If you have run out of Ethernet ports on your router and need more, an unmanaged gigabit switch is the simplest and cheapest solution. You plug one port into your router, connect your devices to the remaining ports, and the network expands instantly — no login, no configuration, no ongoing maintenance.
Unmanaged switches are the default choice for home networks because they are inexpensive, completely silent in most cases, and designed to operate for years without intervention. The five picks below cover every common home scenario from a small desk setup to a full house wiring closet.
Top 5 Unmanaged Switches for Home
| Pick | Ports | Speed | Fanless | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP-Link TL-SG108 | 8 | Gigabit | Yes | ~$20 |
| Netgear GS308 | 8 | Gigabit | Yes | ~$25 |
| TP-Link TL-SG105 | 5 | Gigabit | Yes | ~$15 |
| Netgear GS305 | 5 | Gigabit | Yes | ~$20 |
| TP-Link TL-SG116 | 16 | Gigabit | Yes | ~$35 |
Our Picks in Detail
- 8-port gigabit unmanaged switch, fanless, metal body, around $20
- Speed overhead: Gigabit
- 8-port gigabit unmanaged switch from a trusted networking brand, around $25
- Speed overhead: Gigabit
- 5-port gigabit unmanaged switch, fanless and compact, ideal for desks and TV areas, around $15
- Speed overhead: Gigabit
- 5-port gigabit unmanaged switch, simple plug-and-play expansion, around $20
- Speed overhead: Gigabit
- 16-port gigabit unmanaged switch for homes with many wired devices, around $35
- Speed overhead: Gigabit
Managed vs Unmanaged Switch — What the Difference Means
A managed switch has a configuration interface — accessed via web browser or command line — that lets you create VLANs, monitor port traffic, configure link aggregation, and control which devices can communicate with each other. These features matter in enterprise environments, homelabs, and security-focused home setups.
An unmanaged switch does none of that. It is a pure Layer 2 forwarder: every device plugged in can communicate with every other device, and the switch automatically learns which MAC addresses are on which ports to forward traffic efficiently. For most homes, this is exactly what is needed.
The tradeoff is simplicity for control. If you want to isolate IoT devices on a separate VLAN, or create a dedicated network for a security camera system, you need either a managed switch or a router that supports VLANs on its own ports. For everything else — wiring TVs, consoles, printers, and desktop PCs — unmanaged is simpler and cheaper.
5-Port vs 8-Port vs 16-Port for Home Use
The right port count depends on where you are placing the switch and how many devices you are connecting.
A 5-port switch is ideal behind a TV (TV, game console, streaming box, and one spare), on a desk (laptop dock, desktop, printer, VoIP phone), or anywhere space is tight. The TP-Link TL-SG105 at around $15 is hard to beat for this use case.
An 8-port switch is the most versatile home choice. It fits in a media cabinet or wiring closet and can handle a router uplink plus seven devices — enough for most rooms or a small home network. The TP-Link TL-SG108 is consistently the most recommended home switch at around $20.
A 16-port switch makes sense in a structured wiring panel serving an entire house, or a homelab where multiple servers, NAS units, and access points all need wired connections. The TL-SG116 at $35 covers this without needing rack hardware.
One port is always used for the uplink to your router, so a nominally "8-port" switch gives you 7 usable device ports, and a 16-port gives you 15.
Fanless Design — Why It Matters for Home Installations
All five switches in this guide are fanless, meaning they generate no noise. This matters in living rooms, bedrooms, and home offices where a buzzing fan would be annoying. Fanless switches use passive heat dissipation — the metal housing draws heat away from the components without moving air.
The tradeoff is that fanless switches run slightly warmer. Ensure there is at least a few centimeters of clearance around the switch and do not stack equipment directly on top of it. In normal home installations — a shelf, a media cabinet, or a wiring closet — passive cooling is completely adequate for a gigabit switch with no high-power ports.
If you are considering a PoE switch to power cameras or access points, some PoE models do include fans because of the additional heat generated by power delivery. The switches in this guide are standard unmanaged switches without PoE.
Where to Place a Switch in Your Home Network
The switch connects between your router and your wired devices. The typical home network has the modem feeding the router, and the router's LAN port feeding the switch. The switch then distributes wired connections to multiple devices in the same room or across the house.
For a single room, place the switch wherever it can reach your devices with short patch cables — behind a TV, under a desk, or on a shelf. For whole-home wiring, place the switch in a central wiring closet or panel where all the runs terminate.
Do not place a switch in a sealed enclosure with no airflow. Even a fanless switch generates some heat and needs passive air circulation. A vented shelf or rack is ideal; a sealed box is not.
Daisy-Chaining Switches
You can connect one switch to another to extend your network. For example, a main 8-port switch in the living room can feed a 5-port switch in a bedroom via a long Ethernet run. Each switch uses one port for the uplink to the previous switch, so a 5-port bedroom switch gives you 4 usable ports.
Daisy-chaining unmanaged switches works fine for home use. The main risk to avoid is creating a network loop — do not connect two ports of the same switch to each other, and do not create a ring topology where switches connect back to the start. Loops cause broadcast storms that can bring down your entire network. As long as the topology is a simple tree (each switch connects to exactly one upstream switch), you are fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a switch slow down my network?
No. An unmanaged gigabit switch does not slow down your network. It operates at wire speed and simply extends your available ports. If your internet plan is under 1 Gbps, you will not notice any performance difference.
Do I need a managed switch for home use?
Most homes do not need a managed switch. Managed switches add VLANs, traffic monitoring, and port controls that are useful in offices and homelabs but are unnecessary for simple home port expansion. An unmanaged switch is simpler, cheaper, and more reliable for typical home setups.
Can I connect a switch to a switch?
Yes. Daisy-chaining switches is perfectly normal in home networks. Connect one port of the second switch to a port on the first switch using a standard Ethernet cable. No special configuration is needed. Just avoid creating loops, which can cause broadcast storms and network outages.