D-Link DGS-108 is a clever little 8-port Ethernet switch

Kill Wi-Fi black spots

If you are setting up any home network, you may need an Ethernet Switch. The D-Link DGS-108 has a neat trick that helps prioritise Ethernet traffic without the expense of a managed switch.

The D-Link DGS-108 supports 802.1p QoS. In simple English, the eight ports have four different Quality of Service (QoS) levels so you can prioritise devices that need more bandwidth.

Long story short, but my upgrade of a media centre to handle 4K throughput met a few problems when the existing generic (read cheap) gigabit switch simply would not handle 4K streaming. I had a Media Centre PC, Sony UBP-700 Blu-ray, Sony A9G 65” OLED TV and WD MyCloud NAS all attached (Ethernet is better than Wi-Fi) to the gigabit port on the D-Link router.

But I was getting stuttering (buffering) when streaming 4k content from the internet from any of these devices.

The D-Link DGS-108 has four priority levels – and two ports at each level. QoS (Quality of Service) means four separate highways with four different speed limits.

D-Link DSGS-108

From the diagram above I put the connection to the router and the Sony TV on ports 6 and 7. Then the media PC on 5 and the MyCloud on 3. This is the best possible combination for throughput.

And the D-Link DGS-108 works beautifully.

Technically the D-Link DGS-108 switch bridges Ethernet packets at the MAC address level of the Ethernet protocol transmitting among connected Ethernet or Fast Ethernet LAN segments. Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total network ability available to users on a local area network. A switch increases capacity and decreases network loading by making it possible for a local area network to be divided into different segments that do not compete with each other for network transmission capacity, decreasing the load on each segment.

Review: D-Link DGS-108

  • An 8-port, gigabit 10/100/1000 unmanaged switch
  • Capable of 2000Mbps full-duplex (gigabit each direction)
  • 802.1p Quality of Service (QoS)
  • 802.3x Flow Control signals to clients when the switch’s input buffer is full, helping to minimise dropped packets and providing a more reliable connection for all of your connected devices
  • 802.3az Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE) turns off unused ports and adjusts power for cable length
  • DC 5V/1A plug pack
  • 162 x 102 x 28 mm x 415g
  • Website here
  • Manual here (it is a PDF so check your downloads folder)
  • Price: $79.95
  • County of manufacture: China
    D-Link Corporation is a Taiwanese multinational networking equipment manufacturing corporation headquartered in Taipei
D-Link DGS-108
D-Link DSGS-108

GadgetGuy’s take – The D-Link DGS-108 is a clever little 8-port Ethernet switch

Who would have thought that low-cost switches had so many differences? Now I know what to look for I thought readers would be interested.

You can read other D-Link reviews here.

Features
Value for money
Performance
Ease of Use
Design
Reader Rating2 Votes
A lower-cost swtich with QoS and Flow control perfect for 4K streaming
Metal case
Good support
None really
4.8