A network switch is deeply practical, but you’ll most likely only buy one when your router runs out of Ethernet ports. While that’s the primary reason most people buy one, it’s far from the only benefit of keeping a switch on your network.

A basic unmanaged switch is usually plug-and-play, requires no configuration, and simply connects wired devices on the same local network. That simplicity is exactly why it can fix more than you’d expect, as long as you understand its limitations and its potential. I’ll go over some of the issues that an unmanaged switch can fix.

Your router is buried under cable clutter

This is still a real fix

Adding more Ethernet ports sounds like the most basic reason to buy a switch, but it matters more than it gets credit for.

Instead of running a mess of long cables from your router to every wired device in the house, you can run one cable to a small switch and branch out from there with shorter, cleaner cables. As someone who values cable management in every aspect of tech, this is infinitely more aesthetically pleasing and just plain easier to manage.

While cleaning up your cable routing won’t magically increase your internet speeds, it makes your wired setup infinitely easier to manage, troubleshoot, and expand. It also makes it easier to ditch Wi-Fi across some crucial devices.

Your entertainment center is fighting Wi-Fi

Time to switch to using cables

A smart bulb set to red inside a lamp that's behind a TV.Credit: Ismar Hrnjicevic / How-To Geek

I was sick and tired of my TV constantly getting stuck on buffering, so it was time to move it from Wi-Fi to a stable Ethernet connection. However, if you have an entire entertainment center to wire up, a single cable from your router isn’t going to cut it.

A TV stand can quickly become one of the busiest parts of a home network, especially if it has a TV, consoles, a streaming box or stick, an AV receiver, and maybe even a media server nearby. A small unmanaged switch lets you wire all of those devices through a single Ethernet run instead of forcing them to compete over Wi-Fi or relying on one lonely router port across the room. This is especially useful for consoles and streaming devices, where stability often matters more than chasing the highest possible speed.

image
NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS308)

Netgear’s 8-port Gigabit Ethernet unmanaged switch lets you quickly add more ports to your router (a whole lot of them, even), but there’s a lot more it’s capable of.

Your desk setup has become a tiny data center

PC, dock, NAS, printer, all in one place

A gaming PC with an air CPU cooler and RX 9070 XT.Credit: Ismar Hrnjicevic / How-To Geek

A work desk can fill up with networked hardware faster than you expect. Mine has a desktop PC, a laptop dock, a printer, a smart hub, and my spare test rig, for instance. Yours might also have a NAS, a printer, and just about anything else. Most, if not all, of those things benefit from Ethernet.

A switch gives that whole cluster a proper wired home without making you drag extra cables across the room. Just remember that an unmanaged switch keeps everything on the same basic network, so it’s not the answer if you need VLANs, traffic rules, or actual network segmentation.

Your router ports are in the wrong room

One long cable beats five annoying ones

The back Ethernet and SFP+ ports of the Unifi Dream Router 7.Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

Routers are usually placed where the ISP line enters the home, which is hardly ever the same place as where your wired devices actually live.

A switch lets you leave the router where it works best and move the useful Ethernet ports somewhere else, such as an office, TV area, or gaming corner. Run one longer cable from the router to the switch, then use short cables from the switch to nearby devices.

Your local file transfers keep getting in everyone’s way

Keep the heavy chatter nearby

High angle view of the homelab NAS stack and mini PCs.Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

If your PC and NAS are constantly moving large files, putting them on the same switch can make the layout feel more sensible. The switch can forward local traffic directly between wired devices on that cluster instead of making everything depend on Wi-Fi, which is exactly what you want for frequent high-volume transfers.

This doesn’t create magical isolation, and the uplink to the router can still matter, but it does give your heavy local traffic a cleaner wired path.

Your network keeps depending on one overworked box

Let your router catch its breath

TP-Link AX3000 travel router on a table.Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

Most routers are already doing several jobs at once: routing, firewall duties, DHCP, Wi-Fi, and often a bit of switching through the built-in Ethernet ports.

Adding a separate switch doesn’t replace the router, but it does let the router stop acting like the physical center of every wired connection in the house. For a busy home network, that small bit of delegation can make the whole setup cleaner, more stable, and easier to expand.

A cheap box that truly earns its spot

A basic unmanaged switch won’t fix every networking issue you might ever encounter, but it’s a cheap and easy way to organize your hardware and alleviate unnecessary strain on your Wi-Fi. It makes your network layout make a lot more sense, and for the price of a small accessory, that’s a lot to achieve.

Network switch thumbnail.
TP-Link TL-SG105 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Ethernet Switch
$13
$25
Save $12

Manufacturer

TP-Link

Type

Network Switch

$13 at Amazon