Why your router keeps running out of ports
You plug in the smart TV, then the console, then the printer, and the router runs out of ports before you run out of devices. Something ends up back on WiFi, and the stream stutters at exactly the wrong scene. That's usually the point where people start reading network switch reviews instead of shopping for a new router, because the router isn't broken, it's just outnumbered.
How an unmanaged gigabit network switch actually works
Here's where your money actually goes with something like the TL-SG105: five gigabit ports, a metal box, and almost nothing else. That's not a limitation, it's the design. A switch this size is what's called unmanaged, meaning it has no settings menu because it isn't making decisions, it's just routing traffic to the right port. Old-school hubs used to broadcast every packet to every port and let devices sort out what was theirs, which is slow and wasteful. A switch learns which device lives on which port by its address and sends traffic only there, so a printer isn't choking on a TV's stream and vice versa. Auto-negotiation and auto-MDI/MDIX mean it figures out speed and cable orientation itself, so you plug in a cable, any cable, and it works, no crossover cable, no settings page, no app. The flow control matters more than it sounds: when one device sends faster than another can receive, the switch tells it to pause instead of dropping packets, the difference between a clean transfer and one that stalls and retries. Port-based QoS and IGMP snooping do a similar job for video and voice, giving it priority so a stream doesn't stutter because someone else is downloading. And because there's no fan and no background software, it just sits there drawing under a watt, doing one job.
You're not buying network intelligence here, you're buying gigabit ports at a few dollars each and a fanless box that doesn't need you. The trade is honest: no VLANs, no app, no dashboard, just packets moving at full speed to wherever they're plugged in.
Who the TL-SG105 network switch is for, and who should skip it
Worth it if
- you have more gigabit devices than router ports
- you want plug and play with zero configuration
- you want a quiet fanless box that just runs
- you need a durable metal case for a desk or closet
Skip it if
- you need VLANs or remote management
- you need Power over Ethernet for cameras or access points
- you need more than five ports
- you want traffic monitoring or a dashboard
Skip it if you need VLANs, remote management, or Power over Ethernet, this box has none of that on purpose.
The TP-Link TL-SG105 network switch verdict
If you've got more gigabit devices than router ports and want them all running at full speed without touching a settings menu, this is a quiet yes. If you need to segment traffic, manage guest networks, or run power over Ethernet to cameras, you want a managed switch, not this one.
The problem it removes is small but real: once it's in, wired stays wired and nobody's stream drops because someone else logged onto the console. Plug it in between the router and the pile of devices competing for space, and the whole thing disappears into the wall, doing its job quietly for years. With well over a hundred thousand ratings behind it, the overwhelming theme is exactly this: people plug it in, forget it's there, and it just keeps working, no dropped speed, no fuss.
Amazon shoppers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across 129,341 ratings. That is their number, not ours.
Before you go
How good is a network switch?
For basic port expansion, an unmanaged gigabit switch like this is about as good as networking gear gets at its one job: it moves packets at full speed with no configuration and almost nothing to go wrong.
What are the disadvantages of a network switch?
An unmanaged switch has no VLANs, no remote monitoring, and no way to prioritize traffic beyond basic port-based QoS, so it's the wrong tool if you need to segment or manage a network rather than just expand it.
What is the best network switch to buy?
It depends on what you're expanding: for a home network that just needs more wired gigabit ports cheaply, a compact unmanaged switch covers it, and for anything requiring segmentation or remote control you'd want a managed switch instead.
Which company network switch is best?
TP-Link, Netgear, and D-Link dominate the affordable unmanaged switch market, and at this level brand matters less than port count, build quality, and price, since the electronics inside are doing the same basic job.
By the numbers
Only 8% of the 92 electronics products we've reviewed earn our top "worth it at list price" verdict — this is one of them. All verdicts are published as open data in the Is It Worth It Reviews Verdict Dataset (CC BY 4.0).
Full spec sheet
| Number of Ports | 1 |
|---|---|
| Compatible Devices | Computer, Gaming Console, Printer, TV |
| Voltage | 230 volts |
| Upper Temperature Rating | 40 °C |
| Interface | 5 10/100/1000Mbps, Auto-Negotiation, Auto-MDI/MDIX Ports |
| Data Transfer Rate | 1000 megabits_per_second |
| Current Rating | 0.6 A |
| Platform | No Operating System |
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