Linksys WRT54GL and switches

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rgratto2

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What kind of switch is in the Linksys WRT54GL? Is it a gigabit switch?

I have a DD-WRT flashed WRT54GL at home and I have a file server on my network. Lately I've been wondering if the switch in the router is gigabit, and if it makes sense to use the router's switch or just use it for DHCP and get a switch as the backbone.

Thanks.
 
No, it uses the Broadcom BCM5352, which has a 100Mb switch. Most G routers have 100Mb, while quite a few N routers are now including 1Gb.

If you add on a 1Gb switch, you can still use the ports on the router's switch for non-gigabit devices too.
 
Clicking on the specifications tab in your link above...
"Ports 1 x 10/100M WAN; 4 x 10/100M LAN"

So..it's not gigabit. It's an old model. If you select a more current generation router, you're more likely to find a model with built in gigy ports.
 
Go with your idea of adding a gigabit switch as the backbone.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Clicking on the specifications tab in your link above...
"Ports 1 x 10/100M WAN; 4 x 10/100M LAN"

So..it's not gigabit. It's an old model. If you select a more current generation router, you're more likely to find a model with built in gigy ports.
Click to expand...

Ya i saw that on the info, but I wanted to make sure I was interpreting that right as my knowledge of networking is only so so. Thanks for the replies everyone! :)
 
The first one appears to be a not-green version. The first one has a 12.5W adapter, while your link has a 7.5W. In performance, I'd expect that they're exactly the same. I've never really seen enough difference in the specs that matter for any of these "home" switches to really perform any better or worse than another.

I have three of the older non-Green TRENDnet switches (the blue ones). I had a 5-port that went to my desk at work when I upgraded to the 8-port, plus another 5-port at my parents' house. All have been great. The only issue is that they don't support jumbo frames.

Jumbo frames is a whole new discussion. To simplify it as much as possible, it simply lets you send bigger chunks. You have the same overhead per frame, but more data included. This gives you a higher ratio of data to overhead when you count the total number of bits, resulting in faster transfers, especially with slower processors. However, everything on that network must support jumbo frames and today's processors mean the extra efficiency isn't as big a deal.
 
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