I plugged only the 2 10/100Mbps network cards that were included with the kit and made sure that both were set to 100Mbps and full duplex (the LED's on the front of the switch helps in this situation). Transfering a 200 MB ZIP file that I created out of a bunch of files took about 3 mins, compared to the previous 5 mins that my old 10Base2 network achieved. This score, unfortunately, was not even close to the 10X theoretical performance gain that I had wanted, but it did give a significant performance gain. This small performance difference is, however, commonly experienced between any 10Mbps and 100Mbps networks, regardless of who makes the hardware, so it's not just this Linksys kit that doesn't perform up to its specs.

Some factors might have caused the difference between 10Mbps and 100Mbps to be so small. First, I used file and print sharing through Network Neighbourhood in Windows 98 for testing the transfer speed on all computers. I know for a fact that file and print sharing isn't the most efficient form of protocol for networking, so that could have slowed down the overall data transfer through the 100Mbps network. If I used test machines with Linux or some form of UNIX installed instead of Windows 98, I should expect better results using the 100Mbps network. The 10Mbps network wouldn't have been so much affected by this because it (as in, the hardware itself) is the actual bottleneck for transfer, not the operating system.

I was, unfortunately, unable to obtain a 10/100Mbps hub in time for this review for comparison to the performance of the switch. I did, however, notice that no matter how big of a load I put on it through 2 computers, I never experienced any slowdowns when using the network through the other 2 computers on the network.

Conclusion
As I said before, with the increasing number of households who have more than one computer and with offices who are finding that their original network set ups are bottlenecks for their work habits, people are turning to not only just any networking solution, but to a faster and more convenient solution. The Linksys Switched 10/100 Network in a Box is a fine example of a speedy networking solution for home, office or performance-freak house. It sure has the "fast" part covered, but, unfortunately, it can't cover the convenient part.

Sure, the installation part was extremely easy and effortless, but the fact that it's uses a traditional form of networking means that you'll have to worry about towing cables around the house, which usually doesn't go too well with mothers. That's not to say that having the traditional type of network is bad, as I'd rather have more speed than have the extra convenience of not having to drill some minor holes behind my bed that nobody will ever notice.

With an estimated retail price of only $99 USD, and only $10 more than the regular Linksys Network in a Box that includes a hub instead of a much more efficient switch, the Linksys Switched 10/100 Network in a Box has value written all over it! With its uniquely designed switch, to the 2 high-quality 10/100Mbps network cards that support Wake on LAN, to the included software bundle of SyGate and Descent 3, this kit packs a lot of punch. After using it for the past few weeks, I don't think I will ever be able to go back to my 10Base2 network, especially now that I have spent a fair amount of dough on cables and accessories to help expand my network that I can proudly say, is based on a switch instead of a hub.

Pros

• Only $10 more than its hub counterpart
• Includes everything that you'll need to set up a 2 computer network, with room to expand
• Very easy to set up
• Impressive software package, loads of manuals
• Great performance compared to 10Mbps network

Cons

• Not quite 10X the speed of a 10Mbps network
• Cables can be short for some people; extra hidden cost

Note: The score of 9.5 for this product is the highest that we've ever given to any product that we've reviewed until now. Congrats to Linksys for an excellent product!