Review on Cisco-Linksys EZXS55W EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch: Fast and Reliable Networking Solution for Small Offices by Napoleon Robbie

On our home network, the Internet goes from Comcast through a modem and then to a router with four outgoing outlets, one for each of the four computers with CAT-5 cable. Cables wind around the house and give us fast access to the Internet. After a few months, my family's wired home network started to suffer from growth problems - the kids' X-Box needed an extra feed from the internet to play an interactive war game; Sometimes my wife wanted to change the place for the computer. So we physically switched cables—one day we made a mistake and shut down the entire installation—and it took me a day to call Comcast and try to reconfigure the modem before I finally figured out what had happened. Also, I was concerned that the constant switching might break one of the plastic connectors as they are not designed for permanent disconnection. I was about to buy a second router, which would be a mistake, but I read THESE USEFUL AMAZON REVIEWS about routers and switches and I realized all I needed was this Ethernet switch. The alternative would be to replace my 4 slot router with a much larger (more expensive) 8 slot router. The online manufacturers' descriptions of how to set up a home network were surprisingly sparse, so I didn't know what works with what. I thought one router would be connected to another but I don't think that would work. So I bought this switch. It works. There isn't much documentation in the box, but it's easy to figure out where the wires go. One of the wires from the router goes to an Ethernet switch, and from that switch wires go to computers, gaming devices, and so on. The costs were reasonable. Sometimes (and I don't know why) one of the lines is a bit slow - it takes 10 seconds for the answer to come from the internet. But I don't know if the Switch or Comcast is to blame. But overall I am a happy camper. Thomas W. Sulcer, author of The Second Constitution of the United States (free online; Google + Sulcer title)