Linksys by Cisco EZXS55W EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch

This switch works fine and does what it's supposed to do. The one I received is all black, and there is another listing for it on Amazon.

I don't get the negatives I've read here. Someone said it gets hot. Well, where are you keeping it? It's a simple little digital switch that doesn't create any heat...maybe a slight watmth.
Another said something about it being cheap, plastic junk. It's actually a very good quality piece of equipment at a very good price. I guess if it's not a huge, heavy, expensive thing they perceive it as being cheap.
There was also a complaint about cutomer service. I'll admit I have not had to call Linksys cutomer service for years, but the 2 or 3 times I have, they are the best. Imagine, actually getting a human person on the phone and walking you through everything you need.

Bottom line: Qulity product. Good price. I wish I needed more of these little things...there almost fun to buy and plug all your gadgets in.
And oh yeah, very easy and simple "plug and play" installation.

Ok. For those that insist that nothing is perfect, my only design change would be to eliminate some of the indicator lighting on the front. There are about 15 little lights on there. My "office" area already looked like Christmas at night with all of the LEDs shining off of everything from my computer to the phone to the clock and everything else. Now there are many more colorful lights.

I did not liked it!
It is not what I expected!
But despite all stated above it does exactly what described in specification.
If I were to read it I would keep looking for something little different.

This piece is very very tiny and functions perfectly for small networks

This product functions as it is supposed to; I have absolutely no complaints about that (in the one month that I've had the product). However, I was expecting a blue and black outer shell as was depicted in the product picture, though the one I received was ALL black on the outside. That doesn't affect functionality, though an accurate picture would have been nice. Overall great product.

I was confused about the difference between Hubs, Switches, and routers. I just wanted to take the Ethernet connection from my cable modem and split it to three other computers so that I could have a faster, direct connection since I have somewhat spotty wireless connection due to interference with neighbors routers. This switch did just the charm and was surprisingly inexpensive.

So, if you have a modem with an Ethernet out and want to connect multiple computers to the internet, this device will work for you.

I purchased this switch like most folks to allow an existing Linksys cable modem/router to provide an Internet signal to an additional Ethernet port in my house. In the meantime, I recently bought a Sony Blu-Ray player with Internet video streaming, but I found that the existing Linksys modem/router could not handle the upgraded high-speed service. So I bought a new Motorola DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem. I naively thought I could simply use this Linksys switch to send the signal along its merry way throughout my house. WRONG. After several hours of reseting the IP address on each computer, and several calls to Charter (my ISP), I called Motorola. The Motorola SurfBoard modem is a throughput device, that assigns only one IP and the Linksys switch is not a smart/managed type that can assign individual IP addresses. So I have a new router on its way from Amazon, which should solve the problem, once I place the router immediately after the modem but before the switch! The router will then assign an unique IP address to my four computers and Blu-Ray player. Perhaps this is common knowledge, but the technical support staff at Charter were not aware of this. So just an FYI.

maybe i didnt read the description well,but i recevived something different from the picture, but it works, it's all what matters, but the picture must be updated, because it looks nicer than the picture.

very good workgroup switch it seems it imporved my connection a lot better and took a HUGE load off my router its self what used to take 10 seconds to load a webpage only takes like 3 seconds now i think it imporved my connection to the PSN on ps3 witch my games never did LAG before using this but it has imporved the connection status & PS3 connection overall this is PREFECT plus the bandwidth is 10/100% BETTER then using the standard modem & router a must buy for those looking to improve a lot on there connection & bandwidth i,m most impressed with this product now its time to switch my NETGREAR router out with a LINKSYS wireless or wired....
VERY GOOD 1/5




UPDATE using this product after 2 months it keeps saying there was a connection problem and i re-done my connection straight into my router without the switch and my connection is all good humm well thats not good for this switch and the name on the product LINKSYS i thought that linksys was a good product but as i'v seen with this switch i don't think i'll be getting a LINKSYS router...

I bought this switch when my home network started to grow and was not able to accommodate all the new devices that I was adding to it. Several of those devices do have wireless capabilities, but I felt much better with having them directly connected to the ethernet through the old-fashioned wired way. This is both for security reasons as well as for the sake of reliability the speed of connection. A full additional router for that purpose would be unnecessary and much of an overkill, and this switch seemed like a perfect solution. When I got it I was at first surprised with how small it was - it is hardly larger than a deck of cards. The small size belies its performance, since it worked perfectly and impeccably form the very moment I had it set up. I have been using it for about half a year now, and have not had any performance or other issues with it. Its small size is a bonus since it doesn't add to the electronic clutter at home. The front lights give you an indication of the working status of several network features. Overall, I have been extremely satisfied with it and for the price there is probably no better switch on the market right now.

As others have mentioned, these units seem to fail at an exordinary rate. It would seem that Linksys 5-port switches are affected, though there may be others. I've personally seen one completely fail and another three with issues. Of the three, the common theme was high packet loss. I finally replaced the two I owned with a Linksys/Cisco SRW244G4 managed switch. My network performance & stability improved significantly. Plus the 4 gigabit port were an added bonus. Personally, I'd avoid buying any of the consumer-grade switches Linksys sells. Go with Netgear, DLink, etc. If you're looking for a business-grade managed switch, the Linksys/Cisco ones seem well built and trouble-free.

If you already bought one of Linksys's 5-port switches and it currently works fine, keep it cool! Setup a fan if need be. They seems to throw a lot of heat and my guess is there not very tolerant of high temperatures (or moderate ones over long periods).

Was adding a network printer and needed more connectivity. Prior experience with Linksys gear influenced the decision. The switch is compact and does all that was expected.

Like many others have said, "it only lasted until it got hot", and it got hot in just a few hours.

Maybe if you have this router outside of your igloo will it work for you.

I guess I should be looking for a router with a fan.

This switch works greatly well. Note that the image showed is an old product. The product is black, smallest (11 cm x 3 cm)and modern. I really recommend this product of Cisco.

Great switch and works.

I have only minimal knowledge about networks. All I wanted was my Tivo box to connect to my computer upstairs via a network cable, with an extra port provided by the switch downstairs for a computer to act as a media center to control stored tv programs and movies. I briefly read the manual online (to see which outlet was the upstream outlet), plugged in the cables, and the box worked without any need to reboot the Tivo, or alter any setting on the modem, router, or switch.

Network has been stable since setting it up, and problem free.

Network is comprised of Linksys/Cisco broadband router, a Linksys/Cisco wireless hub which is connected to the switch via a cable since the wireless link would not stay stable to permit a whole program to transfer via Tivo Desktop.

Just an FYI, i just bought one of these from Amazon and it has an all black housing, instead of blue and black as shown in pic. I just bought this for to enable my Tivo box to contact and update through the internet whenever it pleases. Works wonderfully. Thx

This was plug and play. It arrived quickly, I hooked up 3 systems to it, plugged into into the LAN, and I was connected. I'll buy another one the next time I have the same need.

Please note that the actual product looks totally different than the one shown on the product page.

I dont have any problems so far with the switch, it worked right out of the box with no software setup required.

This was the perfect product for what I needed. It arrived in excellent condition and works like a trooper.

Worked Great with my two Vista Computers. I had a rough time finally getting it to work with my XP Laptop.

The only thing I can say about this product is that I ordered it and gave the box to a coworker who ran out of ethernet ports in the wall. (Needed to plug in 3 devices and only had two wall ports). About 5 minutes later he came back and said it works. Exactly what I wanted to hear. Plug in and use.

The "Linksys EZXS55W EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch" is a fairly simple device that allows for the easy expansion of your existing network.

This switch connects to your router and gives you an extra 5-ports to connect other devices to the network. The devices can all have different duplex/speed settings and they will work fine.

This switch is very inexpensive, costing about the same as a simple hub. It was simple to set up, taking less than 10 minutes, and has never given me any problems.

Highly Recommended!

I've used this product for years and continue to do so. The brand is reliable and it does what it's supposed to. It's not much more than a generic brand switch and I find it very reliable. I use it personally and for my clients.

In our house's home network, Internet service from Comcast goes to a modem then to a router with four outgoing slots -- one to each of four computers by CAT-5 cables. The wires snake through the house and give us fast Internet service.

After a few months, my family's wired home network was experiencing growing pains -- the kids' X-Box needed an additional feed from the Internet to play an interactive wargame; sometimes my wife would want to switch locations for a computer. So we had been physically switching cables around -- once we made a mistake and disabled the entire setup -- and this cost me a day of phoning Comcast and trying to re-set the modem until I finally realized what had happened. Further, I was worried that the constant switching would break one of the plastic connectors since they're not suitable for constant unplugging.

I was ABOUT to buy a second router which would have been a mistake but I READ THROUGH THESE HELPFUL AMAZON REVIEWS (thank you reviewers!) about routers & switches and I got the general sense that all I needed was this Ethernet switch. The alternative would have been to replace my four-outlet router with a much bigger 8-slot router (more expensive). The manufacturer's descriptions on the Internet about how to rig up a home network were surprisingly sparse -- so I didn't know what would work with what. I had figured I would have one router feed into another but I do think this would have worked.

So, I bought this switch. It works. There is little documentation in the box but it is simple to figure out where the wires go. The cost was reasonable. Sometimes (and I don't know why) one of the lines is a little slow -- with 10 seconds elapsing before a response from the Internet. But I don't know whether this is the switch's fault or Comcast's. Still, overall, I'm a happy camper.

Thomas W. Sulcer
author of "Common Sense II: How to Prevent the Three Types of Terrorism" (Amazon/Kindle)

works good for hooking up extra computer or gaming console, I am happy with it, arrived quick.

I plugged in my workgroup switch, and then plugged in my PS-3, my Dell gaming computer, and my Dell laptop and everything worked just right. Hard to improve on this thing for trouble free installation and operation, and the previous reviews were what guided me to select it.

I bought this for use in a dorm room, where I needed to turn one port into multiple ones (For PC, Xbox 360, etc). This switch works great. I plugged it in and it worked right away. I have recommended this product to several friends.

I bought this product as a gift for my nephew who wanted to run an xbox 360 and a computer in his bedroom. He installed it in a matter of seconds and was on xbox live within a few minutes......works great.

Shame on Amazon and Linksys for listing this piece of garbage under routers. All I wanted was something that would get my Xbox 360 online, something simple since I don't know much about networking, but that's impossible if my computer is on. So I've wasted $25 on a worthless product and still need a REAL router. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT FOR XBOX. It should make a great doorstop, though...

this was a quick, easy way to give me the extra slots on my network I needed. It was as easy as plugging it in and connecting to the existing router, and then hooking up whatever devices I needed to add to it. Works great!

My cable/internet provider (AT&T) supplies a wireless 4 port router. I needed additional direct connections, so I bought this switch. I plugged it into the router and moved a couple of my direct connected items to the switch. Problem solved... no hassles, no configuration, no problems.

I gave this switch one star only because zero stars or a negative star rating was not possible. The switch is dirt cheap for a reason, they are garbage. I have two of these exact switches they both died within a year. Linksys used to create really good long lasting products. Now everything Linksys makes seems to be junk that works for a few months then dies.

Customer Care is non-existant. The labels showing the model numbers and other supporting information are so small you need an electron microscope to see the print. Not that it matters much because, any so called tech support is totally worthless. This switch is just a ripe stinker. You would pay too much in heartache, headache and aggrivation if Linksys gave this trash away for free, yes it really is THAT BAD!

Linksys Products are like tissue paper, in that they last about the same amount of time after proper use. Please do not waste your hard earned money on this garbage. If you buy this linksys switch then you have only yourself to blame when you sit writing about all its flaws and support nightmares.

Mine is the typical story here. I needed more network ports than my existing Linksys WRT54G wireless router had. I simply took this switch out of the box, plugged it in, hooked one end of a network cable in to the router and the other in to the uplink port of the switch and I was off an running. I really like the size which is about half is big as my router. The status indicator lights on the front are great too; some other brands put these lights on the back. What's not to like?

Love it!!! Me and my family had to share the ethernet cord to have internet! Im like I GOTTA DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS! So we asked our internet provider and...he's like theres no other way to connect multi computers together without wireless! AND I SAID NO I must find a way! and so i did! WOOOOOO THANK YOU Linksys! But yea everythin works smooth and nice we have been sharing internet for like 3-4 months now and its GREAT! so wana share computer internet or Net gaming?? THEN BUY THIS!

Quick and easy set up. Unit connected flawlessly to my Linksys router. Now all my wired components are actively connected to my now wired and wireless home network.

This was supposed to be a switch because sometimes I use the computer and othertimes my PS3. Everytime you want to use it you have to unplug the cable modem because it cant see the connection. What's the point of this switch, if it forgets constantly that you have a connection. Kinda dumb idea for a product.

I bought this router to split the connection in my room so I could connect to my XBOX and my computer at once, and its working perfectly so far.

This product performs as described. I have no complaints. I bought it to use multiple computers from my internet connection using wired connections. So far it's worked flawlessly.

I combined this switch with the Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter to extend my wireless network to wired devices located in a room other than the one that contains my router. This switch gives me extra ports to connect my Slingbox, Ooma, Blu-Ray player, and television to my home network/internet. Since the device is so simple, there's very little that can go wrong with it.

Potential buyers should consider how many devices they want to connect, and then add one or two ports for future devices. Six months ago, I never would have expected to need one Ethernet port, let alone four, in my family room; with changes in technology, you may need to upgrade to a larger workgroup switch sooner than you expect. If you are only worried about Blu-Ray and one or two game consoles, then this switch should be adequate both now and in the near future.

Products that can be connected to this switch:
ooma Core VoIP Phone System with No Monthly Phone Service Bills
Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB300-100
PlayStation 3 80GB
Samsung BD-P1500 1080p Blu-ray Player
Sony Bravia W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

And many more.

-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann

I bought this little switch because my home network has expended a bit recently. I had been using 4 port netgear wireless router to hook up everything and had already ran a wire to the basement of my house for the Xbox 360. When I added another computer in the basement I needed to be able to run an ethernet cable to it but didn't want to run another cable to the basement. I bought this and hooked up the computer and the 360. I can use both at the same time and it doesn't effect the rest of my network upstairs. I still can connect the 360 as a media center extender and stream music from any of my connected computers. In summary this switch works exactly like I expected.

I bought this switch jsut so i could have my Xbox and computer hooked up at the same time, and it has done wonderful. It was easy to hook up, just plug in and go. For just this simple application, this was an excellent purchase.

I've used both d-link and linksys switches.
They both fail after a time. The d-link
seems to be a faster switch. I keep thinking
Cisco would have would host the premier
product. Oh well

I used these products to complete a network of computers where I had 24 computers with only 19 outlets. It let me conect all 24 and network a printer as well. THANK YOU!

This is a very useful product for those people who have more devices than they do network jacks. It works, and it's inexpensive. As more and more network-capable consumer electronic products come out, the greater the need will be for devices like these.

I am currently using this product to share a single network jack between a Windows PC and a MacIntosh Pro. Speed is much more than sufficient. Your internet connection speed will be the bottleneck in most cases, not your home network.

One thing to keep in mind though is that not all devices will work if you have this switch between the device and your office network's switch/hub. I could not get the IP telephone at work to function through this switch. However, the computers have no trouble under the same conditions. I confess that I am not knowledgeable when it comes to IP phones though.

This is a very handy device. I highly recommend it.

Good product and small enough to fit anywhere, not much to go wrong with a switch and nothing on this one has.

Bought as a replacement for a Linksys switch that had served well for over 5 years. Hopefully, this one will be as reliable.

With this device I can connect my pc and xbox 360 at the same time. I was able to purchase this for less than $20 dollars. The speed on gaming is better then with my previous device. All-in-all, one of the better investments I've made!

Do not even think you can use this as a router. The description alludes that it can be used as one, but it is not. Waste of money and time.

Its realy small and convenient to hook it up it show a dramatic speed up in uploads and downloads when you have more than 1 pc or laptop at home network
i hooked up my voip ph laptop steaming pc home pc it work realy fast i have the eth cable running more than 200ft from a single linksys ezxs55w i recomend this product to all and the price you will never get a better deal...........!

This Linksys switch is a basic network device that is used in home networks and large companies. It does what it is designed to do, and does it well. There is no configuration, and no set up, just plug and play. I own several of these, and I have never had to touch it after installing it onto my network.

There is a basic switch; there is no port filtering, no protocol filtering, and no interference. Some higher end switches come with those features, but in the end they just end up slowing the network down unless they are higher end. Anyone that requires those features should not consider this switch, or any device in this price range. It will just slow your network down, go with an enterprise solution from HP, Cisco or similar.

For 99% of the home and small business users looking to buy this, I recommend it highly. IT professionals, or network managers I would look at either a gigabit switch, or something more advanced. On larger networks, with 200+ users, if you install ten of these it will increase latency, and decrease the speed of your network. I am an IT manager and these are great for small singular uses, but do not build or manage your networks with these types of devices. You are asking for trouble down the line.

Back to 99% of users, this device is perfect for you. I feel obligated to share my more technical advice for the people in my profession that may purchase this switch.

This is a great switch... and for Xbox Live... Very easy to setup just plug your modem into the switch and the rest of your computers and power it on.. and it works.. But I have had some people think that this will imporve your internet speed no it does not it shares your internet speed. but it does help by retransmitting packts and helps performance. Like for example this thing is great with Xbox Live becuase maybe it is laging what this switch does is improve that lag sure it still might be slow but it helps it be less noticable.. AT LEAST FOR ME IT HAS.. So try it out it works great and it is not that much $$$ Linksys EZXS55W EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch

I already had one of these behind a Netgear router and recently added a second to accommodate some gaming systems and a new PC. The older switch is over a year old and has held up wonderfully with moves, a few drops on the floor, and signal drops from the cable modem in front of everything. No issues, great product and I would definitely recommend, all at a great low price too!