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Switches for 2017

M

mtasu19

Active member
I thought I would ask the educated people of this great forum what their opinions are regarding the new switches that are available to use with our Kaleidescape systems. I have been using an old Netscape switch that is about to be replaced. I was hoping that you all could give me a few ideas or advice on what new switches are available that you might have first hand knowledge of. Whether or not they are reliability and easy to manage with the kaleidescape equipment that we all run. I am looking to possibly add a strato with a bunch of other players very soon and will not have any more outputs on my current netscape unit. Plus with 4k audio/ video streaming, surveillance and all the new tech I will need a gigabit switch that can handle the added load. From some research that I did I have narrowed it down to a couple of different switches ; cisco WS-C3850-24P-L, pakedge sx-24p and netgear m4100
These are all managed switches and could definitely take care of my needs. However, I could use your real world experiences to help me decide on what I should consider! Do you think these are to much/to little for what I need. Are there cheaper alternatives? Should I consider unmanaged switches? What ever help you guys could offer I would be extremely grateful!
 
Cisco is always nice if you willing to spend the bucks (overkill for home though). I have a couple of the TP link switches (24 port POE managed) TP-SG3424P and they are reliable and not expensive. I haven't ever had a problem with them and the backplane is 48Gbps. I haven't ever hit any bottle necks :)
 
I use all pakedge. Expensive but have served me well. I have an m700 and 7 1U servers running through a pakedge 24 currently serving 7 different rooms. Have had decent luck with tp-link as well. I think pakedge is more of an enterprise type of solution.
 
I have a bunch of HP Procurve gigabit switches from a few years ago and have not failed me in that time. I hear wonderful things about Packedge and of course Cisco.
 
I use a Monoprice 10GbE switch for both of my racks and it works great for 3x 1Us and 2x vaults. Save your money for more K gear.
 
I was using and selling Pakedge, but because of the treatment by Pakedge toward a friend and client, I dropped the line and moved back to Dell switches (the enterprise switches) .

Jim
 
I guess I'm out to lunch here with a D link switch running my 3 1U servers??? Maybe that is why I'm starting to have video delays after 3 years
 
It really could be. I have a complex setup but I remember when I had wonky behavior, computers seemed to be working fine, but K Scape not so much. The switches weren't making weird sounds or flashing red lights, but changing them out cured all problems.
 
On that note, is there a 'config' preference for K devices? Large packets, special settings, to help optimise the data transfer?
 
Network switch choices

I have a reasonably complex setup at my summer house and the only problem I face is losing the WAN connection which means the Movistar fibre box (ISP provided) needs rebooting around once per month.

My switches of choice are Netgear (see schematic) and whilst not always the easiest to configure once working they have been rock solid. The 2 Dlink switches are from my original setup and around 5 years old but still work perfectly and also have been rock solid.

Reboots generally resolve issues but a faulty cable termination can easily hide away so check your cables are really delivering gigabit speeds to your switches / devices as I found one that was only delivering 100Mbit to the switch so all devices on the switch reported gigabit but the actual connection to the switch was 100Mbit - check the LED's or the port management screen if your switch is manageable. Of course get K to look at your server logs as sometimes strange things go on inside the server and K support is excellent there so talk to them :D
 

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I started using Ubiquiti Network gear about two years ago and have never looked back.
The luxul stuff is good to but the Ubiquiti stuff is solid and very featured packed.
I absolutely love the Ubiquiti stuff.
There Switches are fantastic and they allow you to monitor just about everything you want to:)
 

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Yup, encountered several Ubiquiti installs, all worked flawlessly from what I've seen and been told.



Jim
 
cinelife said:
Yup, encountered several Ubiquiti installs, all worked flawlessly from what I've seen and been told.



Jim
Click to expand...

Just to add another vote, have Ubiquity switching, a USG controlling internet, and Unifi APs throughout - it's 100% rock solid, HIGH performance and zero issues or downtime (just over a year)
 
Just to update everyone. Today I bit the bullet and went with Ubiquiti ES-24-500w. I want to thank all of you who reached out to me in this forum and through PM's. In a couple of months I will post my experience with the switch to help anyone else who might be looking to update their systems with a POE switch.
 
I have been using ubiquity edge switches for a while as well. Their Unify line is largely the same thing, though adds a snazzy Apple like user interface. Also more $$ I also use their wifi products, which are the best I have ever used.

I concur, the learning curve is steep, as you expand, but worth it.
 
I was going to get the US version but read that you needed to have the Ubiquiti Controller as well. I have some time at the end of next week, so hopefully I can read the manual or find some good user advice online. Glad to hear you guys have positive experiences with the Ubiquiti lines. If I like this I will take a look at purchasing their other products for our new house.
Marc
 
That is the power of the unify line, the controller. You can use aniPads /iPhone app or your laptop download, as the controller. However, the real juice is when you add a $99 cloud key and you can access the whole config remotely, without vpn, etc. There is also secure router option and an ability to add a fiber backhaul or even a dedicated fiber switch .
The mesh wifi product is amazing. It can be fickle to set up, once it's up, it's remarkable. No dead spots, massive coverage with little issues from interior walls. Also a weatherproof external option. My signal works down the block.

The best part is that when your away and there is an issue, you can address and don't have to have the wife on your case the wifi stopped working...

My one word of caution with Ubnt is that you should never buy first launch hardware, unless you are very proficient in Ubnt products and code. You should consider their first launch as final beta for other tech manufacturers. There will be a massive firmware update a couple months after launch, at which point I think you can buy
 
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