Netgear FS105NA Switch 5Port Metal

The NETGEAR FS105 ProSafe 5-Port 10/100 Desktop Switch offers: Five 10/100 Mbps auto-sensing UTP ports. Simple installation with no software to install. Fanless design for silent operation.

LEDs let you check the status of connections at a glance. View larger.

Simple Setup and Stellar Performance
Plug in your Ethernet cables and connect a power cord, and you're ready to go. There is no software to install or settings to configure. The switch features auto negotiation, which automatically obtains the fastest possible connection, and Auto Uplink takes care of the MDI/MDI-X connection. There are no toggle switches or special crossover cables. If your network has existing 10BASE-T devices, they will work seamlessly within a higher bandwidth environment with each port achieving its full speed.

Every port supports up to 200 Mbps in dedicated bandwidth. Automatic flow control ensures smooth traffic. The FS105 has 64 KB of buffer memory and an address database size of 1,000. The switch has status LEDs for power, and link, speed, and activity for each port.

The NETGEAR FS105 ProSafe 5-Port 10/100 Desktop Switch has a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of 390,000 hours and is backed by a lifetime warranty. The power adapter is backed by a 2-year warranty.

What's in the Box
FS105 Desktop Switch, wall-mount kit, power adapter, quick installation guide, warranty/support information card.

As most 5-port 10/100 switches have the same capabilities and cost about the same, there's not much to distinguish one from another. Still, I particularly like the Netgear FS-105 5-port switch. Like other products from Netgear, this switch is a little nicer than the competition because it has:

- Nice sturdy metal construction instead of plastic. The case also has a grounding tab in case you're using the switch in a (electrically) high-noise environment.

- Connection status indicators built into the jacks, so you can easily tell which cable is connected and is active. (The "vistajack" feature.)

- Right-angled barrel power connector which reduce the likelihood of disconnecting power accidentally.

- An easy-to-access switch to toggle port 1 between station mode and uplink mode. Unlike some hubs where two jacks are wired together, this design prevents accidentally shorting a station to an uplink.

- Screw-mount notches on the underside allows for easy attachment to the wall, underside of a counter, etc.

With a 1000-MAC address buffer and 200 Kbytes-per-port packet buffer, this switch can easily handle the typical traffic load of small- and medium-sized networks.

The Netgear product is not the cheapest 10/100-switch (check out the D-Link Fast Ethernet Switch, for example), but for overall design and value-for-money, I still like the Netgear the most.


Doesn't get much easier than this!   January 24, 2009
V. Hutson (Duluth, MN)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

What a great product! I plugged a PS3, xbox360, two computers, and our DSL cable (all ethernet cables) into this switch and now all four systems have internet connection. It was that simple!

My only regret is that I got didn't get the 8-port switch. I didn't realize that the DSL connection goes in one of these front 5 ports. I thought perhaps there was a port in the back (similar to a USB hub). I was hoping to have one port available to plug a laptop in, but the four systems and DSL connection uses all five available ports.


good product   January 29, 2008
Loren L. Tefoe (moriah,ny)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This thing is small so you can put it almost any where you would like.
It works good I have my ps3 and computer hooked up to it and it has no lag when running both at the same time.


Great for Home Network!   December 13, 2000
tim747 (Glenview, IL USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I have bought two of these for home and office use. They work flawlessy and for the price you cannot beat the functionality. I was running at least Windows 98 on all computers I hooked up to the ethernet hub. Windows makes it easy to set up file and printer sharing.

After you are hooked up to a network you will not need to swap disks all the time in order to exchange information or to move files for printing. You can transfer a hundred megabytes in a minute or two depending on the kinds of files.

Setup is a breeze if you have ethernet cards installed already. Even if you do not have cards installed already there are instructions to walk you through step by step. By the way, if you are just using this for a home network, pick out the Netgear hub combo that gives you the most stuff for the cheapest. I have bought at least 3 different ones and the all provide the same functionality as far as I can tell. It is just that sometimes they come with one more port, or an extra cable, or multiple speed compatibilities.


Sharing our Internet Connection!   November 22, 2001
Philip & Frankie Lovett (Traphill, NC USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I bought the netgear for the purpose of sharing information between all our family's computers. It delivers flawlessly form working with our printers to sharing one Internet connection. Which is the main reason why I purchased this switch, so as to have two or more of our computers on the Internet at the same time using the same connection.