A switch is a hub that isolates other machines on the network from each other's network data traffic. What a switch adds is that the only network traffic sent out each port on a switch is data that is addressed directly to the machine connected to that port or else is being broadcast to everyone. The only advantage to a switch is your PC will not be interrupted to look at data sent to other machines on your local network and there will be less retransmission because of collisions on the network. Your non-switch connected PC would look at every packet on the network and throw away the packets not addressed to it, but this takes up processing time on your PC.
If only one computer is running on the local network at a time, there will be no benefit at all to the having the switch.
Many routers at the consumer level are also switches. Since switching routers are often about the same price as non switching routers, you may as well get the switching router instead of the router without the switch.
If only one computer is running on the local network at a time, there will be no benefit at all to the having the switch.
Many routers at the consumer level are also switches. Since switching routers are often about the same price as non switching routers, you may as well get the switching router instead of the router without the switch.
