The Netgear Click Switch with model number GSS116E has some really nice features, including its compact dimensions, which make it stand out of the crowd. It can also be installed in a variety of places due to its cleverly designed mounting system, which increasing its usability greatly. 16-port switches are usually pretty large, so their installation can be frustrating, especially in tight places. This is where the GSS116E shines—when it comes to the number of available ports in as small a form factor as possible, it really doesn't have any serious competition to worry about. I also very much liked its metal casing and the simple web interface, which will even make inexperienced users feel comfortable.

Since we don't live in a perfect world, I wasn't expecting the GSS116E to be the perfect switch in its price range. However, when I noticed in its specifications that it supports link aggregation, I thought it would make a fine addition to my home network, since I also have two NAS servers that can exploit said protocol. After some unsuccessful tries to enable LACP on my QNAP and Synology NAS servers, I discovered that this switch only supports static LAGs, though, not dynamic, which made enabling port bonding on my servers impossible. This was a big let down. Nonetheless, in this price range, you won't find a 16-port switch that supports LACP, and I wouldn't whine about it now if the specifications were more clear on the actual lack of LACP support. Finally, I would like to see higher quality filtering capacitors on the PSU that feeds the switch with power. Sure, its energy needs are low, barely exceeding 8 W; however, given it will be tasked to operate around the clock and for many years to come, the lack of any cooling would have me feel more comfortable with Japanese filtering caps instead.

To wrap up, if you want a 16-port switch with a good feature set and don't have enough space for a bulky one, the GSS116E can be the solution to match your needs. It is backed by a lifetime warranty, so Netgear must be confident about its reliability over the long haul.