I currently have an old Cisco Catalyst 2960. I’m limited by the 100Mbps speed and it’s starting to really bothering me. I was thinking of maybe switching to a Mikrotik CRS112-8P-4S-IN but i’d like to you know what you folks are using.

  • notgold@aussie.zoneEnglish
    5·
    18 hours ago

    Mikrotik switch is good value but there’s a learning curve if used to other cli. They have several levels of firmware; cutting edge broken to long term business ready. They are constantly adding features too. Can use webui or cli or winbox to program. I have an rb5009 working a treat as router and l009 as a switch.

    Ruggedcom RX1510 can be picked up from eBay for a bargain sometimes. It’s not very port dense (8x1g per module, 4 modules) but it meant I could put the fanless device in the roof cavity and not worry about heat. They are a l3 switch so functions are good and the modularity is good for running off AC or any DC. 10inch form factor so won’t fit standard rack. Firmware is available for free but needs account. Can use webui or cli to configure; webui on older firmware (<2.16.0) uses old TLS which modern browsers block so you’ll need to disable depreciated TLS. Their documentation is great but there’s not a lot of support outside the Siemens forum. Forget finding how to guides. Siemens SFPs are expensive but switch worked fine for me on standard Cisco glc-lh SFPs. Bidirectional Cisco sfps didn’t work for me though. I like these but they aren’t available very often second hand as businesses run them until they fail.

    Cisco gear is always around and there’s guides everywhere so if you just want something easy to get running go for that. I picked up a couple of SG300-28 for $50 each and they are really easy to configure. Not the full Cisco ios experience but more than enough for majority of home labs.

    Keeplink KP-9000-9XHPML-X-AC I bought to play with has been really solid too. Simple webui and runs fine at moderate temperatures. Only downside for a $40 (AliExpress sale) switch is the management has to be on default VLAN. This could be fixed with a firmware update but I wouldn’t hold my breath for that. I also wouldn’t be confident to use on anything crucial but it’s been fine to power my iot projects. Worked with all the DAC and SFP thrown at it so far too.

    TPlink switches are easy to use but my failure rate has been higher than other devices so I tend away from them now. I had a little unmanaged 5port one that I could power with USB that was great for working onsite but someone borrowed it from a rack on day and I haven’t replaced it.

    Ubiquiti Tough switch 8poe and 5 has been good to me too. High temp range, easy enough interface and most VLAN features you could want. I’ve had one on for over a decade without issues. Ubiquiti still release occasional firmware too which is amazing.