Customer Reviews

Cisco-Linksys EZXS88W EtherFast 10/100 8-Port Workgroup Switch

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is a great little box for connecting a small network without breaking your bank.

The EZXS88W has a great work/size ratio. It's small enough to set on top of a computer case and provides eight ports of full duplex, 10/100 networking.

It has a very informative display to give out info for connection speed, duplex connection and collision. The setup is as simple as plugging in the power and network cables. I have yet to run into any problems with this unit and would recommend it without a second thought.

If you want to do some fast networking you need to pickup a switcher and not a hub. I've always found Linksys to be really good and way much cheaper. Having a 100mb switcher is nice and a lot faster then a plain hub. Setup is very easy.

The only down point is that the power cable doesn't hold tight enough to the back of the switcher, so any minor shake will reset the switcher. I still give it 5 stars because of the great price and performance.

I bought this switch because I trust the brand and also because I thought it would stack well with my Linksys BEFW11S4 wireless router (which I've run out of ports on). However, when I received the EZXS88W, it was smaller than in the technical description given by Amazon (which is actually the size of the box, not the switch itself). Because it is about an inch and a quarter narrower than my Linksys router, it does not sit nicely on top or underneath. I know that it's only a small complaint (otherwise the switch is terrific), but I just wanted to let potential buyers know about the possible size difference, especially if one is buying it specifically because it will interface nicely with a previous Linksys purchase.

It is as easy as others say - I added it to my DSL system in less time than it took to read the (sparse) instruction manual.
Plug in, turn on. Done
The manual devotes a whole page to CAT5 cable construction but does not say which type (straight or crossover) to use between the EZXS88 and the DSL modem. (Its straight, as are the cables between the EZXS88 and the computers).

I've been buying Linksys equipment for a few years now and it's all good stuff, at very affordable prices. I've had no complaints with any of their equipment so far, except for one.

I have found (and so have a few of my tech buddies and Network Admins I know) that Linksys hubs and switches tend to have problems with ports going dead or becoming unusable after only about a year of use. That is, one or more of the ports will die within a year's time (or shortly following the warranty period -- this is especially true of the 5-port switches).

This premature port failure is not limited to just the hubs and switches. I've also had 2 DSL/Cable modem routers with 4 port switches exhibit the same problem (in one case, ALL the ports died except for the cable/DSL port).

My suggestion is to buy more ports than you need so that you can still use the hub/switch after some ports go bad. That's why I am buying an 8-port switch even though it's replacing a 5-port switch where 2 of the ports are now dead.

Why 4 stars? Because if you know about the port death syndrome and buy more ports than you need, it's STILL a great deal for the money...

I've found it to be handy and at a good price, but like other reviewers I had some problems. Ports tend to go bad and sometimes the unit dies. I was able to get warranty replacements and the new ones havent had problems yet.

Cisco bought Linksys a while back -- smart move! Can't get any easier -- works great, while it is smaller than the Linksys router, it still sits nicely on top, although feet pattern does not match.

I can see the difference after going to the Linksys switch over my previous 3com 100Mb hub. Transfer rates doudbled when network utilization is high overall. All systems run fine at 100Mb full duplex and that's with 3com and intel network cards.

I got good service from this device for about a year. The power supply (9V-DC, 800ma, with an uncommon connector) went out. It is too unusual to find a replacement locally. LinkSys will not simply replace the transformer, but wants to replace the whole unit. Customer pays the shipping to return it - the shipping costs more than it's worth. I'm going to throw it away and get a Netgear.

Update, April 20, 2007: It turns out that the tech support person I spoke with at the time I wrote the earlier post was all wet. I spoke with customer support and they had me fill out an RMA form for only a transformer. There are two options: full product replacement or power supply only. I did not need to send in the defective power supply. A new power supply arrived in a few days - apparently no muss or fuss. However, the wrong power supply was sent (it was 9VAC instead of 9VDC) and when I plugged it in it burned out the switch and filled my office with a horrible smell that it took days to clear.

A second call to Linksys was less gracefully handled. They seemed to have a hard time understanding that they now needed to replace the entire product, including the proper power supply. When they finally agreed to the replacement, I was told that there were not any available. So I submitted the RMA and returned the defective product, and now I get to wait until they send the replacement, whenever that may be.

My feeling was that I should not have to pay the postage to return the burned out switch, since it was their mistake, but at this point I didn't want to get into that discussion. In the meantime, I bought an SMC switch from Provantage for less than $25 (including shipping) and it is working great. All the reviews on it were flattering, and the price was right.

I don't understand how Linksys can consider their support acceptable. (Their background message while you wait on hold keeps praising their highly rated support.) One cannot just wait for days, weeks, or months for a replacement network switch. I don't expect to buy any more Linksys products.

I have two of these switches in my network, never turned off connected to Compaq servers.

Not one issue. I see why Cisco purchased this company.