Best Home Network Switches

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A network switch turns one Ethernet connection into many. Put one behind your TV for a streaming box, console and soundbar, one at your desk for a PC, NAS and printer, or one in a closet to feed wired rooms around the house. Switches are cheap, silent and almost never fail, and wired connections are faster and steadier than any Wi-Fi.

We picked these switches on port speed, port count, build quality (metal cases dissipate heat better), power features and brand reliability. For the bigger picture of wiring your home, see Ethernet wiring your home and how to set up a home network.

Unmanaged, smart or managed?

• Unmanaged switches are plug-and-play: no settings and no app. That's perfect for 90% of homes.
• Easy-smart (web-managed) switches add basic features such as VLANs to separate smart-home gadgets from computers, port monitoring and simple QoS. They're good for enthusiasts who want a bit of control.
• Managed switches offer full networking control and integrate with systems like UniFi or TP-Link Omada. They're for home labs and small offices.

The best home network switches

Gigabit or multi-gig?

Gigabit (1GbE) switches are cheap and handle everything most homes do, including 4K streaming, gaming and gigabit internet to a single device.

Multi-gig (2.5GbE or 10GbE) matters if you have a multi-gig internet plan, a NAS you copy big files to, or a router and PCs with 2.5G ports. 2.5GbE switches have become affordable and work over ordinary Cat5e or Cat6 cable at typical home distances. See Ethernet cable categories explained.

Rule of thumb: if anything on your network has a 2.5G port, a 2.5GbE switch lets it use it.

Do you need PoE?

Power over Ethernet (PoE) sends power and data through one cable. You need it for devices like Wi-Fi access points, many security cameras and some VoIP phones, so you don't need a power outlet at each device. Check two numbers: which ports provide PoE, and the switch's total PoE power budget, which must exceed what all your devices draw together. PoE+ (802.3at) supplies more power per port than basic PoE (802.3af), and some newer access points need it.

How to add a switch to your network

1. Connect one switch port to a LAN port on your router (or to a wall jack that leads back to the router).
2. Plug your devices into the other ports.
3. That's it for unmanaged switches. There's no setup, and any port can be the "uplink."

Don't connect two ports of the same switch to each other, and avoid creating loops between switches. That can take down a network. Smart switches with loop protection help if you have kids or curious cats around the equipment.

Where to put switches

Put switches wherever several wired devices cluster: the TV cabinet, your desk, a home office, or a central closet where your home's Ethernet runs meet. Keep them somewhere ventilated. Fanless metal switches can get warm in closed cabinets. If you're adding a switch because your router has too few ports, that's completely normal. Most routers only have three or four.

Metal vs plastic, fans vs fanless

For home use, choose fanless switches. They're silent and have no moving parts to fail. Metal cases shed heat better than plastic, which matters in closed TV cabinets and closets and generally means a longer life. Larger PoE switches and high-port-count multi-gig switches sometimes need fans. If silence matters, check the spec sheet for "fanless" before buying, and look for models with smart fan control if you need the extra power.

Planning for the future

Switches last a long time, so think a few years ahead. If you're wiring a home office or media center and expect to upgrade to a multi-gig internet plan or add a NAS, a 2.5GbE switch now saves replacing it later. If you're adding security cameras or access points, a PoE model saves separate power adapters. For most people, a small gigabit switch behind the TV and one at the desk is all they'll ever need, and it's one of the best-value purchases in home networking.

Common switch mistakes

• Plugging a switch into a switch into a switch. Chaining is fine, but daisy-chaining many switches in a line adds points of failure. A central switch feeding room switches is tidier.
• Buying PoE without checking the budget. A switch with PoE ports may not be able to power all of them at full draw simultaneously.
• Expecting a switch to add internet speed. It adds ports and local speed, not internet bandwidth.
• Hiding switches in hot, sealed cabinets. Give them some airflow.