How to Install Internet Unmanaged Switches

by Steve McDonnell Google

Unmanaged switches provide network connections and route network traffic among computers on your company's local area network. A switch initially broadcasts data it receives to all connected computers, learns their addresses as they accept data and intelligently routes subsequent data to the correct computer. Installing an unmanaged switch involves connecting the devices to the switch and connecting the switch to a power supply. When installing multiple switches, they must be connected using the uplink port on the switch supplying the network connection if a separate uplink port exists.

Choose a location for the switch that has a plug for power and is physically close to the devices that will connect to it. Plug in the switch and confirm that the power indicator light is illuminated.

Count the number of ports you have on the switch and compare it to the number of ports the switch supports to determine if you have a separate uplink port. For example, if you have an eight-port switch with nine Ethernet ports you have a separate uplink port.

Hold the switch so that you are directly viewing the Ethernet ports. Connect an Ethernet cable with a connection to the network to the first port on the left. Check the light associated with that port to ensure it illuminates after you connect the cable.

Connect an Ethernet cable from each device that will share the network connection to an open port on the switch. Verify that the light associated with the port is lit after you connect the device. Leave one open port on the right if you do not have an uplink port and leave two open ports on the right if you have an uplink port.

Insert an Ethernet cable into the last open port on the right, which will leave the second-to-last port open on a switch with an uplink port. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the first open port on the left of the next switch if you are daisy-chaining switches.

Repeat the process for each switch you install. Test each device connected to a switch to confirm it has network access.

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