Is your network switch the bottleneck?
What a switch actually does
If you've got more wired devices than your router has ports (or your router and PC are in different rooms with a switch somewhere in between), a switch extends your wired network. Most home setups don't need one at all — but if you've got one in the chain, it's worth ruling out as a cause.
Signs your switch might be the problem
- It's an old or very cheap unbranded switch, especially anything more than 5-6 years old
- It's a "10/100" switch rather than "gigabit" (check the label or spec sheet — if it doesn't say gigabit/1000Mbps, it's capping your speed well below what your internet connection can deliver)
- It gets noticeably warm or has no ventilation, sitting inside a cabinet
- Performance is fine on other devices but consistently worse on whatever's connected through that particular switch
What to buy instead
You don't need anything expensive or "gaming-branded" — a switch either forwards packets correctly or it doesn't; marketing tiers mostly add unnecessary features like managed VLANs you won't use at home.
Look for: - Gigabit (1000Mbps), not just "Fast Ethernet" (100Mbps) — this is the single most important spec - Unmanaged is fine and simpler for home use — you don't need the "managed" switches aimed at businesses - A reputable brand (TP-Link, Netgear, and similar all make perfectly good basic unmanaged gigabit switches) - Enough ports for what you actually need, plus one or two spare
A basic 5 or 8-port gigabit unmanaged switch is inexpensive and will comfortably outperform anything a decade old, regardless of price point.
Installing it
- Connect one port on the switch to a free port on your router (this is the "uplink").
- Connect your other wired devices to the remaining switch ports.
- No configuration needed — unmanaged switches work immediately, there's nothing to set up.
Further resources
- Cat5e vs Cat6 comparison guide — worth checking the cabling guide too if you're upgrading the switch as part of a wider wired setup