Linksys EtherFast EZXS55W 5-Port Ethernet Switch Review

Bottom-Line: If you need a small workgroup switch you can't go wrong with the Linksys EZX55W 10/100 Switch.

I have a hybrid Personal Area Network (PAN) set up in my house that connects some seven computers together.  By hybrid I mean that a segment is wireless and a segment is wired.  Until recently the wired segment of the PAN was connected to a 10-port 10/100 auto-sensing hub, that had started to malfunction.  When I made the decision to replace it, I decided to do so with a Ethernet/EtherFast 10/100 auto-sensing switch, instead of another hub.  As luck and circumstance would have it Linksys was featuring a $10.00 on their 5-port Ethernet switch the Linksys EZX55W Fast Ethernet 10/100 Switch. 

Linksys EZX55W Fast Ethernet 10/100 Switch

The EZX55W 10/100 Switch is a small package with the distinct Linksys blue and black coloring.  The switch is a 10/100 auto-sensing 5-port switch.  There isn't much in the box except the switch itself, a power supply and an information booklet.  There is no soft ware to install and nothing to configure.  The beauty of an auto-sensing switch is that it detects the line speed of the NIC attached to it via category 5 cabling.  Just plug the unit in and attached the cabling.   

The front of the EZX55w 10/100 Switch features a series of LED's which relay Link/Activity, Full Duplex operation, and (packet) Collisions, and 100Mbps link speed.  The back of the unit is festooned with six ports (5 Ethernet ports and one uplink port for connection another switch), and a power connection port. 

My Viewpoint

I am very pleased with my new EZX55W 10/100 Switch.  I have noticed an immediate boost in throughput not only over the wired segment of my PAN, but the wireless portion as well.  I like the small design which allows me to place the unit in a tight spot and still read the LED's.  I have measured the throughput of the switch via the networking tab of Windows Task Manager and networking utilization is up by 50% over the hub is used to utilize.

File transfers between segments is up markedly, with the time it takes to transfer 300MB of data cut almost in half.  Of course a lot depends on the speed of the wireless segment of the PAN and or the types of files being copied, moved, or otherwise manipulated.

Now that switching technology-which used to be prohibitively expensive-has reached Main Street, there is little reason to purchase a traditional hub for your network.  Checking in a just over $30.00, the Linksys EZX55W 10/100 Switch is a bargain.  The unit is small, has five dedicate Ethernet ports and one dedicated uplink port; is auto-sensing, full-duplex and attractive.  If you need a small workgroup switch you can't go wrong with the Linksys EZX55W 10/100 Switch.