The MONOPRICE Gaming Setup!
**A Review of Monoprice's 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch**
As I received my package from Monoprice, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and curiosity about the contents. The first thing that caught my eye was the switch itself, which looked sleek and modern despite its relatively modest price point of $18. I had been looking for a reliable gigabit Ethernet switch to upgrade my home network, and this seemed like just what I needed.
**A Brief Description of the Product**
The Monoprice 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch is an unmanaged switch that can handle speeds of up to 1000 megabits per second. It has five ports, which may seem a bit low compared to some other switches on the market. However, I was willing to compromise on this point in order to get a good deal. The switch also features a compact design and a metal housing, which gives it a premium feel despite its relatively affordable price.
**First Impressions**
As I took the switch out of the box, I was pleased to see that it was well-packaged and included all the necessary cables and documentation. However, I couldn't help but notice that the packaging was somewhat misleading, as the product page claimed that it had eight ports. In reality, the switch only has five ports, although this may not be a major issue for many users.
**Testing the Switch**
I decided to test the switch by plugging in my computer and router, and then using it to connect some of my other devices around the house. I was pleased to see that it worked seamlessly and didn't drop any connections or cause any issues with my internet speed.
**A Word on Quality Control**
One thing that struck me about this switch is its inconsistent quality control. Some of the ports seem to be working better than others, which can be frustrating if you're relying on a particular connection for critical applications. However, I'm not sure if this is just a one-off issue or if it's a more widespread problem.
**Comparing to Amazon Basics**
As someone who values quality and reliability above all else, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by the Monoprice switch compared to Amazon Basics, which is often considered a benchmark for reliable and affordable computer components. However, I also recognize that Monoprice has carved out its own niche as a manufacturer of budget-friendly computer hardware.
**A Verdict**
Overall, I'm pleased with the performance of this Monoprice 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, even if it's not perfect. It's a great option for anyone looking to upgrade their home network without breaking the bank. However, I would caution users to be aware of the potential issues with quality control and the switch's limited port count.
**A Quick Release**
As I was testing the switch, I noticed that one of the ports had a quick-release mechanism that allowed me to easily detach it if needed. This feature is a nice touch, as it can come in handy when you need to swap out a device or troubleshoot an issue with your network.
**The Importance of Accessories**
One thing that Monoprice does particularly well is its accessories. The company offers a wide range of cables and connectors, including high-quality USB-A and USB-C cables. These are especially useful for anyone who needs to build or upgrade their own computer hardware.
**A Look at the Competition**
When it comes to network switches, there's no shortage of options on the market. Some popular alternatives include TP-Link and Netgear, which offer a range of switches with varying features and price points. However, I'm not sure if any of these brands can match Monoprice's value for money.
**A Word on DIY Phone Cases**
On the other hand, I do have to say that I was a bit surprised by the Monoprice phone case that came in my package. While it wasn't exactly what I had expected, it turned out to be a fun project that allowed me to get creative with my DIY skills.
**Vacuum-Sealing Your Phone**
One thing that I found particularly interesting was the vacuum-sealed sleeve that came with the case. This is a clever way to protect your phone from dust and dirt, and it's especially useful for users who like to take their devices on the go.
**Iris Scans**
However, my excitement about the case was short-lived, as I soon discovered that it didn't actually work with my phone's fingerprint sensor. This led me to try using my phone's iris scanner, which unfortunately didn't work either. It was a bit frustrating, but I'm not sure if this is just a one-off issue or if it's a more widespread problem.
**A Quick Fix**
Fortunately, the phone case came with a quick-release mechanism that allowed me to easily detach it and try again. This feature is a nice touch, as it can come in handy when you need to troubleshoot an issue with your phone or access the device more easily.
**Conclusion**
Overall, I'm pleased with my experience with the Monoprice 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, even if it's not perfect. It's a great option for anyone looking to upgrade their home network without breaking the bank. However, I would caution users to be aware of the potential issues with quality control and the switch's limited port count.
**A Verdict on Monoprice**
As someone who values reliability and performance above all else, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by some aspects of this switch. However, I also recognize that Monoprice has carved out its own niche as a manufacturer of budget-friendly computer hardware, and it's definitely worth considering for anyone looking to upgrade their network without breaking the bank.
**A Word on Alternatives**
When it comes to network switches, there are plenty of alternatives available on the market. Some popular options include TP-Link and Netgear, which offer a range of switches with varying features and price points. However, I'm not sure if any of these brands can match Monoprice's value for money.
**A Final Verdict**
Overall, I would recommend the Monoprice 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch to anyone looking to upgrade their home network without breaking the bank. While it may not be perfect, it's a great option that offers excellent value for money.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: entoday's video was actually inspired by one of our forum members because people like to watch stuff get thrown at you so thanks stab your face for recommending that we do the amazon basics thing again with monoprice stuff stab your face that's the username well no it's only two words it's stab your face got it and what is this look at that spoilers you'll find out soon enough and this model price gaming adventure is brought to you by storyblocks well house expecting you to say can't tell you that's a spoiler too storyblocks video offers you studio quality stock video clips for a fraction of the price check them out at the link in the video description so the premise is pretty simple yet again we basically went on a monoprice shopping spree not because they paid us or we even particularly like those guys to be perfectly frank with you i don't slide it too much whoa whoa it doesn't have doesn't have any feet on the bottom so this thing will screw up your desk wow and potentially your day jeez you you know you've as you get that so obviously this is a dual monitor stand yeah if you somehow want to put your dual monitors vertically okay so what are the specs of this puppy this is a 2560 by 1440p 144 hertz freesync mode 44 hertz yes not bad it also has some kind of quantum dots okay and i tested the colors and they're actually pretty good over 99 coverage of srgb okay and how much do we pay for one of these 400 bucks so this was the 36 dollar mechanical feel keyboard yeah which didn't impress us much city so it's a 10 keyless and it uses otemu brown switches how much do i pay for the privilege of a temu browns two dollars more than that one 38 dollars total and even though this one has the double shot injected keys that light can shine through yeah it's there's no backlight it's not rgb and this amazon one is rgb do you hear that backspace when i hit it the key stabilization is so bad hold on i'd take this i'd give up my number pad i'd give up my back lighting i'd give up my macro keys but then i type more than i game and when it comes to just wasding around back when i used to game a lot honestly i used membrane keyboard anyway so yeah but now you have taste wow it doesn't have a forward button please tell me this is programmable i saw a lot of reviews saying it's not you know what this thing sucks and i hate it one thing it has is weight you can change the weight although it says push it actually means pull or push on this this is actually a cylinder stack of little weight tuning discs holy crap brand and check this out so my gut feeling on the uh the pixel response time motion blur look at the trails behind the banner on the ltt website as i move it around that is disgusting wow see that i thought it was like an important parallax effect of the website no that is horrendous i've never seen that in my life so that's what happens when you take a panel that doesn't have adequate pixel response times for the refresh rate you're running and just overclock the snot out of the refresh rate the worst part we aren't even at 144 hertz yet but this is one of those examples of monitor specs being misleading it's like yeah 144 it's get your gaming gaming this is not going to be an amazing gaming experience what keep hitting me oh right so their bread and butter is cables yeah so here we have we own so many modern price tables this is a monoprice displayport cable them way too much money this is an amazon basics displayport cable the monoprice one better be cheaper because this is a really old housing style with the uh the button lock this is the one that we had already we didn't just buy this we didn't just oh this could be older oh remember how on the amazon video you're like why did you buy this we have a million of these yes well now i see how it was not necessarily better to do it the other way thank you james for illuminating that for me so there's two types this is the ultra slim one that's four feet for ten dollars and this one is the premium one which is six feet for 650. premium is cheaper than ultraslim right that's probably just because yeah this is cheaper to manufacture or you can get a nice braided one from amazon basics six feet for eight dollars i like the slim one really lightweight and it actually makes no difference for a digital signal to have a premium cable that's thicker or braided or whatever else having this nice lightweight wire much easier to manage super flexible too i like this one monoprice is actually fairly well known for their headphones headsets at least that's my understanding so these are their 90 dollar active noise cancelling gaming headphones interesting let's have the unboxing experience here my friends you can put your uh name tag in here put like a business card in there so someone could wait what is there actually a spot to put it oh yeah there we go it goes in from this side okay oh but you can take it out if you want so if nothing else you've got a hook and loop business card holder even if the headphones are complete garbage and you hate them so you've got these in-line controls and i like that it's got that soft touch finish yeah they would have done well to put the same finish on the mouse these buttons are very rudimentary buttons these are these are cheap buttons so they're usb to power the active noise cancelling but audio is actually handled via analog is that correct that's what it looks like oh that's an unfortunate position for the inline control this thing is heavy whoa these are clampy yes no length adjustment on the microphone you know what i actually kind of like the bit of resistance to the articulation of the ear cups though because it means that they're not constantly like fighting you and that active noise cancelling is basically just like someone going in your ear you're trading hvac for a hiss well if you don't like the 90 premium ones you'll love the 30 or i should say 28 worse ones oh wow these are these barely even have padding in the top they're probably better than what i was using for 28 bucks back when i was like first getting into gaming but this is one of those things where i'd really recommend saving up or waiting for a black friday promotion or something in our cheap gaming headset roundup there were other sets for 25 dollars that were better they're done they're done i'm giving these a recommendation over these because for ninety dollars you can get some pretty good stuff whereas for like 30 bucks yeah you can certainly get stuff that's a lot better than this but like yeah i don't recommend either none of what i just did is should be construed as an endorsement this is the monoprice desk cover modesty panel with wire management you know your desk you're very privileged there's a wall there but some people might have you know other colleagues desk cover modesty panel so you can man spread without your privates exposed on kilt day so what the idea is you hang this off the back of your desk with these clips you actually screw this onto your desk and then you just take your excess cable and just like put it in your pocket here well i think you run it this way and there's these little velcros that you could tie it in there with see that 28 bucks 28 bucks yeah if it was me i'd probably just get a tablecloth or like would you believe it has no reviews on amazon yeah i would personally i think it's great if you're the type to uh stick your boogers to the bottom side of your desk david ratcliffe how else can monoprice improve my gaming experience today gaming i don't know but they have other verticals that they specialize in like smart home stuff with their stitch line oh interesting what appears to be nintendo switch joy-cons so this is a door window sensor when it gets opened it'll make an audible beep but apparently it's not that loud but in addition you'll also get a notification your phone no matter where you are in the world because it's wi-fi not just bluetooth so really today's theme is not home security though in home automation it's like your desk set up right so the way that i see it you got something really you know valuable in this drawer here or something wait let's put something valuable in that drawer yeah so if i were to come in here and steal yours hey oh there it is hey let's see if i can get a tamper alarm pull off the big one sure hey you tampering with my stuff oh you are tampering nice that's not a bad delay either bad boy i probably should have given you this earlier this is the monoprice 5 port 10 100 1000 megabit per second unmanaged gigabit ethernet switch for 18 that's not even a great price actually hey man it's got five ports even though the product page says eight um and this has the fakest review ever it says works great i love all monoprice products i buy and they stand behind the quality look i'm not saying i'm too good to wear a headlamp i'm definitely not too good to wear a headlamp i'm just saying you got to have the top one because these straps wear out and that's what will actually hold it in place now with that said this seems pretty alright yeah so you can get a tp-link switch with a metal housing for 14.99 with prime this thing is done it's done it's not it's out it's out it's done you don't blow you just hum no other way other way why the hell do they have this because they sell music stuff i know you're gonna do i should i should have just bought the 150 guitar well i'll be keeping that in my high security drawer unless anyone tried to steal it from me that's a bargain to eight dollars and 26 cents although keep in mind 22 percent of people gave it a one star for not working at all so for 65 i got us you know james i think you're really stretching the definition of desk accessories here what are you talking about this is diy phone case dude i'm making a screen protector right now shut up i figured we're not we're going to vacuum seal your phone all right where's the vacuum sealed vacuum sleeve oh yeah baby isn't this the vacuumer this is an accessory hose seems pretty sealed i think you just hit the release buttons now can you use it oh yeah sure oh hell yeah hold on let's see if my fingerprint sensor works no hold on no maybe if i okay nope no fingerprint sensor let's try the iris scan come on baby can you work through that come on work with me here no match can you please keep your phone in there until the end of the day but i can use it can you keep it in this your rancho no come on please no i'm not doing that i mean how am i supposed to put in your hoodie okay that's awesome look it's a quick release so overall then you know what i'm uh actually kind of disappointed so do you so does that mean that you don't think that monoprice is clearly better than amazon basics no i i really don't think i would say that at all i think they come out ahead on the keyboard even though these switches are really inconsistent feeling um but i just the mouse isn't great the mouse pad's alright i think i'd have a pretty hard time recommending this monitor uh it's just nothing special stick to cables monoprice yeah good cables monoprice good cables and uh i mean this thing seems all right too i guess you don't know that speaking of seems all right our sponsor for today's video storyblocks with storyblocks video you can get studio quality video clips for a fraction of the cost we use it all the time here on techwiki and they have all kinds of stuff in their member library including hd and 4k footage after effects templates motion backgrounds and more plus with membership you can get discounts on millions of additional marketplace clips where you save 40 compared to the regular purchase price for non-members and the original artist takes home a commission of the sale price all content is royalty free so you can use it for both personal and commercial projects and new clips get added regularly so there's always something fresh to download check it out today at the link in the video description so thanks for watching guys if you disliked this video you can hit that button but if you liked it hit like get subscribed or maybe consider checking out where to buy the stuff we featured except if you're a masochist not the headphones or headsets um the monitor i'm pretty on the fence on keyboard i'm on the fence about the mouse is not great the network switch is a no-go uh the mouse pad mousepad's solid like kazoo though that kazoo my precious oh god notification so um oh yeah also linked in the video description our merge storage has cool shirts like this one and our community forum which you should totally join our merge store also has where are those cable ties where the cable ties our merch store also has these cable ties that are more expensive than mono prices and not better but like they're fine too and double-sided printing available in white and orange lttstore.comtoday's video was actually inspired by one of our forum members because people like to watch stuff get thrown at you so thanks stab your face for recommending that we do the amazon basics thing again with monoprice stuff stab your face that's the username well no it's only two words it's stab your face got it and what is this look at that spoilers you'll find out soon enough and this model price gaming adventure is brought to you by storyblocks well house expecting you to say can't tell you that's a spoiler too storyblocks video offers you studio quality stock video clips for a fraction of the price check them out at the link in the video description so the premise is pretty simple yet again we basically went on a monoprice shopping spree not because they paid us or we even particularly like those guys to be perfectly frank with you i don't slide it too much whoa whoa it doesn't have doesn't have any feet on the bottom so this thing will screw up your desk wow and potentially your day jeez you you know you've as you get that so obviously this is a dual monitor stand yeah if you somehow want to put your dual monitors vertically okay so what are the specs of this puppy this is a 2560 by 1440p 144 hertz freesync mode 44 hertz yes not bad it also has some kind of quantum dots okay and i tested the colors and they're actually pretty good over 99 coverage of srgb okay and how much do we pay for one of these 400 bucks so this was the 36 dollar mechanical feel keyboard yeah which didn't impress us much city so it's a 10 keyless and it uses otemu brown switches how much do i pay for the privilege of a temu browns two dollars more than that one 38 dollars total and even though this one has the double shot injected keys that light can shine through yeah it's there's no backlight it's not rgb and this amazon one is rgb do you hear that backspace when i hit it the key stabilization is so bad hold on i'd take this i'd give up my number pad i'd give up my back lighting i'd give up my macro keys but then i type more than i game and when it comes to just wasding around back when i used to game a lot honestly i used membrane keyboard anyway so yeah but now you have taste wow it doesn't have a forward button please tell me this is programmable i saw a lot of reviews saying it's not you know what this thing sucks and i hate it one thing it has is weight you can change the weight although it says push it actually means pull or push on this this is actually a cylinder stack of little weight tuning discs holy crap brand and check this out so my gut feeling on the uh the pixel response time motion blur look at the trails behind the banner on the ltt website as i move it around that is disgusting wow see that i thought it was like an important parallax effect of the website no that is horrendous i've never seen that in my life so that's what happens when you take a panel that doesn't have adequate pixel response times for the refresh rate you're running and just overclock the snot out of the refresh rate the worst part we aren't even at 144 hertz yet but this is one of those examples of monitor specs being misleading it's like yeah 144 it's get your gaming gaming this is not going to be an amazing gaming experience what keep hitting me oh right so their bread and butter is cables yeah so here we have we own so many modern price tables this is a monoprice displayport cable them way too much money this is an amazon basics displayport cable the monoprice one better be cheaper because this is a really old housing style with the uh the button lock this is the one that we had already we didn't just buy this we didn't just oh this could be older oh remember how on the amazon video you're like why did you buy this we have a million of these yes well now i see how it was not necessarily better to do it the other way thank you james for illuminating that for me so there's two types this is the ultra slim one that's four feet for ten dollars and this one is the premium one which is six feet for 650. premium is cheaper than ultraslim right that's probably just because yeah this is cheaper to manufacture or you can get a nice braided one from amazon basics six feet for eight dollars i like the slim one really lightweight and it actually makes no difference for a digital signal to have a premium cable that's thicker or braided or whatever else having this nice lightweight wire much easier to manage super flexible too i like this one monoprice is actually fairly well known for their headphones headsets at least that's my understanding so these are their 90 dollar active noise cancelling gaming headphones interesting let's have the unboxing experience here my friends you can put your uh name tag in here put like a business card in there so someone could wait what is there actually a spot to put it oh yeah there we go it goes in from this side okay oh but you can take it out if you want so if nothing else you've got a hook and loop business card holder even if the headphones are complete garbage and you hate them so you've got these in-line controls and i like that it's got that soft touch finish yeah they would have done well to put the same finish on the mouse these buttons are very rudimentary buttons these are these are cheap buttons so they're usb to power the active noise cancelling but audio is actually handled via analog is that correct that's what it looks like oh that's an unfortunate position for the inline control this thing is heavy whoa these are clampy yes no length adjustment on the microphone you know what i actually kind of like the bit of resistance to the articulation of the ear cups though because it means that they're not constantly like fighting you and that active noise cancelling is basically just like someone going in your ear you're trading hvac for a hiss well if you don't like the 90 premium ones you'll love the 30 or i should say 28 worse ones oh wow these are these barely even have padding in the top they're probably better than what i was using for 28 bucks back when i was like first getting into gaming but this is one of those things where i'd really recommend saving up or waiting for a black friday promotion or something in our cheap gaming headset roundup there were other sets for 25 dollars that were better they're done they're done i'm giving these a recommendation over these because for ninety dollars you can get some pretty good stuff whereas for like 30 bucks yeah you can certainly get stuff that's a lot better than this but like yeah i don't recommend either none of what i just did is should be construed as an endorsement this is the monoprice desk cover modesty panel with wire management you know your desk you're very privileged there's a wall there but some people might have you know other colleagues desk cover modesty panel so you can man spread without your privates exposed on kilt day so what the idea is you hang this off the back of your desk with these clips you actually screw this onto your desk and then you just take your excess cable and just like put it in your pocket here well i think you run it this way and there's these little velcros that you could tie it in there with see that 28 bucks 28 bucks yeah if it was me i'd probably just get a tablecloth or like would you believe it has no reviews on amazon yeah i would personally i think it's great if you're the type to uh stick your boogers to the bottom side of your desk david ratcliffe how else can monoprice improve my gaming experience today gaming i don't know but they have other verticals that they specialize in like smart home stuff with their stitch line oh interesting what appears to be nintendo switch joy-cons so this is a door window sensor when it gets opened it'll make an audible beep but apparently it's not that loud but in addition you'll also get a notification your phone no matter where you are in the world because it's wi-fi not just bluetooth so really today's theme is not home security though in home automation it's like your desk set up right so the way that i see it you got something really you know valuable in this drawer here or something wait let's put something valuable in that drawer yeah so if i were to come in here and steal yours hey oh there it is hey let's see if i can get a tamper alarm pull off the big one sure hey you tampering with my stuff oh you are tampering nice that's not a bad delay either bad boy i probably should have given you this earlier this is the monoprice 5 port 10 100 1000 megabit per second unmanaged gigabit ethernet switch for 18 that's not even a great price actually hey man it's got five ports even though the product page says eight um and this has the fakest review ever it says works great i love all monoprice products i buy and they stand behind the quality look i'm not saying i'm too good to wear a headlamp i'm definitely not too good to wear a headlamp i'm just saying you got to have the top one because these straps wear out and that's what will actually hold it in place now with that said this seems pretty alright yeah so you can get a tp-link switch with a metal housing for 14.99 with prime this thing is done it's done it's not it's out it's out it's done you don't blow you just hum no other way other way why the hell do they have this because they sell music stuff i know you're gonna do i should i should have just bought the 150 guitar well i'll be keeping that in my high security drawer unless anyone tried to steal it from me that's a bargain to eight dollars and 26 cents although keep in mind 22 percent of people gave it a one star for not working at all so for 65 i got us you know james i think you're really stretching the definition of desk accessories here what are you talking about this is diy phone case dude i'm making a screen protector right now shut up i figured we're not we're going to vacuum seal your phone all right where's the vacuum sealed vacuum sleeve oh yeah baby isn't this the vacuumer this is an accessory hose seems pretty sealed i think you just hit the release buttons now can you use it oh yeah sure oh hell yeah hold on let's see if my fingerprint sensor works no hold on no maybe if i okay nope no fingerprint sensor let's try the iris scan come on baby can you work through that come on work with me here no match can you please keep your phone in there until the end of the day but i can use it can you keep it in this your rancho no come on please no i'm not doing that i mean how am i supposed to put in your hoodie okay that's awesome look it's a quick release so overall then you know what i'm uh actually kind of disappointed so do you so does that mean that you don't think that monoprice is clearly better than amazon basics no i i really don't think i would say that at all i think they come out ahead on the keyboard even though these switches are really inconsistent feeling um but i just the mouse isn't great the mouse pad's alright i think i'd have a pretty hard time recommending this monitor uh it's just nothing special stick to cables monoprice yeah good cables monoprice good cables and uh i mean this thing seems all right too i guess you don't know that speaking of seems all right our sponsor for today's video storyblocks with storyblocks video you can get studio quality video clips for a fraction of the cost we use it all the time here on techwiki and they have all kinds of stuff in their member library including hd and 4k footage after effects templates motion backgrounds and more plus with membership you can get discounts on millions of additional marketplace clips where you save 40 compared to the regular purchase price for non-members and the original artist takes home a commission of the sale price all content is royalty free so you can use it for both personal and commercial projects and new clips get added regularly so there's always something fresh to download check it out today at the link in the video description so thanks for watching guys if you disliked this video you can hit that button but if you liked it hit like get subscribed or maybe consider checking out where to buy the stuff we featured except if you're a masochist not the headphones or headsets um the monitor i'm pretty on the fence on keyboard i'm on the fence about the mouse is not great the network switch is a no-go uh the mouse pad mousepad's solid like kazoo though that kazoo my precious oh god notification so um oh yeah also linked in the video description our merge storage has cool shirts like this one and our community forum which you should totally join our merge store also has where are those cable ties where the cable ties our merch store also has these cable ties that are more expensive than mono prices and not better but like they're fine too and double-sided printing available in white and orange lttstore.com\n"