Managed or Unmanaged Switch ?

[compcobalt]

Hello,

I would like to see if it's a good option to install two 24 port(s) gigabit unmanaged switches in a small business with about 30-35 users?

and also, Does Untangle manage any traffic flow on the network ? like an managed switch would? (Does Untangle act like an Managed Switch ?)

I'm only worried about the users having slow or bad internet/network speeds/connections.

Thank you so much for any help with my question.

[TirsoJRP]

Short answer: No

[jcoehoorn]

Untangle does not act like a amanaged switch. For the 30-35 user range you probably don't need a managed switch -- unmanaged is good enough at that level. The exception might be if you were to offer public wifi at your location. You could use the features of a managed switch to help segment out the public traffic from the private.

[sky-knight]

This is going to throw a few people a curve ball, but here's what I use for an office like that. Instead of two 24 ports, just get this.

http://www.trendnet.com/products/pro...-448WS&cat=116

A bit less than $500 for 48 ports of all gigabit connectivity. 96gb of internal switching capacity is plenty for any SOHO style gig that's grown that large.

If you want to with a pair of 24 port units you can save a bit of cash, however you'd be surprised how slow half your office can get when you're shoving it through a single gigabit link between switches.

24 port model, this guy is 10/100 for the main ports with gigabit ports for uplinks / servers. Retails for a bit less than $150.

http://www.trendnet.com/products/pro...-424WS&cat=116

I've got this one in my office currently.

http://www.trendnet.com/products/pro...-240WS&cat=116

Currently runs about $200, and does 24 ports of gigabit.

The management in these things isn't full, but it's enough to help you troubleshoot things and very much worth the extra investment. The broadcast storm defenses alone have saved me more than once.

Also, I've had some of these in service in the harsh Phoenix environment without any power filtration for close to a decade without issues.

I've been told that HP has a procurve that can beat the 48 port unit, and is often cheaper, but I haven't seen one. I'd go with a Cisco or an HP switch in a heart beat if you can beat the price.

[YeOldeStonecat]

HP 1810 model, 48 ports of gigabit goodness..and 595 bucks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...J9660A&x=0&y=0

[jcoehoorn]

I've used this 48-port managed netgear before, with good results for only $250:

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/NET...ch/759895.aspx

Netgear's history is strongly in cheaper consumer-oriented products, but they're making a strong push right now to be taken more seriously in the enterprise market. The result is you can get a lot of product for the money.

The gigabit version runs about $550:

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/NET...ch/698653.aspx

And those are cdw prices. It's not hard to get it for less if you shop around a bit.

[sky-knight]

That particular Netgear has heat issues, toss it in a server room that lives in mid to upper 80s and watch it melt. I've also lost a fair bit of them to surges.

However, in a normal environment, they are a good product.

Also, that switch linked by Stonecat is nice. I don't have a ton of experience with it yet, but I've got one in service at a new client. It's threeish years old, and the web interface is quite competently laid out.

[dbunyard]

Dell has some nice stuff also: http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/web-managed-switches and http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/po...ernet-switches

I run an 8 port at home. We have 3 48 porters at work that are the core of our network and they are great!

[YeOldeStonecat]

I don't mind using Nutgear..I mean...Netgear....small switches in super cheap setups. A few years ago this place I worked at before used Netgear for some of their better clients...the business grade products....and holy good grief was their support excruciating to go through. Worse than dealing with some ISP support...and took long periods of time to get the warranty replacement. Screw that, for biz clients where network uptime is important...I'll stick to ProCurve, overnight replacement, ease of support, and on most of their better models (although not the entry level one I linked above)...life time warranty.

Those ProCurve switches...put them in...you don't have to touch them until many years later when you're replacing them due to an upgrade. They are simply that rock stable, period! Lesser grade switches...you'll notice once a year or every couple of years, some quirk where you finally fix the issue by "rebooting the switch". You should't have to reboot a switch once it's setup and in production...if you did, well...you got what you paid for.

[sky-knight]

Any vendor that isn't Dell (with the appropriate warranty), HP, or Cisco you're going to have issues working the warranty. With the average size of my client base, I cover the gap by simply having a 24 port cold spare on hand. Waiting until tomorrow for my customer to be back online? No thanks...

Getting people to cough up the cash for managed equipment when they don't need it is hard. Also, I have had issues needing to "reboot" switches from all vendors. Then again, we've had the conversation about the environmental differences out there. A bit of lightening tends to screw with switches. Even with a UPS in the way.