TRENDnet Fully managed (Layer 2) Switches, It's Layer 2 (the Data Link layer) that most switches look when deciding how to move packets around a network. It's here, for instance, that a switch can find the Media Access Control or MAC address of both sending and receiving devices. Because Layer 2 information is easily retrieved, packets can be forwarded (switched) very quickly, typically, at the wire speed of the network. Layer 2 switching, therefore, has little or no impact on network performance or bandwidth.