Which Network Switch (Ubiquiti, Netgear)

[TonalTechnology]

I am looking to purchase a simple 16-24 port network switch that is rack mountable to distribute internet, and aid in file sharing between all devices in my Home Theater rack.

The task I ask is pretty simple. I will have a NAS Server in the rack to distribute high resolution audio throughout my house. The other function is to supply wired internet to each all of the media players and devices in the rack. I do not need POE.

What would you do?

 

 

 

 

[KuJoe]

Get a Dell PowerConnect 5324, less than $50 off eBay and full GigE port speeds. I have an Ubiquiti ES-24 in a data center and it's awesome, but for your needs it would be overkill and wouldn't offer you any benefit over a $50 switch. I use the 5324 at home (only because I have 4 of them laying around) and aside from the noise they are perfect. They're layer 3 switches so you can do anything with them that you can do with the switches on your list and they use the same amount of power as the ES-24 Lite (20-25w).

[TonalTechnology]

16 minutes ago, KuJoe said:

Get a Dell PowerConnect 5324, less than $50 off eBay and full GigE port speeds. I have an Ubiquiti ES-24 in a data center and it's awesome, but for your needs it would be overkill and wouldn't offer you any benefit over a $50 switch. I use the 5324 at home (only because I have 4 of them laying around) and aside from the noise they are perfect. They're layer 3 switches so you can do anything with them that you can do with the switches on your list and they use the same amount of power as the ES-24 Lite (20-25w).

I guess I didn't realize that noise was a consideration. I say this because this switch will be in my home theater/hifi room. I would like a switch that would be silent/ very quiet.

[KuJoe]

3 hours ago, TonalTechnology said:

I guess I didn't realize that noise was a consideration. I say this because this switch will be in my home theater/hifi room. I would like a switch that would be silent/ very quiet.

Then getting a rackmount switch would be a bad idea since they are expected to be in a data center so noise isn't a concern when they design it. The ES-24 Lite is slightly quieter than the 5324. Why not get 2 8-port unmanaged switches instead of a large 24 port one? I have a few TP-LINK switches and they have no fans or moving parts so they're perfectly silent. The performance difference is minimal. 

[TonalTechnology]

1 hour ago, KuJoe said:

Then getting a rackmount switch would be a bad idea since they are expected to be in a data center so noise isn't a concern when they design it. The ES-24 Lite is slightly quieter than the 5324. Why not get 2 8-port unmanaged switches instead of a large 24 port one? I have a few TP-LINK switches and they have no fans or moving parts so they're perfectly silent. The performance difference is minimal. 

Main reason I want a rack mounted switch is for organizational purposes. I am trying to keep everything in this rack as clean as possible. I think a rack mounted switch will help me attain this goal. Also, as my network grows (in my next location), I want the ease of adding a second switch as I grow, and having a method to keep it all clean.

[KuJoe]

22 minutes ago, TonalTechnology said:

Main reason I want a rack mounted switch is for organizational purposes. I am trying to keep everything in this rack as clean as possible. I think a rack mounted switch will help me attain this goal. Also, as my network grows (in my next location), I want the ease of adding a second switch as I grow, and having a method to keep it all clean.

Then sound will be a concern. I mean they aren't horribly loud, but it'll be noticeable.

[TonalTechnology]

1 minute ago, KuJoe said:

Then sound will be a concern. I mean they aren't horribly loud, but it'll be noticeable.

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/networking-switches/product-detail.html?oid=6783404

 

Any experience with something like this? An enterprise grade fan-less switch. Maybe even buying last years model (though this one can be found for a reasonable price)

[KuJoe]

7 minutes ago, TonalTechnology said:

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/networking-switches/product-detail.html?oid=6783404

 

Any experience with something like this? An enterprise grade fan-less switch. Maybe even buying last years model (though this one can be found for a reasonable price)

I don't have any experience with HP switches short of a few old Procurve switches. I'd be interested to see how it handles without a fan in a non-data center environment.

[skywake]

1 hour ago, TonalTechnology said:

I guess I didn't realize that noise was a consideration. I say this because this switch will be in my home theater/hifi room. I would like a switch that would be silent/ very quiet. [...] Main reason I want a rack mounted switch is for organizational purposes. I am trying to keep everything in this rack as clean as possible. I think a rack mounted switch will help me attain this goal. Also, as my network grows (in my next location), I want the ease of adding a second switch as I grow, and having a method to keep it all clean.

If I was you I'd consider something along the lines of the Netgear GSS116E

 

It's a consumer grade switch but it's a 16 port Gigabit deal with support for stuff like VLANs, LAG etc. It's got some wall mounting options and cable management options built in. No fans or anything either which is what you'd want. I've considered getting on myself but currently my 8-port cheap-as-dirt Gigabit switch I've had for a while is still doing the job in the middle of my network. It has no ports left but I don't really need to connect anything else to it. Yet.

[leadeater]

8 hours ago, TonalTechnology said:

I guess I didn't realize that noise was a consideration. I say this because this switch will be in my home theater/hifi room. I would like a switch that would be silent/ very quiet.

I use an SG300-08 which is fanless and is housed in a standard in-wall recessed electrical box so no airflow and can easily have heat build up, never had an issue for the 5 years I've had it.

 

You could look at an SG200-18 or SG100-16, both are fanless are cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Cisco-SG200-18-18-port-Gigabit-Switch/dp/B004HIN9RM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472539910&sr=8-1&keywords=SG200-18

https://www.amazon.com/Cisco-SG100-16-16-Port-Gigabit-SG100-16-NA/dp/B008B8CVTQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472539910&sr=8-2&keywords=SG200-18

 

[dzonidev]

16 hours ago, TonalTechnology said:

I am looking to purchase a simple 16-24 port network switch that is rack mountable to distribute internet, and aid in file sharing between all devices in my Home Theater rack.

The task I ask is pretty simple. I will have a NAS Server in the rack to distribute high resolution audio throughout my house. The other function is to supply wired internet to each all of the media players and devices in the rack. I do not need POE.

What would you do?

 

 

 

 

I would go for the GS724T, very reliable. That's why NETGEAR gives you lifetime warranty. Second choice Ubiquiti.

[Quindor]

I use Mikrotik Routerboard CRS226-24G-2S+RM and/or CRS125-24G-1S-RM myself. Those are both racks versions, but they also make smaller desktop versions of the CRS125. All of them are passively cooled so generate no noise at all.

 

Might not be the best switches in the world feature wise (No Layer 3 functionality to speak off, no spanning-tree, no LACP) but they are very cheap and as a pure Layer 2 switch combined with a good router work very well.

 

I recently did a video about it here if you want to see what they look like.

[TonalTechnology]

On 8/30/2016 at 0:36 AM, KuJoe said:

I don't have any experience with HP switches short of a few old Procurve switches. I'd be interested to see how it handles without a fan in a non-data center environment.

As in investigate further, to looks like the Ubiquiti and the Netgear GS724T both are fanless. I might buy all three, and return the two that don't fit my needs

On 8/30/2016 at 1:14 AM, skywake said:

If I was you I'd consider something along the lines of the Netgear GSS116E

 

It's a consumer grade switch but it's a 16 port Gigabit deal with support for stuff like VLANs, LAG etc. It's got some wall mounting options and cable management options built in. No fans or anything either which is what you'd want. I've considered getting on myself but currently my 8-port cheap-as-dirt Gigabit switch I've had for a while is still doing the job in the middle of my network. It has no ports left but I don't really need to connect anything else to it. Yet.

With my resent findings of fan-less rack mounted switches, I am not really interested in any option that is not rack mountable.

On 8/30/2016 at 2:57 AM, leadeater said:

I use an SG300-08 which is fanless and is housed in a standard in-wall recessed electrical box so no airflow and can easily have heat build up, never had an issue for the 5 years I've had it.

 

You could look at an SG200-18 or SG100-16, both are fanless are cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Cisco-SG200-18-18-port-Gigabit-Switch/dp/B004HIN9RM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472539910&sr=8-1&keywords=SG200-18

https://www.amazon.com/Cisco-SG100-16-16-Port-Gigabit-SG100-16-NA/dp/B008B8CVTQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472539910&sr=8-2&keywords=SG200-18

 

I am not overly familiar with cisco, other than the fact that some products require a licesnse to use. (i am probably completely wrong about this.

How would the Cisco products differ from the others i have mentioned.

On 8/30/2016 at 10:46 AM, dzonidev said:

I would go for the GS724T, very reliable. That's why NETGEAR gives you lifetime warranty. Second choice Ubiquiti.

 I did not realize that netgear had  a lifetime warrenty

[KuJoe]

50 minutes ago, TonalTechnology said:

As in investigate further, to looks like the Ubiquiti and the Netgear GS724T both are fanless. I might buy all three, and return the two that don't fit my needs

Ubiquiti switch is not fanless, at least mine isn't. It's louder than my Edge Router also.

[TonalTechnology]

18 minutes ago, KuJoe said:

Ubiquiti switch is not fanless, at least mine isn't. It's louder than my Edge Router also.

I think it is only the Edgeswitch lite in the 24Port variation that is fanless

[legopc]

On 8/30/2016 at 7:28 PM, Quindor said:

 

 

Might not be the best switches in the world feature wise (No Layer 3 functionality to speak off, no spanning-tree, no LACP) but they are very cheap and as a pure Layer 2 switch combined with a good router work very well.

 

 

I think you might have your layers mixed up, stp and lacp are layer 2 thingy's and the switch will most likely support layer 3 functionality but it will most likely be done on the cpu in software.

[leadeater]

6 hours ago, TonalTechnology said:

I am not overly familiar with cisco, other than the fact that some products require a licesnse to use. (i am probably completely wrong about this.

How would the Cisco products differ from the others i have mentioned.

These are part of Cisco's small business line of products and come exactly as advertised, no licenses or software unlocks required.

 

The SG200 are managed switches and the SG100 are unmanaged switches, both fanless in most port counts and non PoE options. Other than that there isn't much difference between the SG200 and the other options, It is slightly cheaper than the Ubiquiti ES-24-Lite and Netgear GSM7224.

 

Only really giving you some Cisco options because of brand trust I have with them, it's what I trained in, and I know these particular ones should be reliable since I use an SG300. All options that you haven been looking at are good, pick what ever you feel is best and how much you are willing to spend.

[Quindor]

19 hours ago, legopc said:

I think you might have your layers mixed up, stp and lacp are layer 2 thingy's and the switch will most likely support layer 3 functionality but it will most likely be done on the cpu in software.

I'm not sure what you mean. Maybe you miss-read my post?

 

No STP and LACP (yes both are layer 2) and no layer 3 to speak off (CPU only, way to slow to really be useful).

[legopc]

5 hours ago, Quindor said:

I'm not sure what you mean. Maybe you miss-read my post?

 

No STP and LACP (yes both are layer 2) and no layer 3 to speak off (CPU only, way to slow to really be useful).

They do do stp and lacp but that would mean all the packets are going to get switched on cpu... The more i read up on this thing the shittier it looks, I know its cheap and all but still meh.

[Quindor]

Just now, legopc said:

They do do stp and lacp but that would mean all the packets are going to get switched on cpu... The more i read up on this thing the shittier it looks, I know its cheap and all but still meh.

Ah, yes, it can do those things using CPU (Then it's called a bridge since it's not being switched) but you really shouldn't. Mikrotik Routerboards, like any brand have their set of strong and weak points if you know how to use them, they are very cheap and stable for their feature set.

 

In reality, the CCR switches work great for controlled home or small office setups. For about 900$ you have 48+ Gigabit ports and a very powerful router, all interconnected using 10Gbit, I don't think that's easily beat especially considering the awesome software (and features). Ubiquiti can get close though and then it becomes more of a "which brand do you prefer" game.

 

Comparing Ubiquiti routers and Mikrotik CCR routers it's all about flexibility. Ubiquiti is fast because it can do certain things (but not all!) with hardware offloading, a CCR does it all in software with more raw power. There is something to be said for both approaches.

 

I wouldn't use the current CRS line switches in a critical business scenario (it lacks the features for that), the CCR line on the other hand is great!