an insane amount of data around your network a switch is just a switch as long as they have the number of ports you need and the speed you want.

Higher cost switches like Cisco and Extreme Networks offer more features, ability to manage and monitor their performance as well as a faster throughput. This is something you'd almost never notice in a home, home office or even small business environment.

As mentioned you can daisy chain switches off of each other, that is a very common practice and you won't see any noticeable loss in speed. The biggest factor in slow transfer speeds these days is a bad or poorly made cables.

The only thing to keep in mind is that some switches might need a Cross Over Cable to go from one switch to another if they don't support auto uplink or have a button that lets you change one of the ports to X-Over. That said MOST new switches will auto uplink so a X-Over Cable won't be needed.


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## elaclair (Jun 18, 2004)

And to add to funhouse's comments. I've seen some switches that will auto-uplink, but only on either the first or last port...hopefully it's marked.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

There are issues with the processing power of some switches. The more expensive switches generally have faster processors that can handle multi-threaded switching better. In most small home networks with three or four devices, this is usually not an issue, but if you start cascading switches, the ones at the "top" need to be faster. Also, the switches built-into wifi routers can be slow because they often use one processor to manage the routing, wifi and LAN switching. My advice for those with growing networks is to get a "dedicated" LAN switch to offload some of the work form the wifi router.


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