Our first product review for Its Geek Time is this nifty gigabit network switch brought to you by D-Link. For years D-link has taken a back seat to bigger companies like Linksys and Netgear for home network equipment. In recent years D-Link has increased their product quality and can contend with the big guys on an equal footing. This switch is a product that proves that.

The first thing to note about this switch is it is a gigabit switch with 8 ports for less than $50. A comparable Netgear or Linksys switch will cost you much more money. The other important thing about its speed is you can connect 10/100 devices to it and not lose gigabit connectivity to gigabit enabled devices that are also connected to it. On older gigabit switches, the switch would throttle down to the slowest device connected to it.

Another new feature on this switch is its power saving feature. Ports that are not in use are turned off so the device uses less power over all. This turns into cost benefits from less electricity usage, less heat generated by the product, and a longer life span due to less wear and tear. In an age where electricity prices are at an all-time high, anything that saves power is a welcome addition to many homes and offices.

In conclusion, this switch is recommended for any home network or small office network that is on a budget and wants gigabit functionality. This piece of networking technology gets a must have 10 on the d10 of networking from It’s Geektime.