NETGEAR 16-AP Wireless Management System WMS5316 - network management device
Mfg # WMS5316-100NAS
CDW # 2020240
Know your gear
The NETGEAR ProSAFE 16-AP Wireless Management System is an easy to use appliance to simplify the set up and management of wireless networks. Supporting up to 16 access points, the WMS5316 Wireless Management System provides a single location to configure and manage the entire wireless network. Designed for growing companies who don’t want the complexity and cost of full wireless controllers, the WMS5316 Wireless Management System delivers centralized management, load balancing, RF management, and guest access via an intuitive interface. Priced far below a full wireless controller, the WMS5316 Wireless Management System provides significant time savings and simplifies the deployment and management of a wireless network.
Coexisting supported access points include WNDAP350, WNDAP330, WNAP210, WG302v2, WG103, WN802Tv2, and WG602v4.
Coexisting supported access points include WNDAP350, WNDAP330, WNAP210, WG302v2, WG103, WN802Tv2, and WG602v4.
Enhance your purchase
NETGEAR ProSAFE 16-AP Wireless Management System (WMS5316-100NAS) is rated
4.30 out of
5 by
25.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Elvis Osagiede from
Offers good performance and is easy to deploy
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution in my company to connect devices together. I have experience with the very basic switches provided by NETGEAR.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that its performance was okay.
What needs improvement?
Though the tool's useability is good, it has certain shortcomings where improvements are required.
There are certain shortcomings in the stability offered by the product, and improvements are required since I sometimes have to do the power reset.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NETGEAR Switches for a few months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product's stability is fine. Users should not face any stability-related issues when using NETGEAR Switches. My previous organization has used the product for a very long time, and it was there even during the phase when I was about to leave the company.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is easily scalable. With time, I was able to add additional NETGEAR Switches and increase the number of products in our network. You need to have a crossover cable to increase the number of switches, but you can directly add NETGEAR Switches, which is really cool.
I used to work in a library where there were around 127 nodes connected to NETGEAR Switches.
How was the initial setup?
The tool is very easy to deploy as it is a very basic switch. I just need to put in the rack and plug in the cables to it.
For the product's deployment phase, you need to unpack the product and get the product ready to be mounted on the rack. After the product is mounted on the rack, you can plug in your ethernet and power cables and conduct a test.
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.
From unpacking and unboxing to racking up and plugging the cables, it takes less than thirty minutes to deploy it.
My assistant and I were the two people involved in the tool's deployment.
What about the implementation team?
I deployed the tool in my company.
What was our ROI?
Speaking about the ROI, I didn't have to spend money replacing NETGEAR Switches that had issues, especially in a short span of time. Based on the tool's reliability, the product is good to use.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I wouldn't know anything about the price. I didn't purchase it directly.
What other advice do I have?
I haven't used the tasks for applications under NETGEAR. I have always used the switches provided by NETGEAR.
Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Speaking about reliability and uptime, the tool I deployed in my company has been working for around five years now. The product is reliable.
The product is good, and I recommend it to others who plan to use it.
I rate the tool's ease of use an eight out of ten.
I rate the tool an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2024-04-03T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1296177 from
When passing multicast video across the network, technicians don't have make changes
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is for Pro AV products, so multicast video and multicast audio passing across an AV system. Audio video is getting very network-based, so we are using it for network transport and multiple VLAN communication.
How has it helped my organization?
We work with a large variety of project sizes. This solution has come in to help our company in the mid-project size range, where you have a customer who needs two or three switches but doesn't have the budget for an enterprise grade switch that is $10,000 to $20,000. The NETGEAR product line fits great in that medium project size where you need to have some of those enterprise capabilities, or a switch with a bit more power behind it, but you don't necessarily have a huge budget. At the same time, it can also scale up to those large projects.
A few of our projects have used NETGEAR switches as a core for video walls where we do a lot of Crestron NVX, which is a multicast video transport. They have used the NETGEAR switch as a core to pass that traffic over to a video wall with multiple streams. In most of our projects, we'll do one to two switches. The flexibility with the M4300 is they have anything from a smaller 12 to 24 port switch up to a chassis based 96 port switch. In our large projects, we typically go for the chassis based switch, which has up to 96 ports. That covers everything we need. Normally, there are one to two switches in different projects.
We're using 10 Gigabit switching in a limited respect for interswitch communication. That is our primary use case for 10 Gigabit or larger connectivity where essentially we have multiple switches connected to each other and need to pass multicast video or audio from one switch to another. We do have a few products out there that are using that for multicast video transport. From a switch perspective, it's been very positive and stable. Some of the other products have had issues, but that's not related to NETGEAR. They are passing on the high bandwidth traffic without any issues.
What is most valuable?
I find the flexibility they offer to be the most valuable feature along with the wide range of features that they have for its price.
Out-of-the-box, it works for our main use case. When passing multicast video across the network, our technicians don't have make any changes. Then, if we do need to make configuration changes for a custom scenario, the web interface is user intuitive so it's easy to use and change.
My experience with the High-Bandwith AV over IP functionality so far has been very positive. I haven't run into many issues with their switches passing a lot of high bandwidth communication across the switch. We have had projects that are pretty small and others with 80-plus devices. Regardless of the size, it works once setup and is stable too.
Expandability is an easy feature for these switches that works fairly well.
What needs improvement?
An area for improvement would be creating a wizard that can do a lot of common stuff. Instead of having some manual configuration for common features, they may want to have a single wizard that could be put in place which would let you walk through creating multiple VLANs and different routes between VLANs in a wizard. Then, you wouldn't have to dig in so deep. This would benefit a lot of our technicians, though if you have a lot of networking experience then the settings make a lot of sense. The very common settings are easy to use. However, some of the more advanced concepts are where it gets complicated, so a wizard for users would make those easier. Therefore, the only area they need to improve on is creating a wizard to help with some of the more advanced features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the M4300 Switch Series for about seven months. I started working on and testing them for our company last July.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
As long as the firmware is up-to-date on the latest version available, SDVoE installation performance has been very positive. We have run 4K video from Crestron NVX across these switches and haven't seen any strange latency or delay issues. It has been very stable once setup. We are starting to roll this out to some of our medium-sized projects, which has been a very positive experience. There have been no major issues that we've run into.
It is definitely important to get the switches up to the latest firmware that is available. We did run into some issues early on in older firmware patches with multicast video and audio. NETGEAR support identified the issue right away. It was fixed in the software upgrade and we've had very good success in the latest firmware. For stability, just make sure you're on the latest firmware, then you should be good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good and beneficial. They have their larger chassis based switch, which goes up to 96 ports where you can stack multiple of those other switches together.
In our smaller projects, we may have two to four displays. In some of our larger projects, e.g., video wall or some of our other locations, I've heard that we've had up to 40 to 50 different displays.
We now have 21 different offices spread out across the country with installation technicians at each site. Each region will have their own different projects. Most of the time the install techs (or design engineers) will handle the switch configuration locally. Therefore, a lot of people in our company get their hands into networking. We have another central resource and me who are more specialized. There is a group of us who are in the higher tier networking in case we run into projects that are more complicated. I've worked on 10 to 15 projects with NETGEAR switches, but I know our other offices have done more. We deal with NETGEAR switches quite a bit. It's a mix of installation technicians and design engineers. In my case, I'm a UC deployment engineer with a networking background and am working on some of the larger networking projects.
How are customer service and technical support?
NETGEAR support is really good. They have helped us a lot and respond quickly. In most cases, if you get too deep into switch configuration, it is better to factory reset it and start from scratch. If you've over configured the switch or configured something incorrectly, that's the first step NETGEAR support will have you do. Don't overthink the configuration because there are a lot of options that you can go into the switch. Most of what you need isn't in-depth configuration.
We haven't had a lot of support issues. Once the NETGEAR Switches go in, typically they run and work. We are not doing a lot of return service work.
How was the initial setup?
For the basic features, it's pretty straightforward to set up. Out-of-the-box, it just works for multicast video. There aren't any additional settings that have to be made from our technicians on it. For our primary use case, we have three different networks: video, audio, and control. It is super easy to set up different VLANs and make our configuration changes. It also has a lot of the features that an enterprise grey switch would have, but not at the cost of a Cisco or Juniper. Most of our technicians can walk through the basic setup without a lot of help, which is huge on our part.
For the Pro AV side, you definitely don't need to be an IT expert. It helps to have some IT knowledge/background, but you don't need to be an expert. Since it meets the Pro AV primary use case right out-of-the-box, this makes it easy for our smaller projects. Then, for setting up a DHCP server, creating multiple VLANs, and the typical configuration, most technically adept individuals can walk through the simple setup in an hour or two. The documentation from NETGEAR is pretty good as well. In most of our cases, you don't need to be an IT expert. When you're getting into more of the advanced features, such as quality of service and connecting to customer networks, then you definitely need a little more network background. However, that will be with any product.
If you are turning on some advanced features related to quality of service or doing routing traffic between VLANs, it is a little confusing at points, specifically the multicast running with ping. Some of those advanced features is where it does get a bit confusing because there are so many different options.
What about the implementation team?
From a network configuration standpoint, most of the time I work remotely. We have our technicians onsite installing the AV equipment, then I will connect through their PCs and go to the switch. Normally, when I'm pulled in for switch configuration projects, it is between one to three hours, depending on the complexity of the project. Smaller projects, where it's a single conference room or a couple conference rooms, that's one to two hours. When it's a larger switch or environment, typically that goes on for two to four hours. That's about half the time I normally spend with competing products.
The implementation strategy varies depending on the project. Since we have such a wide range of projects and they differ a lot, I've created a basic standard for us and we modify it from there. So our standard typically is that we have video transport on one subnet, audio transport on another subnet, and then normal communication over different devices on another. It's somewhat standardized but we do have to modify it to a certain extent.
What was our ROI?
...
Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2020-03-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mike Assel from
Out-of-the-box IGMP means our techs can just power them on and plug in and configure AV devices
What is our primary use case?
We're an audio-visual systems integrator so our main use case is supporting AV systems. The main reason we're focusing on NETGEAR is for AV over IP solutions.
The environment that it's deployed in depends on the system or the solution that the customer is looking for. It could be as simple as just a single switch that has multiple hosts attached to it, or it could be a more complex system that has multiple rooms where all of the room switches would connect back to a central core switch.
We use NETGEAR for our customers' solutions. We don't have it deployed internally yet so there aren't actually that many people in our company who are using it on a day-to-day basis. They just configure it and get it set up and installed at the customer's site.
How has it helped my organization?
The out-of-the-box IGMP functionality has improved our organization because it is such a time-saver for our technicians. It means they don't have to worry about the extra setup that most other manufacturers require on their switches. They're able to just power them on and to plug in and start configuring the AV devices, rather than worrying about configuring the network. Organizationally, that saves us a lot of time on how we deliver projects.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is definitely the fully functional IGMP snooping and querier, out-of-the-box, that the switch provides. With most if not all switches that we've worked with previously, at a minimum you have to enable a couple of different options. With some switches there are several things that you have to enable. It can be cumbersome for AV techs who don't have much experience working with switches to configure those things, and difficult for them to troubleshoot. It's really a good feature to have that stuff enabled and fully functional out-of-the-box so that they don't have to worry about configuring any of that stuff.
Overall, the switch is very easy to use. Because they have the IGMP fully enabled out-of-the-box, in most cases an AV technician won't even need to configure anything on the switch. But in the event that they do need to configure it, their switches have a really nicely laid out, consistent web user interface that I think is pretty intuitive and easy to use.
The AV over IP works great as long, as the network is configured correctly. If you don't have the IGMP querier and snooping set up correctly, you can very easily flood the network to the point where it becomes unusable. Also, especially when you use multiple switches, you have to be very aware of how much bandwidth you need to connect the switches together.
The SDVoE also works great. It's just another type of AV over IP, so again, as long as you have all of the multicast stuff set up correctly, and the appropriate bandwidth between switches if you're using multiple switches, it works great. SDVoE is very easy to use. You get all of the value of being able to put AV on the network and all of the flexibility of it. So far it's been pretty easy for us.
And the warranty is one of the most compelling aspects of the NETGEAR switches. Other manufacturers would charge a lot of money for the exact same warranty that is included in the price of the switch with NETGEAR.
What needs improvement?
One thing I have asked for, something that NETGEAR lacks that I would love to see — and from what I understand it's in the works — is a REST API to programmatically interface with multiple switches. That would be a great feature.
For how long have I used the solution?
We got this switch about six months ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been great. I haven't experienced any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is another aspect of the NETGEAR platform that we find very compelling. The M4300, on its own, isn't super-scalable, although the M4300-96X is pretty scalable. But when you combine those with their 100 GB switches, it becomes extremely scalable and you can make very large systems.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is excellent. I've only actually had to contact them once, and the one time that I did they were a pleasure to deal with.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using the NETGEAR switches we used Cisco Catalyst and their SG small business series, as well as Extreme and Luxul. We still offer Cisco and Extreme, specifically when our clients request them.
We went with NETGEAR because somebody from NETGEAR reached out to our director of engineering to set up a meeting. That was when they were first pushing into the pro-AV space. Our director of engineering brought me into that meeting. When they laid out the functionality of their switches and the price point, with maintenance included, we thought it was a great fit for the solutions that we sell.
There are two things that jump out at me as differences between NETGEAR and Cisco The first is the price. The NETGEAR switches that have all of the features that we need are significantly lower in price than Cisco. And again, the maintenance is included for free, whereas maintenance has a pretty hefty price tag associated with it with Cisco. The second is that NETGEAR is putting an increased focus on supporting the AV integrator market, and that's something that we take a lot of advantage of.
How was the initial setup?
If you're deploying a single switch it can be done in a matter of minutes. You just take it out of the box, put it in a rack, and power it on.
Once you start adding multiple NETGEAR switches, it's not any more or less complex than doing so with other manufacturers' switches. You have to follow basic guidelines for making sure the VLANs are consistent across the switches and making sure that the interconnectivity between the switches has been configured correctly.
Our standard implementation strategy, when going into a new deployment, is that we have a set of base VLANs that we normally configure on the switches, and then a standard strategy of how we interconnect our switches. We try to replicate that as much as possible on each job.
It takes just one good network engineer for deployment, at least for the network part of it, including configuration. And similarly, it takes just one for maintenance.
If you're deploying a single switch, you definitely don't need to be an IT expert to deploy it. To monitor it and troubleshoot it you do need to have some amount of IT knowledge, but I don't know that you'd need to be an expert.
What was our ROI?
The systems work reliably, and they work well, so that's a good return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price-to-performance of the solution is very good. You get very high performance for a low cost per port. Compared to standard AV switching, NETGEAR is probably the best value out there.
What other advice do I have?
My advice would be: Don't be afraid to look at manufacturers who aren't the big names in networking. You can find switches that will meet your needs without having to pay a premium for it.
What I've learned from using this solution is that it's possible to provide great features in a network switch without having to pay a ton of money for it.
The 10 GB switching is something that we're starting to see more and more of, especially as the costs keep coming down. In our company specifically, we actually do a lot more of 1 GB than 10 GB. The 1 GB AV over IP solutions are primarily what we're delivering to customers. We haven't much need to use the 10 GB solutions.
We use the switch as part of commercial AV large format displays, video walls, and high-capacity HD real-time displays. I don't honestly know, off the top of my head, what the number of displays would be. I typically just handle the network side of things so I'm not sure how large those installations have gotten. But once you move past having a single switch and you go to multiple switches, it does start to get increasingly complex to properly configure the network, as does the troubleshooting if the need arises.
They do offer a network monitoring tool that we plan on looking into more. We just recently got it set up and installed. That is the next thing that we'll be looking into, to see how much we can utilize it.
I would rate NETGEAR a nine out of 10. Once they get that REST API rolled out then it will be a 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner.
Date published: 2020-02-23T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Chris Stowe from
Different models of switches with various sizes and form factors make this switch line very mobile
What is our primary use case?
AV over IP: Sending video and audio over the network. We use this solution as part of commercial AV large format displays, video walls, and high-capacity HD real-time displays and monitoring.
In most applications, we are only using a couple of switches. Primarily, they are trunched. We have switches in different locations. E.g., we will have an endpoint inside of a classroom or with devices directly connected, but also with a main switching infrastructure and IDF. That is one of our use cases.
Another use case is in our medical environment with some of the 10 Gigabit applications. We will have switches remotely located in an IDF in a data closet where we will have fiber run back to those switches. We have just one per operating room, but then we will have lags in-between switches in order to pass video from one switch to another in the event that we need to share video to other systems.
We primarily have been using it in testing. It has been implemented by our audio-visual group on two projects now with the Crestron NVX AV over IP solution. One of those projects used two switches connected, and those have been stacked for port count. Then, the other implementation was just a single standalone switch.
How has it helped my organization?
That the switches can save a configuration or even import a configuration via CLI is largely beneficial. It's similar to our current workflow with Cisco switches, so it doesn't require much of a curve as far as implementing those features or implementing a configuration that way. It is straightforward.
The ability to use the web interfaces is a big plus. For implementation, our company can quickly update firmware and not having to worry about licensing, which is a big deal. That's a big difference from some of the Cisco products as well as the Extreme products that for specific features require licensing. Not having that with the NETGEAR product is great. This aids us tremendously, as a company, to roll out these switches on multiple projects.
What is most valuable?
* The new IGMP Plus is a handy feature. There is no configuration out-of-the-box to be able to pass a multicast video. This is probably the most beneficial feature of it.
* The web interface is nice.
* The overall usability of the switch seems to be going well.
* One of the things I like most is the different variations in models. We have 24 SFPs and 24 copper ports (24 by 24). The flexibility of that switch is really good for our medical systems use case.
The ease of use of these switches is very good because of the Cisco CLI. If you are familiar with CLI, then you can configure the switch that way. It also has a relatively straightforward web interface. Using the web interface is good for beginners or people who aren't familiar with Cisco CLI. However, having a common command line interface method is great for some of our more advanced guys who are familiar with it.
The cost and ease of being able to roll out similar implementations of specific use cases is very beneficial. Plus, the ease of setup with the IGMP Plus feature to naturally support what we do on a daily basis is a huge benefit.
What needs improvement?
I have noticed one thing where we have taken up the multicast group interval time. We have needed to increase that setting. What we found happening were streams would stop until they were reestablished. By taking up multicast group interval time, it resolved that issue.
There has been talk in the roadmap from my conversations with the NETGEAR product development guys about a more streamlined web interface that is more friendly to audio visual personnel, such as general technicians. It would be comparable to a package type web interface. That is one of the conversations that we have had that would be beneficial to having a more streamlined web interface.
Something that we have also spoken about were VLAN profiles. E.g., preconfigured VLANs that would have a multicast traffic configuration applied where you can select a VLAN that is already preconfigured for standard 1 Gigabit IGMP based video, and then another VLAN that is configured for Dante audio. That is beneficial to where you can check port by port or VLAN by VLAN, enabling a specific protocol. It naturally sets QoS settings as well IGMP settings for that VLAN according to the type of traffic.
Another thing that would be a big ask is audio video bridging (AVB). Being able to pass AVB traffic over these switches, that would be a huge add. There are not many switches out that support that. The GS728TP NETGEAR switches used to or still do support AVB, but it would be ideal if the 4300 Series could support it as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the 1 Gigabit series of the 4300 for eight months. I have also been using the 10 Gigabit version of the 4300 for almost a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been fantastic. I have had zero failures.
Video is passing as expected, so I haven't noticed any issues with the switches failing due to bandwidth issues. No news is good news on this front. If it works, then that is great.
Software Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE) installations seem to work well. I haven't noticed any failures there. The ease of use for SDVoE is great. The IGMP Plus feature comes with the switch configured out-of-the-box. To be able to pass that traffic, that is a big plus for AV installations.
I haven't had any issues with the 10 Gigabit switching. So, it works great. I'm able to pass around 18 gigs worth of signal over Ethernet ports and SFPs without issue. No news is good news. If it works, that's great.
Maintenance is typically done through our service department.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is one of the big pluses. There are different models of switches in the M4300 Series. The modular based switch is typically used as a spine switch all the way down to 48 Port 10 Gigabit switches. The different models of switches with various sizes and form factors make this switch line very mobile.
We do have plans to increase usage for these switches in our organization.
Typically, commissioning engineers are standing these up. These are our engineers who go to a site with systems in order to commission. They range in experience. For some of our newer guys, we put them on more simplified projects, then for some of our more experienced guys, we put them on the more complex, larger scale projects.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is much better than it was. That used to be one of the pain points. It took a lot of effort to get through to support and be able to get the support that we needed. Our relationship has been getting better with NETGEAR support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are typically a Cisco house. We still use Cisco quite a bit. Our in-house network group primarily supports Cisco. However, especially with these switches utilizing Cisco CLI, it is easy for us to cross implement.
We chose NETGEAR due to the form factor, scalability, and price. It was a combination of those features put together as well as their focus on audio-visual solutions. Their initiative to make switches work well in an audio-visual environment, that's what we do. So, it makes sense for us to utilize a more cost-effective switch that is specialized to our type of traffic.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for these switches was very straightforward. Being able to navigate through the web interface is quite easy. Everything makes sense. The flow from left to right in the web interface makes sense. There are a couple things that were tricky, like setting up DHCP scopes. That wasn't very self-explanatory, so it required looking at a manual. Some added information like little help popups to guide or direct how to set up those settings would help. A little streamlined interface on the homepage with a couple of suggestions would be beneficial, such as:
* Enabling IGMP, which already has a default with the IGMP Plus as a feature.
* Setting up a DHCP on specific VLANs.
What about the implementation team?
On average, we're able to configure the switches within 30 minutes. That is for most of our use cases, which are streamlined and straightforward. As they get more complex, that is where we are trying to segment more traffic to different VLANs and create DHCP scopes inside of those VLAN. Then, it takes a couple of hours. For most of our systems, we can be setup within 30 minutes or less.
As a company, we are working on creating a uniform implementation strategy. We're working on implementing a procedure for different types of projects to have a quick little start guide.
You do not need to be an expert, but you do need to know your terminology to understand basic things, whether it is IGMP or how to set up a DHCP scope. You need to understand what those are in order to set the switch up.
What was our ROI?
We haven't been implementing these switches a ton. Our ROI isn’t much at the moment, but the solution is something that we're looking to utilize more often.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price to performance of the switches is excellent. The price point of these switches is great compared to big brands, like Cisco or Extreme Networks, with approximately the same functionality...
Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2020-03-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jeff_Cooper from
Enables us to run our backups much more quickly and has a good balance of price, performance, and features
What is our primary use case?
NETGEAR is our distribution switch for our local area network. We have about 80 data hosts connected to our network. They go through another set of switches into this distribution switch. From there they connect to our gateway and to our servers.
The switches are on our premise and there's no special software other than that it's just a network switch.
How has it helped my organization?
It has improved my organization because now the entire network is quicker. A lot of users tell me that things seem faster but they can't really elaborate. My guess is everything is just a fraction of a second quicker going through the network and that adds up at the end of the day.
What is most valuable?
SFP, speed, and 10-Gigabit are the most valuable aspects of this solution. We're an architecture firm and we sometimes deal with large files. Anything we can do to eke out even a fraction of a second less time to get something done over the course of a year adds up. If I can get 10-Gigabit running in my server room, which I am right now, even though we're only gigabit to the desktop, due to the client computers we have, I can get more performance from everybody. I'm ready to start bringing in 10-Gigabit Ethernet to the desktop once I get the hardware to do that.
It's easy to use once you actually read the instructions. There is some searching you have to do on the documentation to find exactly what you're looking to get done but it's all there. NETGEAR's forums were very helpful because people actually pointed me in the right direction when I had problems setting it up.
We use it for IT switching. It is the distribution switch for our network and then I have access switches that feed into this switch that are also 10-Gigabit. IT switching is very nice. I run my backups much more quickly. It works out to about as fast as I thought it would be. I'm quite pleased. It's definitely worth it for what you're getting; a lot of switches, a lot of networks. I looked at a lot of different possible models and products before I bought these and I settled on NETGEAR because I thought there was a good balance of price, performance, and features. And so far, it has worked out.
I have POE switches going into this switch, but I don't use this switch particularly to distribute power. The model I have is not a POE switch. It's just the data switch.
We have server aggregation. Our main file server is aggregated through two SRP interfaces on the switch.
We also have wireless access in our network, but it doesn't talk to this switch directly. It goes through one of our access switches.
What needs improvement?
The feature to change settings on the switch needs improvement. I understand why it's there, I can change the settings on the switch and I have to actually hit save to lock them in, otherwise, on a reboot, the changes revert to the earlier settings. I've forgotten to hit save a couple of times. It should have more of a big red obvious "You need to hit save" button to lock your changes in; that would have been helpful. There were a couple of times where things suddenly stopped working and I realized it was because I rebooted it and undid what I just fixed.
The web interface has been a little sketchy on occasion. Sometimes I have to reload the page to get things to show up properly, but the switch itself seems fine. The web user interface is a little wonky at times.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NETGEAR Switches for three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far stability has been good. Now that we've gone live with them, I have not had to restart or shut them down at all.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If I had to do it again, I might've gotten a bigger switch with more ports on it because I'm using up more of them than I originally thought I would. But that's really not a scalability issue with the switch, that's just me not planning properly.
Only I am responsible for the maintenance of the switches. I'm an IT manager.
In terms of size, we have about 70 employees, all of whom have ethernet connections through access switches to this switch. This is the core of our network.
I don't plan to increase usage much, if at all. This is what it's going to be for the next few years.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not used technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
NETGEAR replaced some Nortel switches that were about 11 years old. They were end of life and they were not as fast. I had gigabit and 100 megabits switches. I am hoping to have these for another 10 years. I'm going to get 10-Gigabit and gigabit for my network speeds.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward once I figured out what I was doing. It was fine once I acquainted myself with the switch and with some of the features. I was not pressured to get this done quickly. When the pandemic hit, we all went home so I had an empty server room in which to work so I could try to see if they worked and if they didn't, I could try it a different way. I did not have to risk taking down the whole network with people there. That was just a fortunate happenstance.
My implementation plan was to set up this switch along with my new access switches, which were also NETGEAR. I set them up disconnected from our live network. I put everything together, including the SFP uploads, in test client and test phones, and set everything up the way it was going to be. About a month and a half ago, I went in, unplugged the old switches, put in the new ones, and turned it on. It was very quick and easy but it took about a day and a half because we have a lot of cables.
In actual time, it took about a month and a half to deploy. But in actual work hours, it probably took about four days because we were doing it in fits and starts because we were trying to move out of the office when COVID hit.
There's a learning curve, but it's not as difficult as I thought it would be.
What was our ROI?
ROI is a soft benefit. It's hard to know. I don't know if the old switches would've died this morning.
We have them for two purposes. One, to speed up our network. Two, to refresh with new hardware that isn't a decade old. So it's hard to determine.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Technology keeps changing so you don't need to buy something that's going to last 100 years. Buy something that you know you're going to have to replace in five or 10 years and price it accordingly. We were told that the Nortel switches we had bought would last for 10 to 20 years and that we would never have to replace it. Networking got faster in the years between and frankly, those switches got filled with gunk, they physically start wearing out, and fans die. As long as you know that it has a five to 10-year window, why would you pay 20 grand a piece for a switch? I just don't understand that.
There are no additional costs. We pay for licensing, hardware, and cables. That is it.
The pricing was definitely reasonable, I don't know if I'd say low. I think all networking equipment is more expensive than it should be. But NETGEAR had the price point that least annoyed me.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Cisco, Juniper, Dell, and HP but they were all nearly twice the price of NETGEAR. I also had some hesitation to some. There seems to be some hesitation by some IT professionals to use NETGEAR for their enterprise and business networking, but so far, I'm happy.
We also considered Ubiquiti. We have a couple of Ubiquiti wireless access points. So I said, "Well, I'll just look at them." Ubiquiti was a possibility, but a lot of what this came down to was that there seems to be some hesitation in the IT world about using NETGEAR for enterprise and for business use. They do have a pretty large in-home user market.
I have a couple of older NETGEAR switches that are at least as old as the Nortel ones that I just replaced. They have been on for 15 years and have never been down. I thought that if they're still going, they can't be that bad. I'll try it.
The primary reasons we chose NETGEAR over Ubiquiti, Cisco, and other products are because NETGEAR seemed stable and it frankly seems easier to set up, especially more than something like Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
My advice would be: Don't rush it. Give yourself time between getting the switch and putting it in. That helped me do this properly. Have patience. Read the documentation. Be organized.
NETGEAR has the ability to label the interfaces and you can label different things on the switch in the web interface, while our old switches didn't have this feature. That helps me keep track of what's where. Being organized is really the key to all of this. When I am home I can dial into our VPN, look at the user interface of the switch, and I can tell you what's in every port on that switch.
I would rate NETGEAR Switches a nine out of ten. The only thing that would take away a point would be the user interface. The web interface sometimes needs refreshing and doesn't keep up with what I'm trying to do.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: IT Central Station contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Date published: 2020-07-21T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Walter Shelver from
Comes with a lifetime warranty and is easy to implement and manage
What is our primary use case?
We're a network integrator and supplier for our clients. We've installed these switches for various scenarios. We have installed them for core switching and remote switching, and we have also installed them in various standalone organizations where there is no core or distributed switching. There is just the main switch, and that carries the whole network.
In our previous deployment, we've had three NETGEAR 48-port switches that we installed as standalone switches. They were basically managing everything, such as the internet, firewall, switching, and then distribution to the other network.
In terms of the version, I have worked with GS724.
What is most valuable?
Its setup, usage, and access are most valuable. It is a very easy switch to set up.
It is easy to do VLANs, software upgrades, etc. It is also easy to integrate it with other NETGEAR products.
One thing that NETGEAR does very well is that their switches come with a lifetime warranty, like HP. If a switch has not been neglected or misused, NETGEAR will replace your switch if it fails, which really helps.
What needs improvement?
Its integration with other products can be improved. A lot of time our clients have got an existing access point solution, but they want NETGEAR switching. They don't want to buy NETGEAR access points. The third-party integration would be a big assistance.
There are a lot of systems that are moving into different areas. There are a lot of cloud-based things happening. One nice feature that I've seen in other switches is artificial intelligence on the actual porting. They've got AI technology that will tell you when a port is down. They not only tell you when a port is down; they also tell you when a port is running slower. You can do a cable-fault check, or you can do other checks. It would be nice to have this information in NETGEAR. This feature might already be there in a new release of the NETGEAR's firmware, but I haven't seen it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've worked with NETGEAR switches for the last six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is very good. I've never had a NETGEAR switch fail during all the time I've used them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I never had to use NETGEAR's technical support in all the time I've used it. I presume it's good, but I never had to use their technical support.
How was the initial setup?
Its initial setup is straightforward. Deployment is usually fairly quick because it has a very straightforward setup. Your cable runs will obviously take you longer, but deployment is very quick.
The deployment strategy is always to connect switching first, and then as we terminate our points, we connect our points so that people immediately have access to the internet. The strategy is always to first install a firewall, then install a switch, and then install cabling. This way when your cabling is up, your people are already protected, and they're behind the firewall.
For its deployment and maintenance, you don't need a lot of staff members. Usually, two members are enough. Specifically, if I've got a cabling team, there may be three people, but I don't need a lot of people to do an implementation. I can usually have two people on-site, and they'll implement and sort the switching out themselves. They are usually cable technicians and network technicians.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You get what you pay for. From a price comparison, there are cheaper switch makers on the market that are definitely less expensive than NETGEAR. They give you the same functionality, but they don't come with a name.
There are solutions like Ubiquiti that are very good. They have the ease of setup, and I find NETGEAR battling a little bit in comparison to Ubiquiti.
Cisco is obviously very expensive, and for a lot of people, it is usually for their core network.
What other advice do I have?
If you're new to switching, then obviously, there is a learning curve, like with any product out there. If you're an existing user of the equipment, it is really easy to use. It is easy to implement and work with. It is easy to run. It is a nice system to work with.
I would rate it an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-01-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
KurhulaMaluleka from
Networking switches that provide satisfying stability
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use NETGEAR Switches for some switching and tethering.
What is most valuable?
I'm satisfied with the stability of NETGEAR Switches.
What needs improvement?
NETGEAR Switches could be more secure. Scalability could also be better. This infrastructure is a bit old, and we need something that will be more secure. Something that will introduce WLAN, and we will need the knowledge to go with that.
Some of the switches were used for more than seven years. I think it was just their lifespan that was exhausted. But other than that, there haven't been any issues that required us to complain or get concerned.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NETGEAR Switches for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I'm satisfied with the stability of NETGEAR Switches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
NETGEAR Switches could be more scalable. We have about 200 users using this solution.
How was the initial setup?
I don't remember the initial setup. We have about five managers and technical people to deploy and manage this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I can't recommend this solution to potential users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give NETGEAR Switches an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
SandeepKumar22 from
An easy choice for small-scale deployments
What is our primary use case?
We have a five-story head office and deployed NETGEAR switches here, running for the past two years. We have 1,000 employees working in this building.
What needs improvement?
Centralized monitoring is there, but competitors like Cisco Prime are at a higher level of centralized monitoring where you can jump into any switch from anywhere and do the central maintenance. NETGEAR should consider that.
For how long have I used the solution?
It's been almost two years since I started using NETGEAR switches.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is very stable. The managed switches are reliable, and we have not faced any issues so far with uptime.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. We have more than 100 switches.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In my last organization, we worked with Cisco, standardizing our network equipment with them. In this organization, we've been working with NETGEAR. So far, the feedback I've received is that it's good. However, I've worked with Cisco for the past 15 years at Tata Steel, but it's just been two months for me here. Going forward, if NETGEAR creates trouble, we will replace it with Cisco.
Cisco has a world-established brand, so Cisco would be better in those terms. I have seen it working for the past 15 years. We have a refresh policy where we replace all the switches and the network's other active components every four-and-a-half or five years. I'm not sure what the policy is in this new organization, but I know that NETGEAR has been used here for more than two years. We'll be working out some new policies at the current organization. The pros with Cisco are the reliability and the number of hours it works and that there's no need to manage it. However, the same goes for NETGEAR. The cons with NETGEAR is that I'm unsure about its market share. Cisco has a very good reputation and is a market leader.
Besides that, Cisco has the advantage of being managed centrally through a central management suite. But NETGEAR, I have seen that we need to log into the switch to take it remotely.
How was the initial setup?
The product is easy to deploy. The time to deploy the product depends upon the deployment scale. A single building deployment would take days while configuring a single switch would take hours or minutes.
We do the architecture, and our engineers do the deployment. The product is easy to maintain. We need more people to manage our switches; if one switch and link are down, we would need at least two or three people to manage it.
What about the implementation team?
We have local partners here to support and network experts. We have not faced a case where we have to contact the OEM.
What other advice do I have?
NETGEAR is a cost-effective solution when going for a small enterprise or a small-scale business. In those cases, I recommend NETGEAR switches. But I recommend Cisco if it's a very large-scale, enterprise-level organization. I can't recommend NETGEAR for enterprise businesses since I have not seen NETGEAR switches deployed through thousands or tens of thousands of switches.
I rate NETGEAR switches an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-09T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Angel Georev from
Easy to deploy with a good user interface and helpful support
What is our primary use case?
This is a pure fiber solution. We use it for both SMBs and big organizations. We use it as a switch.
What is most valuable?
It has the same features as many other brands.
I like the way they work with customers.
The features are stable, and it deploys easily. It's very simple to implement in general.
The user interface is very good.
The solution is scalable.
It is stable and reliable.
Technical support is helpful and quick to respond.
What needs improvement?
They currently don't have any stock. It's hard to get the devices.
There's a lack of chips and, consequently, a lack of deliveries. They're out of stock at their European warehouse.
They also used to offer quite cheap routers, and now there is nothing under 150 euros. It's getting expensive. Many customers don't want to spend more than 60 or 70 euros on something like that.
The scalability is limited to some extent. It's meant for smaller users.
I'm working with home routers, and the Wi-Fi at the moment is Wi-Fi 6. With Wi-Fi 5 routers, there was a feature that was called device prioritization. This feature is missing with Wi-Fi 6 routers. I don't know why. Maybe the CPUs are not so strong or powerful, or maybe they believe that this feature is pointless since the devices are so powerful. That said, from my point of view, it is very important as a customer to have this feature.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been dealing with the solution for 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's quite stable and reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale quite well. However, it doesn't scale quite as well as Huawei, which can get much larger.
How are customer service and support?
I have found that technical support replies quickly, and they close their tickets once they've completed their tasks. They are great.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm also familiar with Huawei. The difference is this product is more for SMBs. The user interface is great for non-technical people, and everything works smoothly. Huawei can be more complex for some users.
I've also used Aruba as well.
How was the initial setup?
The solution deploys easily. It's a straightforward setup. It's not a complex endeavor, even for a home user. In the past, I had to explain to my manager who wanted to buy some Wi-Fi extenders. I showed her how to set up the device. She said, "Okay, it sounds easy. I will do this by myself." The next day, she said, "Yeah, it is several clicks, and everything works fine." It's so very simple. YOu only need one person to handle the deployment.
What about the implementation team?
We can implement the solution for people. Some of our partners are so small they may need assistance as they are non-technical.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is more expensive than, for example, TP-Link; however, it is cheaper than Aruba, Cisco, or Huawei. All of these are more enterprise-level switches, which is why the cost is a bit more. NETGEAR is better for smaller businesses. That said, while it is not a cheap brand, it offers good value.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I haven't really evaluated other solutions. I'm quite overloaded as it is.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution as it is very simple and stable. However, it is important to choose the right partner to help implement the solution. It will help everything go smoothly during implementation.
It's also pretty plug-and-play. If you do need help, you can always reach out to NETGEAR. They are pretty responsive.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-11-25T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jitender_Kumar from
Cost-effective with good security features but could be more robust
What is our primary use case?
We use this product for the entire IT network and for CCTV. We have many integrators and are resellers of NETGEAR Switches, and I design solutions for our customers. Our company is based in India, I'm an information technology professional and we are end users of this product.
What is most valuable?
NETGEAR has most of the good security features that other switches have and it's cost-effective.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see a more robust solution. They need to focus on sustainability and security at the port level with more visibility and controllability of the switch. I'd like to see a warranty similar to that provided by other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is pretty stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support is good. They are responsive, fast, and they're knowledgeable about the product.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex in any way. There's no maintenance required once the solution is deployed.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
NETGEAR is competitive and cost-effective in comparison to Aruba and other solutions. It's not the most expensive, but it's not cheap. You're getting what you pay for.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Compared to NETGEAR, Cisco has lots of other features within the switch where you can include lots of securities. The switches are very sustainable and can run for years and years if the environment is okay. There are a few securities that we use to build a firewall or some other level where we can put lots of security on the port, as far as the loop and hacking goes. If anything happens in the network, there are lots of things that can be controlled at switch level. NETGEAR has less of these kinds of options.
What other advice do I have?
My recommendation of NETGEAR to a customer would be dependent on the kind of solution they have, their budget, network size and the length of time they expect it to work. The product is more suitable for medium size organizations. Enterprise organizations generally look for other solutions in that sphere.
I rate the solution six out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-07-03T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1902006 from
Offers multiple port options, is simple to configure, easy to handle, reliable and stable
What is most valuable?
NETGEAR Switches is great because it comes preconfigured and designed specifically for AV and that suits our needs. NETGEAR offers multiple port options, is simple to configure, easy to handle, reliable and stable. The most valuable feature for us is the reasonable price.
What needs improvement?
I expect we’ll continue to see an improvement in the configuration which could be simplified further. I would also like to see switches with more ports that provide room for new protocols of communications. It would be great to have more bandwidth.
For how long have I used the solution?
Our primary use case of Switches is for work with a data protocol for audio or AVB protocol for audio. We also use the AVoIP, Dante, and Control.
NETGEAR is a preferred partner for our company which has offices nationwide and offshore. I work as a project engineer for an audio video integrator company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and scalable. You can link multiple switches and create a bigger network.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We recently used Araknis and sometimes also use Cisco or Extreme Networks. Araknis is about the same price or even cheaper than NETGEAR, but they do not offer as many options as NETGEAR.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing cost depends on the model and number of ports, whether it’s POE, POE Plus or POE Plus Plus. There are certain Cisco switches that are about the same price.
AVB licensing is required to purchase separately on NETGEAR and Extreme Network.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this product nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2022-07-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jay Bretzmann from
Fast with a good amount of ports and good stability
What is our primary use case?
The solution is an eight-port switch that connects my scanner, my printer, and my system. I plug in the RJ 45 and it works. We use five of the ports, therefore, if somebody else needs a hole, there's a plug and an extra cable.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has improved my setup in the sense that it keeps me from having to plug and unplug all the peripherals. Therefore, at one point you get more items plugged into the network you can just plug them all that in at once, and you're able to send the files back and forth. Typically I have the laptop plugged in, plus maybe another device that I would use as well. It helps due to the fact that wireless can be pretty slow. Plugging in directly really speeds things up. Especially if you work from home. You need something that can at least maintain your broadband speeds.
What is most valuable?
The solution works. The extra ports on offer helped me out, as I was short on my last product. I can use my old switches in addition to this product.
The solution is fast, even though you might not necessarily get the speed out of the internet anyway.
It's easy to find the product if you need to. You can go to an office supply store and buy them and they've been around for years.
The name recognition is very high. There are some brands that are options, however, if you have never heard of the company, you wonder if it will stand up to its promises. You don't have to worry about that with this product.
What needs improvement?
The solution is standard and doesn't really offer anything special.
It would be ideal if the switches were labeled so that when you looked at them, you'd automatically recognize the voltage.
One of the issues with these products is that they're not really made for a rack or anything. The packaging is pretty straightforward. It's a box. Once you get five cords plugged into it, the box starts to move. It would be ideal if they could ensure it didn't shift around. It should have something to stabilize it, such as proper stabilizing feet or something of that nature.
For how long have I used the solution?
I originally purchased the solution a year and a half ago. It hasn't been too long.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is quite stable. I haven't had any issues with it at all. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's pretty reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is a gigabit switch. That means, if you've got a service that's that fast, it won't hold you back. For example, it's good for gaming. Nobody has an issue. It's faster than a lot of internet networks. I signed up for AT&T recently and it's going to only be 75 gigabits. This product can handle much faster speeds.
I just use it in a home environment. It's not going to have a lot of people accessing it at one time.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've never had to reach out to technical support in the past. I can't speak to their knowledgeability or responsiveness.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used to have a solution that had four ports and I needed a fifth, which is why I was looking for something with more port availability. I ended up choosing this option.
How was the initial setup?
There isn't really a setup per se. You just plug it in and you are good to go.
I'm sure you could get into the software and do some kind of like a port forwarding or some kind of protection of the solution, however, it's an interior LAN, effectively. Basically, the internet comes from the street and plugs into my desk and I hook it up and I'm good to go.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I can't imagine anybody would really gain anything from it. It's about $80 and it works and that's all that matters. I would have preferred paying a little less. However, for the price, and for eight ports, that's pretty cheap. If I found one from Cisco it's got 48 ports, however, in comparison, it's $4,000.
What other advice do I have?
I'm just a customer and an end-user.
The solution I am using is a ProSAFE 8-port gigabit smart switch. I'm not sure if it's the latest version of the solution that is the most up to date. You don't need to update any firmware in order to use a switch.
The only thing that I would encourage others to keep in mind is that when you have a power supply, you put the name of the switch on the plug. When you start moving around, all of a sudden you wonder, "Is this the right one?" There can be voltage differences between switches. I've got three plugs. It could be NETGEAR switch plugs, however, the one for the four-port doesn't have the same juice as the eight-port. I got to try and remember "Okay, this other one that has more volts." That way, you don't mess things up.
In general, I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I've been mostly happy with it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-02-05T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1485975 from
Stable, with no licensing fees, and it worked well for my purposes
What is our primary use case?
I use these switches in my home-based business.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is familiarity.
What needs improvement?
The technical support could be more helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with NETGEAR Switches for between five and ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, I haven't had any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This product is not scalable. It is fixed at eight ports, which is why I am now looking for something new.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have spoken with their technical support, albeit not about this switch, but about a router. I would say that the technical support was not very helpful.
Specifically, they were helpful but only to a point. It helps when they can figure out the problem for you.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is a one-time purchase and there are no licensing fees.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I am currently looking for a replacement because I have recently moved offices and I now have more devices plugged in. I am looking into purchasing a 24-port Ubiquiti switch. I am looking at the Ubiquiti line because I don't want to pay a yearly fee.
What other advice do I have?
For what I used this switch for, it did well.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-02-04T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Piyush Jain from
A tool with the ability to take care of the LAN ports and deal with the internet services from multiple ISPs that needs to improve its scalability
What is our primary use case?
In my house, there are LAN wires throughout the house, along with eight or nine LAN ports or LAN points, to take care of which we needed NETGEAR Switches. When dealing with internet services from multiple ISPs, NETGEAR Switches help us to join the connection and help with the load balancing part.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of the solution are its ability to take care of the LAN ports or LAN points and deal with the internet services from multiple ISPs.
What needs improvement?
The gigabyte range NETGEAR Switches claims to provide its users is not actually a gigabyte output. Until and unless you go for a high-end model of NETGEAR Switches, it does not provide any speed, which is not something that is good. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement.
The product's scalability has certain shortcomings that can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NETGEAR Switches for a decade. I use the solution's latest device, which was purchased two years ago, and it works fine.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. At times, the USB ports go off and stop working, but it is fine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product's scalability is okay. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
The number of users of the tool depends on the number of ports. The higher model of NETGEAR Switches was extensively used, but the lower model was not that extensively used.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
The setup phase took 10 to 15 minutes.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
The setup phase involves plug and play, where you connect the device to multiple LANs, and it starts to work. One can go to the admin module of the UI and configure it according to one's preferences, after which it is ready.
What about the implementation team?
I took care of the solution's implementation phase.
What was our ROI?
I have experienced a return on investment through the use of NETGEAR Switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no licensing costs. It only involves the costs of the devices.
What other advice do I have?
NETGEAR Switches are good and efficient, so it is worth trying.
Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-08-01T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Lixin Zhang from
It is a reliable and user-friendly series of Audio over IP switches
What is our primary use case?
Our company integrates audio and radio systems, such as professional audio or installing PA systems.
What is most valuable?
M4250 is a new product line specially made for Audio and radio over IP systems. This switch is Layer 3, so it is a totally managed system.
What needs improvement?
The M4250 switches need more SFP models. There are only four to eight models in the M4250 product line. Some bigger installation systems need fiber to transmit much longer, so we need more SFP models.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using NETGEAR Switches for about two years. The current model we are using is in their new product line.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support in China is not aware of audio over IP switches, so we need to learn how to set up the switches ourselves.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Cisco and Huawei switches more than a year ago. We switched because Huawei does not have these kinds of switches.
How was the initial setup?
One or two years ago, we could not get suitable switches for Audio over IP. Configuring the switches is now more difficult for us.
So, users of Audio over IP who have little experience with the Internet need setup and configuration of the switches to be much easier.
NETGEAR could make this serial of switches much simpler to configure for Audio experts.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The M4250 series of switches is not expensive and is even cheaper than Huawei. A license is not required.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The M4250 series of Audio over IP switches is much more efficient and cheaper than Cisco. I'm also looking for these kinds of switches from Huawei, but the market is not big enough to allow Huawei or Cisco to produce a new product line for Audio over IP.
What other advice do I have?
NETGEAR is stable and very user-friendly, and we plan to increase the use of the NETGEAR Switches in the future. I rate the product an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-06-18T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Matt Hardy from
They're highly reliable in a simple environment
What is our primary use case?
We use Netgear switches in a flat network. All the computers are plugged into the same switch. We also have some Power over Ethernet switches from Netgear.
What is most valuable?
Netgear switches are highly reliable. We haven't done anything particularly sophisticated with them.
What needs improvement?
Netgear switches could be cheaper.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Netgear switches for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Netgear switches 10 out of 10 for reliability.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used different vendors in the past, including 3com and HP.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up a Netgear switch was incredibly straightforward in our case because we aren't doing anything complicated. We rack everything and plug it in. It can be done in minutes.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Netgear switches nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-05-28T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Balaji Singh from
A scalable solution with good GUI and CLI
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for enterprise LAN connectivity.
What is most valuable?
The solution is simple to use. I am also impressed with the tool's GUI and CLI.
What needs improvement?
The tool needs to improve its network management. The tool can be also more simplified.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the product for more than 10-15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the solution's stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the tool's scalability a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used support much since we get the information from websites. I know the representatives of NETGEAR, so I get the information faster.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The solution's setup is simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-05-24T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Saikrishna B from
A stable product with easy setup
What needs improvement?
The tool's price could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My company has one user for the tool.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's setup is easy. The tool's deployment depended on our vendor.
What about the implementation team?
The tool's deployment can be done in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive. You need to pay the costs one-time.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the product an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-05-24T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Mongezi Njaju from
Aa reliable, scalable and easy to setup solution
What is our primary use case?
We are using it for a small to medium-sized office with over 60 users. We also had IP phones with firewalls and it was good.
What is most valuable?
The solution is reliable and it is easy to setup.
What needs improvement?
The problem with the solution is that when it is faulty, it doesn't indicate so and the Internet starts to drop. One needs to do a lot of troubleshooting before understanding that a switch is faulty. If a switch is faulty, it should give an indication.
The scalability and warranty should also be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for a long time. We are not using the most recent version because when we checked it, it was out of warranty.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution's stability is good when the switch works fine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is not a very scalable solution. We have an office with 60 users, including IP phones.
How are customer service and support?
I have never contacted the technical support team. I have to go to the local reseller for any issues or queries.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is straightforward.
The deployment takes three to five minutes. We need to confirm our company via email first. It takes months to be configured.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment was done by an in-house team. We did it on the Internet because we had qualified switch controllers and technicians. Everything was done efficiently.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-07-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Christian Poirier from
A versatile solution with a firewall that has many options for add-ons
What is most valuable?
The solution is very powerful and versatile.
The firewall has many options for add-ons.
What needs improvement?
There is a lack of documentation, and the documentation I have is unclear, so I have to rely on Google for information.
The customer support is a paid add-on; you must buy it to get help.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the solution for 15 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
One aspect of the scalability is that there is no option to upgrade the device. Netgate discontinued the 3100 model, which had a little more than a GB of throughput on the firewall, and replaced it with the 2100, which has less than a GB of throughput. Replacing a 1,200MB device with a 700MB one is illogical; if anything, the replacement should be higher end.
How are customer service and support?
Our customers are generally unwilling to pay for the support, so we go with the light package. Once connected to the internet and working, the only help available is for refreshing devices and new firmware. We can exchange a device if it's under warranty, but we have to ship it, and then they send a replacement, which means we're out of a device for a while.
I can't comment on the full level of support, as our only experience has been with the light version. They help us get online and respond quickly to new firmware requests, usually with a download link within 24 hours, and that's the only assistance if you don't pay for more.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is relatively challenging; the solution has a GUI, but it isn't as clear as other routers. The product will write some rules on the firewall, but I've seen firewalls that are easier to set up, and you need to know what you're doing, especially if you want to go into the more advanced features such as NAT, dynamic DNS, etc.
The product lacks remote access support, so the maintenance is Plug and Play; we go in about once a year to ensure we do the firmware upgrades properly. That's the extent of the maintenance; the solution runs by itself and doesn't require much interference from us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is very fair for this type of device, especially for what it does.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution nine out of ten.
To fully leverage the solution, you need to understand your router.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Implementer
Date published: 2023-04-23T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Prem Sunny from
A scalable product to manage a company's internal networking processes that needs to improve on the stability it offers
What is our primary use case?
My company uses NETGEAR Switches for internal networking purposes.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The product's stability has certain shortcomings that need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NETGEAR Switches for more than twenty-five years. I don't remember the version of the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution.
More than 200 employees in our company use NETGEAR Switches.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted NETGEAR's technical support for help with routers and not switches. I like NETGEAR's technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.
A team of three people formed from those who work as managers, admins, engineers, or developers in our company help with the deployment and maintenance of the solution.
What about the implementation team?
Our company's IT department carried out the product's installation phase in-house.
What was our ROI?
I have seen my company experience a return on investment from the use of NETGEAR Switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is a slightly expensive product.
My company needs to purchase no licenses to use the product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I use D-Link Switches and Wi-Fi routers from NETGEAR.
What other advice do I have?
If the solution can be made available at a better price, then I would recommend the product to others who plan to use it.
I rate the overall solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-09-14T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Fidy Avotra RAJAONARIVONY from
Has efficient cybersecurity features and good technical support documentation
What is most valuable?
NETGEAR Switches has valuable cybersecurity features.
What needs improvement?
NETGEAR Switches could provide local technical support services.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using NETGEAR Switches for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support documentation is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use Aruba, and we have subscribed to the Aruba program.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product has the best price in the market.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate NETGEAR Switches a nine out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-09-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Kalyan Chowdhury from
Easy to setup, use and offers good stability for our use cases
What is our primary use case?
We use it based on customer requirements. If a customer says they need NETGEAR installed, then we are ready to provide NETGEAR customer support and are willing to pay Cisco.
The service for NETGEAR is very prompt. We personally know the NETGEAR process. If there are any problems, they try to support customer support.
What is most valuable?
In the last two or three years, Cisco products have been unavailable. That's why we switched to NETGEAR for remote capabilities, etc.
Moreover, I like the stability. The Netgear build is stable. We haven't had any problems with NETGEARs in the last few years.
What needs improvement?
The output is good, but one thing I would like to see improved is the response time for technical support. Currently, it takes more than 15 to 20 minutes to connect with a technician through the toll-free number. It would be much better if the call could be connected within five or two minutes.
For how long have I used the solution?
NETGEAR is a good product. We've been using it for more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. We have different projects at different locations, each with 50 to 100 users. However, we don't track individual users in housing complexes.
How are customer service and support?
We have dedicated technical personnel. If we encounter any problems, we can contact NETGEAR directly.
NETGEAR's technical support is also good. They have their own office in Kolkata, which makes it easy for us to access and communicate with them.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
We have completed more than 60 to 70 projects. Additionally, there are many end users.
What about the implementation team?
After receiving a project, we can start the inquiry. We make the switch within two months.
We work in the government and corporate sectors. We require it regardless of the segment.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a good return on investment. NETGEAR switches are reliable, scalable, and affordable. We haven't found any other product that offers the same combination of features and price.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's cheaper than Cisco. For the features it offers, the pricing is good.
For example, if we need a specific feature like VIN, we can access to an appropriate suite like L2 or L3. Similarly, if we only need basic network functionality, a simpler and more affordable option like a normal suite would be ideal.
What other advice do I have?
We focus on virtual experience and profit margin. If there's an opportunity on NETGEAR or Sophos, or Ubiquiti, we'll recommend that product. If not, we might recommend Ubiquiti. We're not dedicated to any particular network brand. We can deal with them all, including Cisco, depending on the customer's needs and budget. So, we have all the reputed products.
For NETGEAR, it has a wide range of switches and routers for different needs. We choose the appropriate model based on our specific requirements.
Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-12-07T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
PRAVEEN MALHOTRA from
A stable and affordable solution that enables the smooth transfer of data
What is our primary use case?
It’s video data, and the throughput required is high. We have 24/7 communication from the cameras to the recorders and servers. We require switches that have good buffering capacity and very low latency. There should be no latency in the video data we receive from the cameras.
What is most valuable?
The solution helps transfer data.
What needs improvement?
There should be absolutely zero latency in the data transcriptions. Bottlenecks occur wherever we place aggregation switches. There is a lot of delay in the data coming to the servers. We require faster throughput.
The product must be more stable. There may be scenarios where we don't have a good UPS. When there are glitches on the line, the switches hang up. It is a major problem. The stability of our appliance is much higher. They don't generally hang up.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We do not have any issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable. We have a team of two engineers who deploy the tool in most of our network. The technicians do the cabling.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward. We receive support for optical fiber installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is priced economically.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Customers generally prefer Cisco. The general perception is that Cisco is more secure and has better encryption. People who cannot afford Cisco choose NETGEAR and D-Link.
What other advice do I have?
My organization is involved in the integration of surveillance cameras. We propose solutions to our clients. Generally, in IT networks, the data comes in parts. There would be no activity for a few moments, and then the data would be transferred in a second. In our case, there is a continuous data stream. We require 10 Mbps bandwidth for a 4 MP camera. I recommend the solution to others. Overall, I rate the tool an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-12-15T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
PawanKumar11 from
The solution is stable, and it can be deployed quickly, but the security features must be improved
What is our primary use case?
The solution is used as a networking device.
What is most valuable?
The solution is good.
What needs improvement?
The security features must be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
More than 200 people were using the tool in our organization. We were using it regularly.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have upgraded to Cisco because it has better security features.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is not complex, but it is not easy. The deployment can be done in half an hour.
What about the implementation team?
Our network engineers deployed the solution.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the product a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-11-14T00:00:00-05:00