If you know anything about computers, you've probably heard of switches. Switches allow you to connect all your devices on a network, making them a handy addition to any computer setup. But their real value comes when you start delving into the world of home labs and server management—and here are five reasons why you should incorporate them into your server environment.
5 Ports galore
Because there are not too many ports
Most home routers have two to four Ethernet ports, with some of the more expensive models having up to six ports. For an average computer setup, a router with four ports should be more than sufficient. However, in a dedicated home lab environment, you will need at least twice as many ports.
First of all, your server system, NAS, PCs, SBCs and laptops can easily take up all the ports of expensive routers. Once you start adding IOT devices to your network, it becomes clear why 24-port switches are so popular in the home lab community. And that's before you start reserving multiple ports for the link aggregation feature…
4 Support for link aggregation
It is the only good kind of “LAG”
Although Link Aggregation is only available on premium switches, it is a handy feature that allows you to run multiple Ethernet cables between two devices and combine them into a single logical connection. LAG not only increases the bandwidth of your connection, but also improves your home lab's load balancing and port failover provisions.
For a simple server, running cables in link aggregation mode may seem a bit overkill. But as you expand your arsenal of home lab accessories, certain devices like NAS and storage servers may need to run 24/7—and switches compatible with LAG technology help you achieve just that!
3 Better PoE provisions
Perfect for smart home devices
PoE, or Power over Ethernet, is a fantastic technology that allows you to deliver both power and data over a single Ethernet cable. If you have your home outfitted with multiple security cameras, access points, and PoE compatible SBCs, a PoE switch can be a godsend as it cuts the number of cables you need for all the devices in half.
In addition, PoE-supported switches provide monitoring capabilities for the devices connected to them and allow you to turn the devices on or off via a remote connection.
2 VLANs for your IoT devices
A great way to keep cyber intruders at bay
Security is one of the biggest concerns with IoT devices and smart devices. Since IoT systems are connected to your home network, hackers can penetrate your network by exploiting a vulnerability on a device with outdated firmware.
Managed switches that support VLAN technology allow you to split a single network into multiple subnets. This allows you to assign IoT devices to a single virtual network and configure separate firewall rules for them. Meanwhile, the rest of your computing devices can be grouped under a different VLAN to protect them from network breaches. Another plus point of using VLAN switches is that they can simplify the classification process of all your devices as they allow you to group devices with similar characteristics and use cases into the same virtual network.
1 Faster Ethernet support
Who doesn’t like 10GbE speeds?
Most consumer-grade routers are limited to 1GbE Ethernet ports, and while the 1-gigabit standard has been the norm for years, it's not fast enough if you're building a powerful home server.
Of course, you don't need to upgrade your home network to a 10GbE connection (although there are cases where you might want to do just that), but a switch with 2.5GbE or, ideally, 5GbE capabilities can help tremendously with complex virtualization workloads and storage servers with high-speed SSDs.
Take your home lab performance to the next level with powerful switches
There's no denying that switches are almost essential when setting up a home server for your tinkering and DevOps needs. But if you have the same crippling addiction to plugging all your systems into a switch as I do, you'll find your house is littered with cables. So it's a good idea to look at some common cable management practices to avoid your house becoming a disorganized mess of cables.
Seriously, switches are also some of the most expensive components in any home lab, so I recommend doing your research and keeping future upgrade opportunities in mind before spending hundreds of dollars on a switch.
