Equipment Thoughts? Dlink vs. Netgear vs. Cisco vs. 3Com

Hello all,

I am interested in purchasing a Dlink DES-3526 Managed switch for our network, but some people in my organization is afraid that DLink = low quality.

Is this the case?

We will only have a couple of servers running off the switch.

Couple other alternatives:

Cisco (too expensive, overkill for us)

3Com (Are they still good???) Netcode (never heard of them)

So what do you guys think about DLink and Netgear managed switches for a small server rack?

Thanks!

Reply to
Lucas Tam
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The stuff you buy retail ..., well I'll not put it into business use. And will stay away of possible for any other use. I've had to toss too much of it in the trash.

Reply to
David Ross

The RETAIL stuff is low quality in my opinion. It locks up, fails, quits working, etc... way way way too often. But apparently you're talking about a higher grade line. I hope they come from different companies operating under the same brand.

Reply to
David Ross

David Ross wrote in news:P8mdnUupjYQii8veRVn- snipped-for-privacy@portbridge.com:

What was wrong with the DLink switch? Was it unrealible? Did it fail? We're only using it as a 24-Port switch + VLAN.

Reply to
Lucas Tam

David Ross wrote in news:P8mdnUupjYQii8veRVn- snipped-for-privacy@portbridge.com:

And also, the DES-3526 is not a retail switch, it's part of DLink's business offerings - they start at 499.00 MSRP and seem to have comparable features as a similar 3COM 2816 SFP Managed Switch.

Reply to
Lucas Tam

"way way way too often" is a value judgement. It depends on the cost/consequences of failure and who pays for remediation.

Personally, my experience with SoHo/consumer level equipment has been acceptable. Not stellar but nor is Crisco.

-- Robert

Reply to
Robert Redelmeier

As others have remarked this is from their "business line", and might be better than their normal consumer level stuff (which usually isn't so bad, as long as you don't push hard...).

3Com? My personal experience of their switches is "avoid at all cost", but that was a number of years ago.

Google doesn't seem find much either. Possibly an OEM, there are a couple of switches of this type that is sold by a large variety of different OEM's.

HP Procurve 2626 is an obvious alternative, it's a bit more expensive though but nowhere close to Cisco level. HP operates with a "lifetime warranty for original purchaser" on their switches, this includes advance replacement.

D-Link calls their warranty "limited lifetime warranty", it starts out the same but then they add a host of limitations which significantly reduces it (US only, power supply/fan 3 year, spare parts/spare kits

90 days, and everything expires 5 year after they've discontinued the product). They don't do advance replacement either, so you need to send in the unit, wait for them to fix and then send it back to you (sometimes means that you'll need to buy a replacement to use while claiming the warranty). 3Com seems to have similar warranty terms to D-Link, while Cisco apparently doesn't want to divulge them on their Web pages :-)

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Reply to
Torbjorn Lindgren

In article , Lucas Tam wrote: :And also, the DES-3526 is not a retail switch, it's part of DLink's :business offerings

Experiences differ. We had experience with a top of the line "business" switch from one of the "consumer" companies you list, and it was miserable... it worked superficially, but when we put it on the lab bench for testing and started trying to configure some of the basic features, the evidence we found was of significant errors at relatively low loads, and we weren't able to get it configured to test the main feature we had purchased for. It then cost me more time to go through and re-test and document the problems than we saved by not going with a higher end switch.

One of the other regulars here tested the same model line, loved it at first, and within a couple of months was loathing it.

As one of the posters said, it depends on the consequences of failures (and bugs and bad feature design and error rates). We have some very inexpensive switches within our LAN that I see no evidence of error with... but those are in tertiary roles, and I wouldn't use them for our wiring closets.

Reply to
Walter Roberson

In my experience: Yes. I had one of their WAPs fail on me in less than a year, and another one that I bought later on couldn't hold a consistent connection.

I would avoid D-Link. Netgear, on the other wing, is IMO a much better bet. They're a division of Bay Networks/Nortel Networks, and I've yet to see a bad product from their line of goodies.

And, being the 'Microsoft' of the network world, they will nickel- and-dime you to death.

Their higher-end stuff seems pretty good. Haven't had too many problems with their NICs either.

Same here. Lord only knows who they are.

If those are your only choices, stick with Netgear.

Keep the peace(es).

Reply to
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee

Torbjorn Lindgren wrote in news:d0w5f.303715$xD1.51371 @fe01.news.easynews.com:

The 2626 looks really good! Thanks for the info.

Surprisingly Netgears FSM726 came in a close second on a review posted on HPs website... and that was another switch we were looking at.

Reply to
Lucas Tam

In article , Dr. Anton T. Squeegee wrote: :Netgear, on the other wing, is IMO a much :better bet. They're a division of Bay Networks/Nortel Networks,

No they aren't. They spun off several years ago, and Netgear bought out Nortel's interest. According to Netgear, Nortel does not own any of Netgear anymore.

:and I've :yet to see a bad product from their line of goodies.

I have read postings from people who have had substantial difficulties with Netgear devices in their particular situations. Milage varies. Considerably.

:> Cisco (too expensive, overkill for us)

: And, being the 'Microsoft' of the network world, they will nickel- :and-dime you to death.

Your view braces and challenges us all.

Reply to
Walter Roberson

ditto.

Have you looked at Asante? I've heard good things about their IntraCore series, and the 3524's are in the $400-500 range.

Reply to
Bob Vaughan

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