| When you are taking advantage of the modern | | | | temporary cause a delay in the video packets, which |
| technology in your home, you probably have a media | | | | caused the glitch in your HDTV image. |
| center computer or an Xbox, a Blue Ray player to | | | | How can you remedy that? Simply by purchasing a |
| play games and watch High Definition TV, and you | | | | managed switch for your home network and making |
| probably use VoIP telephone lines. Likely, you have | | | | sure that your Xbox or Media Center computer is |
| upgraded to a gigabit network switch and cables to | | | | assigned the maximum priority when it comes to |
| accommodate your video streaming needs. However, | | | | switching the network information packets. Instead of |
| you likely do not have a managed network switch. If | | | | treating all information packets the same, the video |
| so, you are reading the right article as an introduction | | | | packets will receive higher priority and will not be |
| to managed networking. You will find here two main | | | | delayed sufficiently to cause glitches in your HDTV |
| reasons why your home network needs to upgrade | | | | image. |
| the unmanaged switch and why a managed switch | | | | Pause-free and disconnect-free VoIP phone |
| purchase for your home network makes sense. The | | | | conversations |
| reasons are: Better, glitch-free streaming of high | | | | VoIP is a great way to use the modern technology to |
| definition videos, and smoother, and lag-free VoIP | | | | reduce your home phone bill. And the modern home |
| telephone conversations. Let's see how purchasing a | | | | network definitely have sufficient bandwidth to |
| managed switch, sometimes termed a smart switch, | | | | accommodate the bandwidth needed to carry on a |
| can help. | | | | phone conversation! However, the bandwidth alone is |
| Glitch-free streaming of high def videos | | | | not sufficient. When talking on the phone, long delays |
| When you are streaming videos from your media | | | | can be difficult to handle. And we surely do not like |
| center over the home network, this makes perfect | | | | dropped conversations! These phone line quality issues |
| sense. You only download the video once, store it on | | | | can be a consequence of the other activity that is |
| your media center and you have it there, always | | | | taking place on our home network. So whenever we |
| ready. And since you have a high speed network, with | | | | are using VoIP, we need to assure that not only we |
| gigabit throughput, your network can handle such high | | | | have the bandwidth, but also that we have the |
| bandwidth streams. But is that enough? For the most | | | | sufficient priority of the network packets assigned to |
| part, yes. But what about those occasional glitches you | | | | our VoIP line to get rid of any VoIP delay and dropped |
| come across from time to time. You begin to wonder | | | | calls. Both the bandwidth and the priority of VoIP |
| why they occur. The reason could well be that some | | | | packets can be managed through a simple web |
| other operation on the network was requiring the | | | | interface when you replace a regular network switch |
| attention of the network switch, and the other | | | | and purchase a managed switch for your home. |
| operation got sufficient attention from the switch to | | | | |