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ive read in other topics that switches doesn't understand IP and they only use MAC addresses

i have a lot of NAS and 4 computers on my network. I'm planning to buy a switch to replace a router that i don't need anymore (new internet provider modem has a router)

but does that means i wont be able to access my NAS using local IP anymore ? like 192.168.2.10 ? and that i will be forced to use MAC instead ?

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  • IP is a layer 3 protocol which is usually run atop Ethernet, a layer 2 protocol. Ethernet uses MAC addresses, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't send IP packets. It simply means that you can't send IP packets to the switch's MAC address and expect the switch to know, based on the IP address, where the packet should go. That having been said, all protocols above layer 2 (e.g. ARP, IP, ICMP) should still work fine.
    – Parthian Shot
    Mar 11, 2016 at 18:29

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Sure you can use IPs in a switched network! A simple switch will just only work if all connected devices are in the same IP range, 192.168.2.x that seems to be in your case.

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