Recommendations on a 16/24 port Gigabit switch

orrelljet · **28th April 2008, 02:13 PM**

Guys,

Just planning/budgeting for a full network wire in the house. Managed to grab a 305m roll of solid core Cat5e for $68 (via ebay) so want to make use of it with a 16-24 port Gigabit switch.

I've had a good look around, at devices from Linksys, Netgear, Asus and others but noticed that both TP-Link and Repotec had what look to be very similar offerings for much less; has anyone had any experience with these last two manufacturers? The TP-Link site doesn't specify warranty for their products but the Repotec models have a 2 year RTB warranty, which seems ok. The switch (and a patch panel) would be wall mounted in a closet (if I can find a suitable wall bracket in Aus) so fans are ok but I couldn't handle Cisco 2900/3500 levels of noise.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Justin.

vlad · **28th April 2008, 03:42 PM**

LinkSys is a Cisco badge for low cost products. I use several SRW2024P in our test lab - they are really good. A tad expensive IMO
Netgear is a very good and reliable brand, if I was getting 16-24 port switch, I would be looking at Netgear.
ASUS is a good brand , but not in networking field, I would think and investigate some forums before getting it.
The other ones have no brand awareness at all, so I would stay clear of it.

orrelljet · **28th April 2008, 05:07 PM**

Thanks Vlad.

I did initially look at Linksys but I've heard mixed reports of the quality of their products, since Cisco took over. The SR2016 was top of my list but user reviews on Amazon.com has made me change my mind - fans that get nosier over time and mutiple failures...my own Linsys Gigabit (8 port) switch has also just failed and the (lack of) support I received didn't exactly overwhelm me.

I'm definitely with you on the Netgear side of things though - consistently reliable products but the more robust switches they offer (metal casings) aren't too light on the pocket, which is a shame, which is why I was looking at lesser-known brands, eg. Repotec.

J.

vlad · **28th April 2008, 05:31 PM**

I would still prefer to go with ASUS not with unknown brands.
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/68250/NE...US/GX1116B.asp
This is not the cheapest site, but very informative, I am sure you can find it for ~$200

PS, as usually, if you find my post helpful, click on the Thanks button, at the end of the post

orrelljet · **28th April 2008, 06:07 PM**

Thanks Vlad.

I think I saw that one, on my travels. I've used Asus wireless kit before and found it to be extremely good value for money and it worked well too...found it slightly cheaper here:

http://www.ozdirect.com/product/ASUS...oduct_info.php

I'll keep that one at the top of my list for now and will check on warranty entitlement - any comments on the Repotecs at all??

J.

vlad · **28th April 2008, 07:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by orrelljet

I'll keep that one at the top of my list for now and will check on warranty entitlement - any comments on the Repotecs at all??

J.

I have seen some forums were people say that they are getting noisy and hot.
They are Taiwanese manufacturer with some history but no big presence.
It would be a gamble to get one IMO

orrelljet · **28th April 2008, 08:18 PM**

I checked the Asus site and found no mention of warranty at all, so will have to mail them for comment. Most things are either made in China or Taiwan these days so it's not necessarily a bad thing...support may be a different story though, admittedly.

vlad · **28th April 2008, 08:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by orrelljet

I checked the Asus site and found no mention of warranty at all, so will have to mail them for comment. Most things are either made in China or Taiwan these days so it's not necessarily a bad thing...support may be a different story though, admittedly.

I know, but with the brands like Netgear or ASUS you will get warranty and proven support.
Not sure about unknown brands.

orrelljet · **28th April 2008, 08:59 PM**

I know Vlad - I suppose an extra $50 or $60 on the budget isn't much, especially if better support is available - thanks for your input mate.

J.

vlad · **28th April 2008, 09:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by orrelljet

I know Vlad - I suppose an extra $50 or $60 on the budget isn't much, especially if better support is available - thanks for your input mate.

J.

You are most welcome

Happy to help - makes me hopeful that if I need second opinion, I will get one.
I think it is important in decision making.

TiggerK · **28th April 2008, 11:08 PM**

At the end of the day though, it really is just luck of the draw. I've seen a fair few of the TPLink switches fail early (actually mostly DOA), but I've also seen the same on expensive Netgear switches. Either way, you may well want a cheap replacement available at short notice if it's important to have minimal downtime. Not common to ever get a fast replacement if they do go bad.

Personally though, I'd avoid Repotec, TPLink and Linksys. I'd prefer the Asus, and have no issue with DLink or Netgear (esp the better Netgear stuff which is quite well made)

Cheers
TiggerK

Jaiidan · **29th April 2008, 12:49 AM**

Hey there

thought I would throw my fly in the ointment so to speak

....this is only my experience but I`ve had a tp-link 8 port gigabit switch running 24/7 for about 6 months now and it hasn`t missed a beat- never needed a reset !

On the other hand I had a linksys ATA device which caused me nothing but grief from day one...different devices I know but maybe big brands sometimes aren`t always the best.

Just my 0.02

Good luck

J