TP-Link LS108G, a switch to improve your home Internet connection

Switches are like the ugly duckling of technology. Gadgets that are not showy (nor do they have to be), and that if they are good you will plug them in once and you will completely forget that they exist for years. Their work is dark and silent, but thanks to them you can greatly improve the quality of your WiFi network. This is the case of the TP-Link LS108G and TP-Link LS105G switches, two computers with similar characteristics but that differ in the number of available Ethernet ports. Eight in the case of the TP-Link LS108G and five in the TP-Link LS105G. You can find them in stores for very low prices of just 23 euros for the LS108G and 15 euros for the LS105G. We tell you the main keys of the two models and we explain how they can help improve the quality of the Internet network that you have at home or in the office.

Data sheet

What is a switch and what is it for?

The million dollar question. The switches are used to connect various devices to the network via cable . The same as the ports of the router that you have at home or in the office, but with two fundamental differences. A management more advanced of the traffic flow and a greater number of available ports. And it is that surely you have already noticed by now that you lack ports to connect gadgets at home: the game console (or game consoles), the decoder, the smart lights, the network hard drive ...

There are two types of switch: the manageable ones (they provide more complete control capabilities in the network via web interface and / or utility) and the self-manageable ones . The TP-Link LS108G and TP-Link LS105G are of the latter style, ideal for the home or for a company or small office. They have eight and five ports respectively. You have to keep in mind that one of these ports is the one used to connect the router, while the rest are used to connect the various equipment that you have within reach by means of an Ethernet cable. That a switch is self-manageable means that after you connect the equipment you will be able to not worry completelyunless there is a problem with the network or the cables you are using. But the normal thing is that you will hardly interact with the device throughout its life time.

What are the keys of the TP-Link LS108G and TP-Link LS105G?

First of all, speed. The two TP-Link switches support 10/100 / 1000Mbps Ethernet standards . That is, they can transmit data at a maximum speed of up to 1,000 megabits per second. This depends of course on the own speed of the fiber that we have at home, but it is useful whether you have a very fast connection now or if in a few years you want to take advantage of the faster connections launched by operators without having to change switches.

These switches can auto-negotiate on each port, that is, there is an automatic communication with each device in which the maximum speed at which the information is to be transmitted is determined and if it is half-duplex or full-duplex. That is, if both are capable of transmitting and receiving information at the same time (full-duplex) or if one transmits and the other receives at all times (half-duplex).

Start-up and power consumption

One of the great advantages of the TP-Link LS108G and TP-Link LS105G switches is that they are plug & play , that is, it is enough to connect them to the router through one of the Ethernet ports and then connect the devices that will be part of the wired network. Without the need for any kind of extra management. The switches themselves are capable of prioritizing the traffic between the computers according to the bandwidth needsthat exist for each and are compatible with 802.3X flow management technologies and 802.1P / DSCP QoS. With this type of QoS (quality of service), the switch is able to identify up to eight different types of traffic and their needs. Among them, video viewing, background tasks, critical applications or calls over the network. In addition, they have Green Ethernet technology , which saves energy. Specifically, the maximum power consumption amounts to 3.7W. This technology works by adapting the power consumption of each port to the length of the Ethernet cable that we are using and the state of the link itself.

Very compact and elegant design

The TP-Link LS108G features a very compact, single-line design. Throughout it takes up a little more space than enough to house eight Ethernet ports. To give you an idea, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is a bit longer than this switch . Being in a single line, it is also quite low, at only an inch and a half thick. This format makes it ideal to have it without problems in one of the corners of the furniture where we have placed the router. In each of the ports we have a small LED indicator with which we can know if it is sending traffic to the connected equipment or if there is a connection problem (for example, that the Ethernet cable is not working well).

This is a design without any type of fan, which ensures silent operation . To prevent it from overheating, it has a grille system on both sides to quickly dissipate hot air. Its exterior is protected by a metallic casing in a beautiful blue color. It's almost a shame that it's not always in sight. In the case of the TP-Link LS105G, the format is even more compact, also in a single line and with a length of ten centimeters. Although we have only tested the older model, the design is identical in both color and case construction.

Price and reviews

Both the TP-Link LS108G and the TP-Link LS105G are already in stores, for a price of 2 3 euros for the 8-port model and 15 euros for the 5-port model . You are interested in getting one of these models if you have a lot of equipment in the living room mounted at home (for example, the Smart TV itself, the console, a network hard drive, a WiFi access point, a Raspberry ...) If you have a small business or office and want to enjoy a good network experience without interruptions through several connected computers. Although they are not a gadget that stands out for its design, it is a very useful and inexpensive device that will give you a game for years.