Cisco SR216 16-port 10/100 Rack Mountable Switch

I had an old Linksys Switch (back when they were in the blue and black mini boxes) and I think it was starting to go out on me. I thought the problem was with my switch but I came to find out it was with my modem. My internet provider decided to upgrade to DOCSIS 3.0 finally in my service area and didn't give notice. I started to see a degradation in my service and thought since my switch was almost 5 years old and thought it was the culprit. After searching my ISP's site for approved modems I found out the modem I have isn't even approved for the tier of service I'm receiving. So more upgrades are ahead.I have to say though for only a 10/100 switch its pretty solid. It stays cool to the touch even though it runs all the time. Better than my old linksys which would be like a hot potatoe after a day or two. Its also pretty cool that the switch automatically shuts off ports when devices aren't in use. I do, however, understand why people where saying they didn't like this new interface for Cisco/Linksys switches because you don't have the flashing indicator lights on the ports(guess that was part of the going green idea) you only get the single LED's for each port in the front of the box. Its not that bad but it is kind of hard to recognize if your cable is bad or if you don't have it fully plugged in on the switch and in your device. Other than that I really can't say anything else bad about it. Plus I only paid $19 at the time I bought it so I can't complain. Hey if I buy it at a cheap price, it works right out the box, and I don't have to return it for a refund, its good for me. Also one snafu I made. When I changed out my switches, at first I couldn't get this thing to work. Their ports for uplink starts the opposite of the older model I had. So my other devices (modem and vonage adapter) were working but nothing was connecting. Then when I read the instructions (sad I had to read instructions for a switch) I realized I had skipped the port I should have started with first. All in all a decent switch that will last me until I can upgrade.

I bought the EG008W to replace a cheaper ASUS 8-port Gigabit which was erratic and unreliable straight out of the box. The Linksys, just like all my previous Linksys products has been great. I went to gigabit speed so that we can backup our PCs to a QNAP network attached storage box. When replacing my Linksys 100Meg Switch I wanted to prevent the drag that all those Cat 5 cables exert on the lightweight box. The tension of the cables always made the box sit askew and when the cats walked past it got knocked off onto the floor all the time.This Linksys switch casing has slots for wall mounting screws at the back. Initially I wanted to mount it with the cables coming up to the bottom so that they would not twist the box and disappear neatly downward behind my desks. However I soon realized that wouldn't work because Linksys want you to mount it with the air inflow slots at the bottom and the warm air outflow slots at the top. I didn't want the switch to overheat so I mounted it on the wall in the "official" orientation. This puts the cable sockets on the left, so for extra neatness and security I mounted a (plumbing or electrical) 2 inch U-bracket under my desk about 12 inches to the left of the switch on the wall. When I connect the Cat 6 cables I bring them from the left through the loose U bracket and into the switch. This arrangement gives the cables plenty of support so that they come into the side sockets neatly and without any drag. This is a perfect arrangement since it is stable (even when the cats walk past), neat looking and easy to get access to the cables for adjustments. I am very happy with this arrangement. If you need an 8 port switch you have a million wires all over the place and anything that keeps stuff tidy is a big benefit.Electronically the switch is flawless. It boots up almost instantly and has screaming speed. Even when doing a full backup from one computer to the NAS box, a different computer can still get online at fast speed. It hasn't much as hiccuped and has been perfect from the moment I unpacked it. And yes no fan it's totally silent.