Estimated read time is 5 minutes.
The quick answer
It is cleaner from the front viewing angle. It requires fewer parts and overall rack space (1U vs 2U minimum).
Intro
Whether you’re just connecting a few things up your router or you’re a seasoned Ubiquiti Chad, there are options out there for us regarding network switches featuring rear ports that even a data center technician agreed with on a Facebook post I regret not snipping for you as evidence.
This article is not tied directly to two models of switches, and can be used in general with the understanding that many switches exist that are very similar from many different brands.
Why I Bought the TP–LINK ES208g
I realized I needed a switch. I had multiple PCs we’ll call “nodes” without Wi-Fi cards. An ethernet cable from my router to my switch then each node connected to the switch was a working pair
The 1 gigabit speed ended up being plenty for me, and still is – as I’m not a Ubiquity bro yet. Anyways, upon stacking my gear with this TPlink switch, things became a little squirrelly.
- All node ethernet ports were on the back of rack, forcing me to run longer ethernet cables to reach the front of switch.
- End result was unsightly, switch situated backwards to avoid longer than necessary cables, link LEDs were no longer visible,
- all in all, not a setup I was happy with
I ended up turning the entire switch backwards to eliminate this because my cables were short. I had purchased this 5-pack of 1-foot copper cables on Amazon.
Research led me to a keystone patch panel. This is a blank panel where you take very short leads of ethernet from the front of switch, and connect to the front of the patch panel. Then on the backside of the keystone panel (inside the server case) you take a separate lead and connect that to the ethernet port on your node(s).
The Big Dilemma
A front port switch + Keystone switch = 2U rack space minimum, plus approximately double the amount of additional parts and cables. See model below:
Don’t get me wrong, the above setup can look cool. The short jumpers become the exhaust manifolds of your energy hungry technical project where if it were the 1950’s, would actually be a v8 muscle car and actual exhaust manifolds. This was also when the actual clouds were where our important data was stored.
Twice the space, twice the parts, twice the opportunity of failure; not necessarily required to function either. I didn’t want to buy new parts or 3d print them, figure out all those custom cable lengths and spend another $35 on cables and connectors. I ended up finding a simpler efficient solution. Bring in the forgotten all-star to us in the home lab world.
The Rear Facing Port Switch
Modeled below:
It is much less complicated and achieving the same objective. I found a commonly available device: Make = Cisco and Model = SG200-08. It was designed for small businesses. Perfect as I want my setup to be as “enterprise grade” without spending a ton. The standard SG200-08 can be powered through PoE on port 1, but it does not supply PoE to connected equipment. The larger SG200-08P version can provide PoE through four ports. I bought it on eBay for about $30. eBay is probably the best place to find these in this modern day. As for newer models with rear facing ports, they’re available and your best bet is online as for some reason they’re much less common than a front port models in stores.
My advice home lab builders is to get a rear port facing switch first for the following reasons:
- 50% Less rack space. Especially if you don’t have a rack, this will look much neater hiding all the ports and connections in the rear. You still get LED connection indicators on the front so it remains interesting to look at.
- Less chance of a wire being unplugged or snagged on something
- Cleaner front facing appearance
- Form factor is roughly equivalent to comparable front facing port switch of same port count
- No need for several more cables, parts, or keystone panel
Why Not to Choose A Rear Port Switch
- Difficult access when working on network, i.e., plugs are in the back and not always accessible
- Only an issue in a very large rack butted up against the wall. Most home labs are smaller and can easily be moved for rear access
- Potentially unaware these switches exist or unable to find one in retail environment
Here is my current home lab setup.
More detail of my home server coming soon, but in short it is 4 compute nodes running Proxmox OS. What I find most exciting now is firing up all nodes on BOINC, hearing them warm up and fans on high as they work hard for science. Web hosting and design, home network ad blocking, and self hosted cloud storage have been a real treat to learn about too.
Related reading: My original TP-Link ES208G home-lab article