Network switches are pieces of networking hardware that connect devices on a network via packet switching. Packet switching enables a network switch to both receive and forward data to a destination device.
Network switches are crucial to connecting network segments, providing full-duplex communication and for making efficient use of a network’s bandwidth.
In general you’ll find two main types of network switch used on networks:
- Unmanaged - unmanaged switches are the most basic form of network switch and feature a fixed configuration. Whilst these types of network switches are usually plug and play and easy to use, they tend to lack the type of features required by enterprise users.
- Managed - managed switches offer significantly more functionality and generally use command-line interfaces (CLI) for configuration. They also usually feature simple network management protocol (SNMP) agents that will provide information on network problems.
In addition to these two different types of network switches we are now seeing the emergence of features such as Power over Ethernet (PoE).
PoE switches are able to send both data and power to PoE enabled devices such as VoIP phones, network surveillance cameras or wireless access points.
At CCL you’re bound to find a network switch that is perfect for you. We stock both unmanaged and managed network switches in form factors such as desktop, mini and rackmount and with LAN ports ranging from 8 to 48.
You’ll also find plenty of network switches which support PoE and PoE+.
Shop network switches from TP-Link, Netgear, ZyXEL, DLink, HP and many more now.
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