Key takeaways
- Pros: Zero configuration needed, quiet fanless operation, durable metal casing
- Cons: No management features at all — fine for most homes, limiting for small business needs
A network switch is the unglamorous workhorse that lets a home office actually use wired ethernet across multiple devices — printers, NAS boxes, desktops, and access points — without running out of ports on a router. Most home routers only offer four ethernet ports at best, and a dedicated switch is the straightforward fix once you outgrow that. Here are seven real, currently sold switches worth comparing.
For most home offices, an unmanaged switch (plug in and go, no configuration) is all that’s needed. Managed switches add configuration options like VLANs and traffic prioritization, which matter more for small businesses than typical home setups.
TP-Link TL-SG108
An 8-port gigabit unmanaged switch that’s become something of a default recommendation for home networking — plug it in, connect your devices, and it just works with zero configuration. Its metal housing and fanless design keep it quiet and durable for a desk or closet setup.
- Pros: Zero configuration needed, quiet fanless operation, durable metal casing
- Cons: No management features at all — fine for most homes, limiting for small business needs
NETGEAR GS305
A compact 5-port gigabit unmanaged switch aimed at smaller setups that just need a couple of extra wired ports — common uses include splitting a single router port between a desktop, a printer, and a NAS device in a home office.
- Pros: Very compact, affordable, reliable gigabit speeds on every port
- Cons: Only 5 ports total, so it fills up fast if you have many wired devices
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini
A 5-port gigabit switch from Ubiquiti’s UniFi ecosystem, small enough to mount directly behind a device using its included mounting bracket. While it can run standalone, pairing it with a UniFi controller unlocks basic management and monitoring features for those already invested in the UniFi platform.
- Pros: Tiny footprint with flexible mounting, optional management via UniFi controller
- Cons: Full management features require additional UniFi hardware or software setup
TP-Link TL-SG1016
Stepping up to 16 ports, the TL-SG1016 is built for home offices or small businesses with a larger number of wired devices — multiple workstations, printers, cameras, and access points can all connect without daisy-chaining smaller switches together.
- Pros: High port count for larger wired setups, still unmanaged and plug-and-play, rack-mountable
- Cons: Larger footprint and higher price than small 5-8 port switches, overkill for very small setups
Cisco CBS110-8T-D
Cisco’s Business series CBS110-8T-D is an 8-port unmanaged gigabit switch that brings the brand reputation and build quality associated with Cisco’s commercial networking line to a simple home-or-small-office unmanaged switch, with a limited lifetime warranty backing it.
- Pros: Established commercial-grade brand, limited lifetime warranty, reliable build quality
- Cons: Costs more than comparable unmanaged switches from TP-Link or NETGEAR
NETGEAR GS108
NETGEAR’s own 8-port unmanaged gigabit switch sits alongside the TP-Link TL-SG108 as one of the most-bought switches in this category, with a similar metal desktop/wall-mount housing and the same zero-configuration plug-and-play approach. It’s a reasonable choice if you’d rather standardize on NETGEAR gear to match an existing Orbi or Nighthawk router.
- Pros: Zero configuration, durable metal housing, backed by NETGEAR’s ProSAFE lifetime protection on this model
- Cons: Functionally very similar to the TP-Link TL-SG108, so the choice often comes down to price or brand preference rather than features
TP-Link TL-SG1024
For home offices on the larger end — or small businesses wiring an entire office rather than one desk — the TL-SG1024 scales up to 24 ports in a rack-mountable unmanaged switch, letting you consolidate several smaller switches into one unit without adding any management complexity.
- Pros: High port density for larger setups, rack-mountable, still unmanaged and plug-and-play
- Cons: Significant overkill — both in size and price — for a typical single-room home office
Buying Tips
Count your actual wired devices (desktops, printers, NAS, access points, game consoles) and add a few spare ports for future growth — switches are cheap enough that buying slightly more capacity than you need today avoids having to upgrade again soon. Unmanaged switches cover the vast majority of home office needs; only reach for a managed switch like the UniFi Flex Mini (with its controller) if you specifically need VLANs, port monitoring, or traffic prioritization.
Check whether you need Power over Ethernet (PoE) support if you’re planning to power devices like PoE access points or security cameras directly through the switch — none of the basic unmanaged models above include PoE, which is a separate product tier.
Port count is the easiest spec to get wrong in both directions. A 5-port switch like the GS305 fills up faster than people expect once a printer, NAS, and a couple of workstations are all plugged in, while a 24-port switch like the TL-SG1024 is genuinely wasted capacity for a single-room setup. Most home offices land comfortably in the 8-16 port range once future growth is factored in.
FAQ
Do I need a managed or unmanaged switch for my home office?
Most home offices do fine with an unmanaged switch — plug devices in and they just work. Managed switches are worth it mainly for small businesses that need VLANs, traffic prioritization, or detailed port-level monitoring.
Can I connect multiple switches together?
Yes, switches can be daisy-chained by connecting one switch’s port to another, though it’s generally better to buy one switch with enough ports for your needs rather than chaining several small ones, which can add latency and points of failure.
Will a switch slow down my internet speed?
A quality gigabit switch won’t meaningfully slow down your connection as long as its rated port speed matches or exceeds your internet speed and your devices’ network cards.
Is there a real difference between similar 8-port switches from different brands?
For basic unmanaged switches like the TP-Link TL-SG108 and NETGEAR GS108, the practical difference is often minor — build quality, warranty terms, and brand ecosystem matter more than raw performance, since both handle typical home office traffic without issue.
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