[Tfug] Switches -- and hubs!

[Bexley Hall]

Hi Tyler,

> Seems like this is all being over-analyzed, IMHO.  Cheap switches are
> abundant.  I don't think hubs are even made anymore.

The cost of the switch/hub isn't the issue.  Burning up lots of extra
electricity is!  I.e., that 20KWHr difference DOESN'T BUY YOU ANYTHING
(i.e., "Wow, your VoIP phone only uses 0.001% of your available bandwidth
instead of 0.01%").

Would you leave your toaster ON (i.e., handle forcefully held down
with NO toast in it) for 24 hours just for the hell of it?

> At the end of the day, why are you trying to IP-enable a home and  
> then worrying about a single digit difference in power utilization?

Why enable "sleep" mode on your PC?  Why buy a Prius instead of
a pickup truck?

If you do the *thinking* once, you then *know* what the "right"
answer is -- the next time someone asks.

I harvest rainwater.  I walk to the library, grocery store, etc.
Not because it is going to save me any *money* (water is cheap
and the fuel I save on a 5 mile trek to the library isn't
going to make me rich).  Rather, because it isn't hard to do and
can make a difference (if other folks weren't lazy).

> If you want IP-to-anywhere cabling, then you have to be
> prepared to run a switch.
> 
> I'd look at 16 port and be done.

You have a different set of values than I.  Horses for courses.