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Do I need a managed switch at home?

Dave Farquhar Careers, Servers and Networking March 13, 2018January 19, 2026

Like most people, I used consumer-grade switches on my home network for years and years, like TP-Link switches. They’re fine, but my older Linksys switch started acting flaky the other night. My oldest son’s computer kept dropping off the network. So that got me thinking. Do I need a managed switch at home?

Whether I need a managed switch for my home network or not, I bought a Dell Powerconnect 2824 smart managed switch, and I got it for less than a Linksys. This is a great opportunity to learn wired networking at home, the way businesses do it. Sure, it’s overkill, but here’s why I think it’s a good idea.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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Telecommuting pros and cons

Dave Farquhar Careers February 5, 2018October 29, 2018

Telecommuting isn’t all that new of an idea. I’ve been doing it to some extent since 2002 or 2003. And I’ve been telecommuting full time since 2016. Let’s take a look at some telecommuting pros and cons, as they can be significant.

I worked from home a significant part of the time from 2002-2009 and again from 2012-2014. Many of my colleagues did as well.

Dave Farquhar

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How to quit a fast food job

Dave Farquhar Careers December 8, 2017March 27, 2024

People frequently ask me for advice on how to quit a job, maybe because I’m a writer. But it’s only as hard as you make it. It’s possible to quit a job graciously and not destroy references you might need someday. In this blog post, I’ll explain how to quit a fast food job.

Dave Farquhar

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How to get a job in information security

Dave Farquhar Careers, security November 17, 2017May 15, 2018

I got involved in a pair of conversations in the last week. One person complained that there’s a job shortage in information security but she can’t get one. Another complained there’s a job shortage in information security and he can’t find qualified candidates to fill them. In that spirit, here’s my advice on how to get a job in information security.

Dave Farquhar

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Account for period between jobs

Dave Farquhar Careers April 10, 2017April 3, 2021project management

It’s a fair question to ask how to account for period between jobs. Depending on the circumstances, it may not matter very much. But it’s always a good idea to have an answer.

Dave Farquhar

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Is fast food considered retail?

Dave Farquhar Careers October 26, 2016September 19, 2023best buy, job duties

Is fast food considered retail? Only if you spin it. If you’re asking the question, that’s probably what you need to do. Here’s how to do just that if you’re looking for a change.

Dave Farquhar

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Is my IT department spying on me?

Dave Farquhar Careers, security August 31, 2016October 5, 2018CIO, Microsoft Office, Proxy server, troubleshooting

There’ve been some stories floating around about how to make your IT department spy on you. The advice is good. The question you may be asking is how much does your IT department really know? Or, more directly, is my IT department spying on me?

I can’t answer the second question with certainty. But the first question is a lot. I’ll tell you a story.

Dave Farquhar

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Job hunting on your own vs. using a recruiter

Dave Farquhar Careers April 28, 2016March 26, 2024cissp, DBA, LinkedIn, SQL

A former coworker contacted me last week. He’d been employed in the same place for the last 16 or 17 years and he couldn’t remember how to look for a job. Who better to ask than a guy who’s changed jobs 9 times in the same timeframe? One obvious question to ask regards job hunting on your own vs. using a recruiter.

In fairness to myself, government contracting causes a lot of job-hopping. And in fairness to him, the game’s changed a lot since the last time he had to play. IT Recruiters existed back then, but back then when you wanted a new job, you found it yourself.

I still use both methods.

Dave Farquhar

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Fast food vs. retail

Dave Farquhar Careers January 26, 2016January 18, 2018

If you’re looking for a job that doesn’t require a lot of specialized skills, training, or experience, you are probably weighing fast food vs. retail. These two options have some trade offs.

Dave Farquhar

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