Need a switch

[Chris230291]

Hello. Can you guys suggest a good network switch for my house. It needs to support link aggregation (2X2) and have at least 8 ports. Can anyone recommend one based on their own experience? We don't want to be spending stupid money, but then we don't want a piece of shit either.

Any and all input is appreciated.

Cheers,
Chris.

 

[sgregory]

My Dell 2748 has been pretty stable. It has been easy to configure through GUI. For <$100 delivered I am happy. Just loud (fans) and way bigger than I need. If you are patient proly could find a 2724 on ebay

 

[diedrichg]

Most anything Netgear is industry tested and proven.

 

[Chris230291]

Thanks for the replies guys.
I was actually looking at the cisco slm2008t and the netgear GS108T. Are these any good? We have just rewired the entire house with some new better quality cable (shielded solid core cat 6e) so we want a switch to get the most out of it. I'd rather avoid second hand stuff if possible, if only because I want to be able to get one as soon as possible. Although I have seen a used Dell PowerConnect 2724 with a "buy it now" price similar to the price of the other ones I mentioned. it certainly looks like a better piece of kit, but I know almost nothing about switches.

Thanks,
Chris.

 

[jgreco]

Netgear is pretty decent - full disclosure we're a Netgear Powershift Partner - but I've been quite happy with the Dell switching gear for a number of years and just recently upgraded our edge switches to Dell 7048P's. Those replace some Dell 5324's which have been rock solid 1Gbps switches since like 2005. We're not replacing them due to any problems with the 5324's ... the 7048's just offer higher port density, power-over-ethernet, 4x 10G uplink, and L3 wirespeed routing capabilities, all of which are now relevant issues for us.

The 5324's are absolutely awesome full feature layer 2 switches that are now available used on eBay at a very modest cost. They're fully managed, reliable, have a redundant power supply option, and basically you can get two of them (one as a spare) at a very attractive price. They do have fans so are not totally silent.

I didn't check the 2724 to see how well (or even if) it supports LACP but the 5324 does so very well. It's a slight learning curve to move up to a managed switch, but they're pleasant to use.

 

[xcom]

Network Extreme x430

 

[Chris230291]

Thanks jgreco!
I have just found a 5324 for less than the price of the 2748 I found earlier. Is that worth jumping on?
I need a switch that has 8 or more ports and supports 2 cable LACP on at least 2 machines. These Dell ones seem overkill but if they are much better than the first 2 I was looking at (netgear/cisco) then it seems like I'm better off going for the Dell one.

Cheers,
Chris.

 

[Chris230291]

Network Extreme x430

Haha. Very nice but also very out of what we were looking to pay.
Thanks all the same though.

 

[xcom]

:D

It's what I use at home. Well worth the money. and sorry for the typo... Its Extreme Networks. :D

 

[jgreco]

Thanks jgreco!
I have just found a 5324 for less than the price of the 2748 I found earlier. Is that worth jumping on?
I need a switch that has 8 or more ports and supports 2 cable LACP on at least 2 machines. These Dell ones seem overkill but if they are much better than the first 2 I was looking at (netgear/cisco) then it seems like I'm better off going for the Dell one.

Cheers,
Chris.

It is not worth "jumping on"; the recent price trends for the 5324 are $50-$80, so you can probably pick one up at a reasonable price after you have considered your options in a more leisurely fashion.

These are not exactly beginner-level switches in the same way that FreeNAS isn't exactly a n00b-class NAS. You can wipe the config on the unit and it will behave as though it were a plain old dumb ethernet switch, but anything beyond that involves either web or CLI management. It's the little things about a managed switch that can throw a beginner, like the need to write the running configuration to flash if you want a configuration change to survive a reboot. Still, it is mostly only as complex as you choose to make it.

 

[Chris230291]

Yeah... google still knew what you meant ;)

 

[sgregory]

27xx does support up to 6 LAGG. I do like th 53xx series though. Dell, Cisco, and Netgear all seem to be good. Cisco seems to have a steeper curve though.

 

[Chris230291]

Ok well I looked into the 5324, watched a few videos, and decided it did everything I wanted and then some. So I went ahead and bought one and it should be here on Monday.
It looks fairly simple to set up but I guess I can just ask here if I get stuck.

Cheers guys,
Chris.

 

[jgreco]

Suggest asking in this thread so I actually notice. We've got a pile of 5324's deployed in multiple locations and they're very solid.

 

[no_connection]

I have good experience with HP 1810-8G V2
Can be powered with PoE as well.
Seems they inherited some features and handling from 3com.
You can also turn off LEDs to save power, or prevent the room being lit up like a Christmas tree.
Fanless and very affordable new.


I recently had two Netgear GS105 arrive DOA.
Well not DOA exactly but a construction fault. Ground being connected to chassis through caps internally for EMI protection but not meant to be fully connected.
The Ethernet ports are however grounded and they cause intermittent connection to chassis which cause the switch to flip out whenever more than one cable is connected.
They now operate fine without chassis as they didn't want them back.

 

[MunkaySteve]

I guess as you have bought stuff then you probably don't want any more input. However I have experience with Cisco hardware. It's very good but carries a premium.

In the interest of disclosure, I am not employed by Cisco but have sat and passed several Cisco exams. I have had some exposure of HP Procurve and 3com hardware as well.