Hardware ReviewsAllied Telesyn 8-port Fast Ethernet Switch (AT-FS708) Allied Telesyn is a network equipment company well known to network professionals. Just check out their home page and you'll find that the company promotes its 24-port routers and Layer 3 switches. But, in fact, the company has a nice range of networking devices that can meet the needs, and fit the budget, of a home network. This 8-port switch would make a fine addition to any home network that has more than a few devices. You may think that doesn't apply to you, but trust us, once you start your home network, you may find it easy to fill up a 5-port device and begin looking for a switch like this with 8 ports. You can buy the switch, model AT-FS708, directly from Allied Telesyn on their web site for $106 + shipping and we found it for as little as $97 + shipping using pricewatch.com. Overall, we found the AT-FS708 to be an extremely well-built and solid-performing switch. Although the performance didn't quite match our Editor's Choice (the Netgear FS-308), the Allied Telesyn switch sells for about $50 less. Whether the speed is worth the trade off is up to you and your wallet. Overview
This Allied Telesyn switch comes in a shoebox-sized carton. Inside, you'll find the switch, a power cord (this version of the switch has an internal power supply, which we prefer, but you can also buy it with an external power brick for about $20 less), brackets to mount the switch in a rack, rubber feet, and a nice 25-page manual. The manual provides basic and technical information on the switch and a short troubleshooting section. The switch itself has a look and layout typical of 8-port switches. The metal front panel has an extensive set of LEDs. At the top left is a single LED to indicate when the switch is powered on. The first row of 8 LEDs glows to show when that port is linked via a cable with an active network card in a computer. These LEDs also blink to indicate when data is being sent or received via that port. The second row of LEDs indicate whether the connection is at Ethernet (10Mbps) speed (LED is off) or Fast Ethernet (100Mbps) speed (LED glows green). The bottom row of LEDs light when the connection is full duplex. As we've suggested before, we would have liked a row of lights to indicate collisions on the ports, but they're not essential. Also on the front panel are 9 ports, including the 8 ports for connecting computers, printers and other devices and a 9th port for "uplinking" to other switches, hubs or routers. The 8th or 9th port can not be used at the same time. Installation As with most switches, installation was a cinch. We plugged in the power cord and connected Category 5 cables from our network computers into the ports on the front of the switch. Keep in mind that you can connect and disconnect cables from a hub or switch while it is powered on, but you should not remove cables from a powered-on computer. Performance As usual, we ran a number of tests to determine the performance of the AT-FS708. First, we used our standard file copy test to check performance in copying files back and forth across the network. Each of our test computers used a D-Link DFE-530TX+ network card. For this test, we copied a 60 meg file back and forth between the two. [Please note that we've switched from previously using a 30 meg file]. We used two common network protocols, TCP/IP and IPX in turn, making sure to remove the other protocols before each test. In the chart below, we show the number of seconds to complete the file copies and compare the AT-FS708 to the homePCnetwork Editor's Choice Netgear FS308 switch. Against this tough competition, the AT-FS708 fell behind by about 10% using TCP/IP, but actually bettered the higher priced switched by just the narrowest of margins under the IPX protocol. In real world use, this would probably be a dead heat in all but the most demanding applications.
In our next test, we compared the true full-bandwidth performance of the switch, again using two computers. This time, however, we copied the 60 meg file from our first test computer (we call it T866..the number refers to the CPU speed) to the second (T400) computer and, AT THE SAME TIME, copied a 30 meg file from T400 to T866. Because both computers are reading and writing, this helps test the switch's "full duplex" function. This puts significant stress on the network and the switch. We ran the same test twice and averaged the results, shown below in seconds to complete all file copying. Against the Netgear, the Allied Telesyn again fell a bit behind, but also by a narrow margin.
Finally, we ran two subjective tests on the setup. First we played an AVI movie file both directions across the test network at the same time. Using the Allied Telesyn switch, the movie's video and sound played smoothly on both computers. Second, we played a network game that requires a lot of data thrown back and forth between 3 fast machines in our test set up. Although other switches have choked on this much data, the Allied Telesyn switch handled it without a problem. Technical Support The manual included with the switch lists a range of technical support options, including phone, fax, bulletin board, e-mail and Internet. Summary Overall, the Allied Telesyn AT-FS708 is a solid switch. With a very competitive price and nearly top notch performance, this switch just misses an Editor's Choice award. We took off just a few points for the performance coming in under our top-rated Netgear switch and the lack of LEDs to show data collisions. Other than that, this switch is worthy of your consideration. Keep in mind, you may not find it at the local retail store, but a search on the Internet or pricewatch.com will help you track it down. Grade = A Details
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