When it comes to building a network, requirements are likely to increase as it grows larger and more complex. Also, there is the need for more sophisticated management of the network. Managed switches provide the means to create complex networks, control access, and monitor performance. These switches are a staple of large environments, but you will find these in home use too.
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5 features you should always look for in a network switch
If you're planning to buy a new switch for your home network, you should give to top priority to these features
We have previously looked at why you should get an unmanaged switch, but the differences between the two are night and day. So, let's look at all the things you can do when you have a switch with management capabilities.
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9 Port monitoring
See what's connected, disconnected, experiencing errors, or generating network traffic
Through the web management interface that most if not all managed switches provide, you'll be able to visually oversee its operational status. One of the more useful functions of the switch overview is that you'll be able to see how many devices are connected.
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You'll also be able to see the speed at which they are connected to the switch, as well as apply further filters to see which ports (if any) have been disabled. Being able to check this information from afar is incredibly useful if you're trying to diagnose slow connections, unplugged devices, or faulty ports.
The monitoring doesn't stop there, you can also check out the ports to show all the various traffic flow statistics. You'll also be able to check and see port errors, which can help you on your way to tracking down poor-quality cables or device configurations.
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8 Granular port configuration
Fine tune the individual settings of each port on your switch just the way you want
A managed switch can also let you tailor how each port is configured. This allows you to fix the speed at which the port will operate, what VLAN it will use, and enable traffic management.
Also, you'll be able to enable port isolation to prevent devices on certain ports from seeing and communicating with each other. Another useful aspect of this level of configuration is that you can give each port a descriptive name, which can help immensely when you have a lot of things plugged in.
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7 VLAN Administration
Virtual networks allow for security, traffic reduction, and network management
Creation and management of virtual networks is an essential part of network management. A central role of a managed switch is to create, administer, and oversee virtual networks. At an enterprise level, VLANs are an essential part of building and maintaining large networks. But VLANs aren't just for large environments.
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Creation of a guest network
On a home network, a good example of a VLAN is a guest Wi-Fi network. Essentially, you can think of a guest network as just a separate, segregated virtual network for your guests to join so their devices cannot interact with your home network.
Creation of an IoT network
Another relatable example of a good use of a VLAN at home would be to create a VLAN to segregate your IoT smart home devices onto a separate network where they cannot pose a threat to your more sensitive servers and computers. Since IoT devices can sometimes present weak points in a network due to vulnerabilities, using this functionality is highly recommended.
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Creating a VLAN to partition off devices can make managing groups of machines easier and allow for setting bandwidth shaping and security policies. When it comes to switch management capabilities, this feature is absolutely core to the notion of network management.
6 Network access and control
Set policies to ensure only authorized devices can connect to your network
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Maintaining control over what connects to a network is critical when you need to create a highly secure infrastructure. A managed switch will allow you to set up policies to permit or deny devices based on their IP, MAC address, port, or service they are using.
Using this feature, you could opt to create a list of good, well-known devices to which you're comfortable connecting without restrictions. Anything else can be set to a denied state where the device will get no network access or, a step further, shut down the port it's connected to completely so that the device will be physically segregated from the network all together.
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5 Network cable diagnostics
You can check network cables for defects
Sometimes cables fail, degrade over time with use, or are just made wrong from the start. Management switches can often include a feature which will allow for some automated testing and measurement of cables connected to each port.
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In addition to leveraging port errors and statistics, running these basic diagnostic tests can help reveal any problematic cables. The switch can also determine the lengths of cables connected, which can be helpful if some of your more distant devices are having problems with poor or unreliable links.
4 Device connection monitoring
Know when that server or critical device has dropped off the network again
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There are some devices on our networks which we'd rather not let go without us knowing about it. A useful feature of managed switches can be automating the monitoring of specific devices or ports.
Should a server, switch, or other important network assets go dark, you'll be able to set up an alert to be triggered to inform you of the incident. Generally, alerts will be sent via a mail server, but other management switches may allow other methods of alerting. Either way, this is a great way to stay on top of major network outages.
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3 Network protection and security
Use managed switches in built security features to secure the network
Securing a network from threats and misconfiguration is another feature that managed switches provide. We mentioned access control earlier as a way of securing your network, but going beyond that, switches can also help secure your environment through other methods.
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These can include denial-of-service protection, storm control, and IP source guard to ensure threats to network operations are detected and mitigated. An added lifeline for your network could also be the ability to configure monitoring and mitigation for loop protection and IP conflicts in your environment. These technologies can help keep a network running well and spot areas of misconfiguration.
2 Logging
Logs aren't just for lumberjacks
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You're already deep in configurations and policies and protections, but you still need to know what's going on. It's all very well setting everything up, but generally it's only the logs which will confirm or deny things are working well.
Management switches will helpfully provide the logs of all the important activities occurring on your switch. These can give you the insights you need in order to determine everything from attempted intrusions to identifying policies which have caused devices to be kicked off your network.
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1 ONVIF surveillance
Set up a standards-based security camera and recording network
There are many managed switches which have in-built capabilities to mesh IP-based cameras and recording equipment. ONVIF is a standard which allows equipment from different manufacturers to work together instead of requiring their own proprietary communications.
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A switch with ONVIF features will allow you to set up a surveillance network, often using automatic detection of devices. Once detected, you can configure groups, distribute them into VLANS, and generally administer those devices in one place rather than using separate interfaces from multiple suppliers.
You probably already have some of these features
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When it comes to networking, needs do, of course, vary. Some of the features included in a network switch may already be included in a home internet router. Features such as a basic VLAN for a guest network almost certainly exist on most routers, as will also be security and some device administration. However, a managed switch has a lot more, allowing for much more granular control over the design of a network, how much it can expand and how efficient and secure it will be.
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Nobody likes to think that unauthorized devices are using their network, but it's fairly simple to find them and kick them off.
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