It’s always a bit of a leap when spending money on large, or expensive items. From the TP-Link 5 Port TL-SF1005D Ethernet Switch, is it possible to achieve a setup that is better than stock? Or, would it just be a poor man’s option to a better solution?

Our tester’s experiences: After our TP-Link 5 Port TL-SF1005D Ethernet Switch review concluded, we found that the device was performing in a way that we weren’t happy with. It was becoming a common complaint that we received, that we would recommend upgrading. This time around, we decided to go for a new device, and the TL-SF1005D was a candidate.

Those who have read our previous reviews will have seen that we almost always recommend the same device, over and over again. We’ll explain why below, but suffice to say that the TL-SF1005D has become a common recommendation to our readers. Using the 5 port TL-SF1005D to connect our devices to the network, would be a simple, reliable solution to address common connectivity issues.

Three of our testers have decided to give the TL-SF1005D a go. We’ve conducted all of our testing on our wired network, to see how the device would perform without any limitations.

Here’s how it performed:

The TL-SF1005D performed faster and more reliably than our TL-SF1004D, which is the device that we replaced our two TL-SF1004D devices with. When the device initially turned on, it was a frustrating process, as the lights would spin for several minutes before any network activity was detected. It made it difficult to see any connectivity, and the lights would be illuminating randomly. The issue was fixed with a software update that the device received. We found that it was still a bit slower, and we would occasionally lose our Internet connection and have to re-connect.

However, both our testers and the tech from TP-Link were able to remedy the issue, and we’re happy to report that both of these issues are addressed with the new hardware. We highly recommend these devices as they both perform reliably, and if you’re looking for a simple solution for a router or multiple switches, then the TL-SF1005D would be a good choice.