Netgear Click Switch Gigabit Ethernet Switches
If you run any kind of wired network in your home you’re going to run into a situation at some point where a switch is going to be very handy. A switch lets you take, for example, a high speed Internet connection, and route it to several locations around the house—without losing valuable speed due to network congestion and collisions. A switch is a handy device that provides some management over your network traffic, as opposed to blindly routing it or splitting it throughout your home. But the Netgear Click Switches are Gigabit Ethernet switches with an industry-first—a bracket mounting system that gives you 4 different ways to mount the switch in your AV component rack, on your desk, or even on a wall. The Netgear Click Switch is available in either 8- or 16-Gigabit port configurations.
Netgear Click Switch Gigabit Ethernet Switch Features
The Netgear Click Switch Gigabit Ethernet Switches feature a very slim design. They also have an internal power supply, so there’s no huge power brick or transformer that needs to take up valuable space when you set it up. Instead, the Netgear Click Switch has a corner-positioned, detachable cord that’s built in a way that gives you the maximum amount of mounting flexibility possible. On top of that, the Netgear Click Switch lets you easily organize wires, secure cables, and dress up anything from a desk to a full-on equipment or AV rack. If you have multiple connected network-enabled devices, this may be your new favorite network accessory.
There are four key features which make the Netgear Click Switch truly unique in the marketplace:
4-way Click Mounting System
The 4-way Click mounting system is versatile enough to let you mount the Netgear Click Switch eternal switch under a table, on a wall, strapped to a desk or even a table leg. It can be mounted vertically or horizontally, front or backwards, letting you have the most flexibility when aligning your ports with existing cabling, or orienting the Click Switch to fit your AV rack or workstation.
Innovative Mounting Bracket
The simple to use mounting bracket lets you orient the Netgear Click Switch either vertically or horizontally, so you can access the ports in the way that works best. It literally lets you “Click” the switch into the bracket either along the thinner end or the wider end depending upon ho you require the ports to be positioned. Installation is as simple as mounting the bracket onto a wall (or strapping it to a desk) and “Clicking” the switch into the bracket. A simple pushbutton release is all that’s needed to free the switch from the mounting bracket in the even you need to move it or reposition your mount.
Easy Cable Management
The Netgear Click Switch comes with a multi-directional power cable that can be routed outwards or downwards from the corner of the switch. Ethernet cables can then be be strapped directly to the bracket or mounting surface using one or both of the provided retaining straps.
Quick access USB ports (8-port only)
On the GSS108E 8-port Click Switch, two USB ports allow you to charge your smartphone and/or tablets at up to 2.0A (5VDC). That will allow for maximum charging of tablets and phones, though the output could decrease slightly with all ports used and heavy traffic.
Installation and Use
The Netgear Click Switch was indeed very simple to install, and even easier to configure and use. While there re some sophisticated features you can access through the software, you also have the option of “plug-n-play” where you focus on the physical location and connections and then let the Click Switch handle the rest. We mounted ours in our central AV equipment closet that, using a Denon AVR-X7200W receiver, runs three zones of audio and also sources whole home video from a DISH Hopper as well as Internet from Brighthouse Roadrunner.
To facilitate this, we strapped it to the top of our network rack, allowing all of our device to plug into it from below. Since there are eight ports, it has plenty of room to take the output of our router and pass along networked Internet to our Oppo BDP-103D Blu-ray player, DISH Hopper DVR, Denon AVR-X7200W, Xbox 360, and a feed to the rest of the house. That still leaves me with 3 ports open for additional expansion. Since I was able to mount it to the top rail of our AV rack, the switch ends up being neatly tucked away, with all cabling nearly our of sight—and certainly neatly run (possible for the first time ever!)
Conclusion
The Netgear Click Switch 8-port Gigabit Ethernet Switch is a great addition to any installation, office, or home. It’s flexibility is what won me over to it, and I think that most users will appreciate how easy it is to install and use. Most of the time you have a choice to either buy an expensive rack mount device or a desktop switch. Now, the Netgear Click Switch gives you multiple choices and applications in one device.
