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Which Switch?

Frank Derfler
 & Frank Derfler Author and PCMag Digital Network Veteran

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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    Buying Guide: Which Switch?

    Contents

    In 1999 we declared, "Hubs are dead—long live switches!" We were right. Hubs are like intersections with four-way stop signs: simple but prone to traffic contention and backup. Compared with hubs, switches are superhighways with high-speed access ramps. A switch selects a path or circuit to send a packet of data to its next destination, whereas hubs send incoming packets to all ports. Switches were once affordable only for big enterprises, but prices have fallen over the last few years, letting them displace the hub as the fundamental piece of networking equipment.

    About Our Expert

    Frank Derfler

    Frank Derfler

    Author and PCMag Digital Network Veteran

    Frank is a member of the PCMag Digital Network Market Experts Group. He has had multiple careers in telecommunications and computer system operation and management, government procurement, education, and publishing. During a 20-year career in the Federal Government he ran large computer installations, programming shops (JOVIAL, C, and Ada), and acquisition organizations with billion dollar budgets. He began his career by installing radio and microwave systems in remote parts of the world.

    Frank was one of the earliest columnists and reviewers in computer publishing and in 1986, he founded the PC Magazine LAN Labs. The LAN Labs developed the first widely distributed LAN benchmark tests and included both testing and editorial activities. Today, Frank continues to use his skill to explain what is important about products and technology. His understanding of both the technology and the human side of the computer equation allows him to express the important ideas in networking without getting lost in technobabble. He is the author of 14 books and numerous magazine articles. His most popular book titles include "Using Networks", "eBusiness Essentials", and, with co-author Les Freed, "How Networks Work." He earned an engineering degree, an MBA, and most of a doctorate in telecommunications systems.

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