NETGEAR GS605 5 port Gigabit Desktop Switch :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Very easy to use, Fast Transfers

2008-02-08
I've been using this product for about a month now, and it works great. Setup was easy - just plugged in the power, connected one port to my Linksys router (which I wanted in-line first to provide wireless Internet) and connected my PCs to the remaining ports. Now file transfers between PCs are lightning fast (though as you would expect, there is no difference in Internet speed). The one thing I did find out was that two of my older PCs only had NIC cards capable of 10/100 -- these cards will need to be updated to 10/100/1000 in order to benefit from the higher network speed. But my newer PC and laptop communicate at full speed and transfer files at 10 times the old rate when plugged into the gigabit switch.

Nice Switch

2008-01-07
This is a very nice switch. It works as advertised. My computer connects to it at 1GB. It is also stylish.

NETGEAR GS605 5-port Gigabit Desktop Switch

2007-12-22
No set up, no drivers, just plug and play. It plays well with my LaCie network attached storage drive and my Airport extreme base station connecting wirelessly to my Laptop. I am having some connectivity problems but I think I have ruled out the switch.

Great Gigabit Network Switch

2007-12-15
I have the Apple Airport Extreme Gigabit Router and although it is a great router it only has three gigabit ports. The Netgear 5 port gigabit switch solved the problem for me and now all five devices in my home office are happily communicating with this switch added. As with Apple products, "it just works." Highly recommended.

SLEEK AND BEAUTIFUL!

2007-12-01
Works very well and nice aesthetic appearance to the eye. I bought two to hook up my 2 slingboxes and Directv HD DVR's to receive VOD which I really enjoy.

Interesting Problems

2008-06-09
We just upgraded the wiring to Cat6 in my office. I purchased 2 GS605s and one GS608 for some end point distribution. Everything went ok on the GS608 - except for a combination printer/fax/copier we have. The people we lease from said that that happens sometimes with their copiers and gave us a Linksys gigabit switch to use - just for the printer. Worked fine. Then when I tried to bring up the other half of the office using one of the GS605 units I kept getting wired problems... printer\copier\scanner (same model as before) connected at 10mbs on the scanner but would not connect for the printer. One user I could not connect at gigabit speeds so I replaced the cable ends - 2 times. Well the lease company came in and again, gave us a Linksys gigabit switch and I tried plugging that in instead of the Netgear unit... everything came up- printer\copier\fax\scanner, the user I replaced end on was at gigabit speeds and the unit is running fine - with very little heat coming off of it unlike the Netgear that was almost hot while it was installed...
In the past I usually used Linksys and I guess I will continue to use Linksys...

Not reliable

2008-05-14
We had two of these. One of them failed altogether right out of warranty; it would drop all connections a few minutes after powerup. The other one was also behaving erratically and slowing traffic on the network for no apparent reason, even after frequent restarts.

Avoid: Hangs intermittently

2008-04-01
My switch, model GS605 V2, stops working periodically, effectively disconnecting my computers from the network. The computer says "network cable unplugged", or sometimes the network just stops responding.

If I pull the plug, wait, plug it back in, everything is fine again, for awhile. I don't have to do this with my other switches: normally they work fine for several months, rarely hanging when there is a lightning storm, in which case power-cycling is the solution.

Often the network comes back on by itself after some time. Sometimes it comes and goes - computer says network cable is unplugged, then it goes online again, and repeats, sometimes frequently.

And then other times it works fine for a month or two. No obvious pattern here.

I suspect, but have not confirmed, that occasional very long delays in Web site response may in fact be a temporary hangup from this device.

I am pretty sure that the problem is with the switch, since power-cycling it solves the problem. Also, the computers are high quality; the cables are CAT-6 and very short.

At least three reviews posted here mention a problem with overheating that otherwise has the same symptoms as I have. These folks were more generous, giving the unit 2- and 3-star ratings.

I noticed that another model of Netgear switch has exactly the same problem I have, and is reported by many people. Thus, when I replace this unit, it will be a different brand.

A switch is a switch, except when it does not work reliably.

Gigabit Switch

2008-03-09
I love a tech product that you can just hook up and forget about it. This is one of those products.

I had two Macs with gigabit ethernet built in, but my gateway/router was 10/100. Batta-bing! Hooked up the Netgear GS605, and batta-boom, I got gigabit transfers between computers. No configuration necessary. I just had to upgrade my cables to CAT-6.

CAT-6 from each computer's ethernet port to the Netgear. A CAT-5 from Netgear to my gateway/router, and any port will do. Batta-bing! Batta-boom! A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN TRANSFER SPEEDS.

Fast and Easy

2008-03-04
This works great. Just plug it in and go. I also bought a gigabit ethernet card to go with it and I am amazed how much faster things load. It doesn't take up much space and looks pretty stylish too.

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