In reply to a post by candlerb:

In reply to a post by BLaZiNgSPEED:

another thing to bear in mind that the lower tier packages of Community Fibre supply a Linksys Dual and Tri-Band router that only has 2 Gigabit Ethernet Ports.

You can always connect a gigabit switch of your own. Something like Netgear GS110TP is very nice (SNMP, web and CLI management; PoE output on all ports) - although that's an old model, and some of the newer Netgear "smart" switches have dropped the CLI completely.

At the other extreme, you can pick up a 5-port unmanaged gigabit switch for less than £10.

Either way, having only 2 gigabit ports shouldn't be a major problem.

That's true. But that means I have to buy a new gigabit switch prior to the order of the service. It would be great if I know for certain that the router I'll receive has 4 gigabit ports to start with. Then I'll avoid having the hassle of buying a separate switch.

At home we have 3 computers and Satellite Receiver. If I end up receiving a router with just 2 Ethernet ports. We end up with no internet service for 1 of the computers. Then we have to rush to buy a switch or order online and wait for delivery, which is a hassle we don't want to face.

Netgear GS110TP is quite expensive at £200, I could buy a new gaming router with additional ports instead.

I think I'm going to opt for the Gigabit package with Linksys WiFi 6 to have the 4 ports instead. I'm ready to buy a new router anyway, for FTTP an investment for a new router may be worth it!

The little Ubiquiti 5-port gigabit (USW Flex Mini) switches are great bang for the buck around £25 or so. Manage using a browser or phone app over a free hosted cloud service. PoE powered on Port 1 or via USB. PoE output on other ports.

http://dl.ui.com/ds/usw-flex-mini_ds.pdf

Edited by Pheasant (Tue 28-Jun-22 09:58:21)

In reply to a post by BLaZiNgSPEED:

At home we have 3 computers and Satellite Receiver. If I end up receiving a router with just 2 Ethernet ports. We end up with no internet service for 1 of the computers. Then we have to rush to buy a switch or order online and wait for delivery, which is a hassle we don't want to face.

Amazon next-day delivery - assuming you can survive with one computer on wifi instead of ethernet for a day.

In reply to a post by BLaZiNgSPEED:

Netgear GS110TP is quite expensive at £200

It was about £100 when I bought mine, so I think this must be end-of-sale model and you're paying a premium to get it. They have plenty of newer models. It was just an example.

What router are you currently using? Could you temporarily turn off the DHCP on it and use it as a dumb switch when the ISP change happens?

In reply to a post by ian72:

What router are you currently using? Could you temporarily turn off the DHCP on it and use it as a dumb switch when the ISP change happens?

I'm currently using TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub version SG4K100136 (Sagemcom FAST 5364) that has 4 gigabit Ethernet ports. I also have TalkTalks new WiFi Hub Black, which is a (Huawei DG8041W) that also has 4 gigabit ports.

But the problem is that they are locked to TalkTalk FTTC. I won't be able to use them for Community Fibre when they soon come. Not sure if it's possible to use them as a Switch. I have no experience of trying that.

Most of the ISPs on FTTC at least from my experience have 4 LAN ports. The only ISP that I came across with 2 ports is Now Broadband, which I hesitated to switch to. Sky also once were supplying the same router that Now Broadband currently use with 2 ports only but they have since upgraded to a new router to support 4 ports.

As long as you can turn off DHCP in the hub then you can use it just as a switch. You would need 1 of the ports to connect to the new switch giving you 3 extra ports to use. You may also want to turn off the wireless if you are going to use the wireless on the new hub.

This would at the minimum give you time to sort out a cheap gigabit switch if that is what you decide to do. Or, you could use it as a long term solution (although it may possibly use more electric than a basic switch).