Netgear JGS516 ProSafe 16-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch

by Netgear

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14.5 x 10 x 4.5 inches ; 5.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002CWPOK
• Item model number: JGS516
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #29 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Switches
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 25, 2004

Product Description

NETGEAR's unmanaged JGS500-series switches make it affordable to take Gigabit to the desktop. These unmanaged 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet switches provide high-speed connectivity for small office networks at an economical price a savvy business owner can't ignore. All 16 or 24 switched 10/100/1000 ports deliver up to 2000 Mbps throughput, up to 48 Gbps of backplane bandwidth, and Auto Uplink¿ technology to adjust for straight-through or crossover cables. These high-performance switches can combine 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps devices within a network, and are conveniently compact for either the desktop or rack mounting. Ideal for work groups, departments or any small network looking for the ultra fast desktop connections.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works well, but noisy, March 12, 2010

By 

Henry Ferlauto III (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Netgear JGS516 ProSafe 16-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (Personal Computers)

Here's my story. I used to have (note past tense) pretty much all Linksys gear in my home. Router, switches, print servers, etc. Over a half-dozen devices because our condo is wired like an office with network drops everywhere.

All of a sudden in the span of about 6 months, one-by-one most of the devices just died. They had power, but simply would not pass network traffic. I wrote to Linksys and basically said, "Here's my situation, meet me half-way, do something, anything to keep my business." They never replied. So I began a quest to look into a new switch for my home office. I decided I wanted a 16 port model because I might max out an 8 port unit.

I noticed that the "ProSafe" line from Netgear comes with a lifetime warranty and 24/7 technical support (although how much support can one need for an auto-sensing switch, assuming it's actually working.) So I gravitated toward that line of products. Then looking at the comparison charts I was trying to determine the difference between the mid-level "GS" series and their top-of-the-line "JGS" series switches.

There is only one: The JGS models have a built-in power supply. Meaning, no "brick," just a standard 3-prong power cord.

Sold!

My only complaint (and it is significant): The little fan inside this monster is quite noisy. Almost as loud a standard desktop PC, which uses a much larger power supply and fan. Mind you it does not sound "cheap." It sounds like a quality fan and power supply. It quite simply needs a little better ventilation and Netgear needs to invest that whopping extra 2 bucks on a higher grade fan that it is truly whisper quiet.

So in summary, fine for a network closet or an open area with a few people an other things that make modest constant noise, but think about it a bit if it will be in a "quiet" office setting. With quieter operation, it would easily earn 5 stars in my book.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Performed as Promised, May 15, 2008

By 

Dan M. Beadle "Entrepreneur" (Lake Tahoe, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Netgear JGS516 ProSafe 16-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (Personal Computers)

This is a boring category - especially for a small business with only moderate networking requirements.

I needed a short depth form factor to fit into a rack mount system. This device fit.

I wanted 1 GBPS to maximize desktop to NAS backup. This unit delivered. I can max out the link using Norton Ghost to DLink NAS from my Dell desktop. There was no performance degradation from adding 100MB and 10MB devices to the switch (there isn't a lot of traffic on the network).

So, it simply delivered on all needs.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Netgear JGS516 Review, August 26, 2009

By 

E. Lee - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Netgear JGS516 ProSafe 16-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (Personal Computers)

It's an unmanaged gigabit switch, so there's no features to be reviewed. It does its job fine, in fact, I think the throughput might have increased when I replaced my SMC gigabit switch with this one.

Two things though, the fan noise is noticeable from 3' away. Heck, my Intel quad-core Antec Sonata rig is quieter than this switch.

Another thing is, this switch won't work if you have a mis-wired network cable. My old SMC switch will at least drop to 100mbit/s speed (since 4 wires required by 100mb/s speed are still correctly wired), with this switch, it's all or nothing. No big deal though, a good network cable fixes the problem.

I would've rated this a 4.5 star.