Keeping things separate without VLANs.

Call it NAC (Cisco’s Network Admission Control) or, well, NAC (network access control), or even NAP (Microsoft’s Network Access Protection). Any way you refer to it, these schemes for shutting out ...

I regret ignoring my switch's loop detection provisions for years ...

A network device that cross-connects clients, servers and network devices. Also known as a "frame switch," stand-alone LAN switches are common in Ethernet networks. A switch with four or more ports is ...

For small businesses that need to connect a large number of nearby computers to the Internet, setting up a local wired network may be a cheaper solution than installing wireless routers and access ...

In the home or office, the Ethernet switch functions as a central station connecting computers, printers and every other wired device to each other. The switch is also wired to the router and modem to ...

If your home network still runs through a Gigabit switch, that switch is the bottleneck between your router and everything ...

Ethernet switch vendors such as 3Com, Force10, Cisco, Extreme, Foundry and HP ProCurve constantly tussle with claims of the highest performance, density and latency. But keep in mind that what’s ...

Marguerite Reardon started as a CNET News reporter in 2004, covering cellphone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate and the consolidation of the phone companies. Cisco ...

If you’re an avid Nintendo Switch player, a quality LAN adapter can guarantee a smoother and faster internet connection throughout your gaming experience. If your regular Wi-Fi can’t quite keep up ...

This isn’t a trick question, but one with a lot of tricky answers depending on how you define “big” and “fast.” Ethernet switch vendors such as 3Com Corp., Force10 Networks Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., ...