Stacking network switches can prove useful when building a local area network (LAN) at home or in the office. If you have many devices to connect, grouping network switches can allow them to share the characteristics of a single switch. This makes it easier to manage the network with increased bandwidth, thanks to the number of ports, higher availability, scalability, and improved performance. Stacking switches can also prove a cost-effective solution versus a flat upgrade to larger and more powerful switches. This isn't the same as simply stacking switches on a shelf and calling it a day.
Stackable switches can share almost everything, allowing you to remotely administrate the stack with a single IP address. You can even mix and match different technologies, models, and sometimes even brands when planning out a network with stackable switches. Here are some benefits of stackable switches to bear in mind.
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4 Simplified management
Because you're stacking switches, you're effectively bringing all of them under a single umbrella. This can make management considerably easier, especially when working with multiple switches on a very busy network. Being able to connect to a single IP and manage the entire array makes administration more convenient and frees up time for other network-related tasks. Everything managed through the stack master switch can be passed through the rest of the stack, which cuts time (and money) compared to moving between each switch individually.
3 Increased bandwidth
Switch stacking and port aggregation can be used to bundle physical ports into logical counterparts, and increase network bandwidth and reliability. Stackable switches generally have higher bandwidth alone with some surpassing 200Gb (20 ports rated at 10Gb). Compare this to standalone switches where most will only offer a handful of 10Gb ports, if any. Data centers, enthusiast home labs, and video streaming can take advantage of these features if you work with big data.
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2 High availability
The very nature of a network switch stack enables redundancy backup in the case of an outage. Should the stack master fail, a backup switch can instantly take over and link aggregation across multiple devices through logical links can provide additional bandwidth and redundancy. The aim is to make the network as stable and reliable as possible without a single point of failure and stackable switches can provide that (and more).
1 Scalability
Anything stackable and modular like stackable network switches is inherently more scalable. Sure, you could keep buying standalone network switches and install them all inside a cabinet but you'd be missing out on a lot of untapped potential with stackable switches. With standalone counterparts, you'd need to administrate each one individually, unless they support some form of cloud connection, which is a whole different ballpark.
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Stackable switches aren't for everyone
Stacking together switches won't solve all network-related issues. It all depends on what you plan to use them for and your network-wide requirements. Compared to standalone network switches, a stack can have a few drawbacks. The most obvious one is the cost comparison to a modular chassis, which can be adjusted to fit the needs of the network. This is particularly useful for locations requiring a multitude of ports. Because you'll need specialist hardware with stack-friendly architectures, you may not be able to achieve the same resiliency and redundancy as high-end modular switches.