Managed switch for home network

[webb]

I am in the process of wiring my house with CAT 6 and am going to need a 16 port gigabit switch. I am relatively technically savvy, though not particularly so when it comes to networking (my experience is mostly with software and software development.)

Currently, the main uses of the network are internet, backup, and NAS (for data and photos). In the future, I'm pretty sure it will be used for music and video streaming and for DVR functionality.

I had been set to get the unmanaged Cisco 100-16, which I can pick up for $185 or so, and then noticed that the managed version, the 300-18, can be had for about $210 after mail-in rebate. My main interest in something beyond an unmanaged switch is for monitoring and troubleshooting, though I might eventually be interested in the other features, and I wouldn't mind the opportunity to learn more about managing networks. An extra $25 seems reasonable for this.

My question is, are there downsides to getting a managed switch beyond the (in this case) modest extra cost?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[leeishom]

I think, there is no "down-sides" in adding a Switch unit, having Wireless and Wired - best of both worlds. Since it's a Home Network, LAN security isn't a factor.

I just added a Cisco 2950 24 port Switch to my Home Network.

 

[GregN]

The only downside I've found is noise & power, Managed Gigabit Switches tend to have unfettered fans which can be noticeable, and they are not as green as their house-cat unmanaged relatives. And they are unsightly - you may need a place to put it

I don't think that switches have a high failure rate, so you might want to look at EBay for a used one. If you go older, you may need to use the serial port to do the initial configuration.

Check your spec sheets, some of the cheaper managed gigabit switches will not support link aggregation or QOS, which you may not need, but in the future might want.

As an aside, currently Cisco is on my "evil screwheads, don't buy" list because of the apparent crap they did selling into China - since Cisco has a number of nimble competitors, I recommend going with them