Cisco and NETGEAR Ethernet Switches compete in the networking hardware category. Cisco appears to have the upper hand due to its reliability and performance in complex environments, while NETGEAR provides a cost-effective solution for smaller networks.
Features: Cisco Ethernet Switches are notable for stability, ease of use, and scalability, offering robust technical support and a comprehensive feature set. NETGEAR Switches provide affordability, simple setup, and remote management capabilities, making them suitable for basic networking tasks.
Room for Improvement: Cisco's pricing and complexity in licensing are barriers to budget-restricted users. They can improve by simplifying configurations and enhancing software stability. NETGEAR lacks some advanced features and security protocols, limiting their use in complex environments; firmware stability and expanded VLAN management would enhance their offerings.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Switches are adaptable for on-premises, hybrid, and private cloud environments, with generally high-rated technical support despite some complaints about complexity. NETGEAR switches are praised for straightforward on-premises deployment and user-friendly nature, offsetting concerns about less comprehensive support.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco products are premium with high upfront and licensing costs, but offer high ROI due to longevity and performance. NETGEAR's straightforward pricing appeals to budget-conscious buyers, providing a favorable price-to-performance ratio for smaller setups.
NETGEAR Ethernet Switches is an Ethernet solution that offers businesses of all sizes the ability to easily set up secure and highly scalable networks. Small to medium-sized companies have the option to choose from three different switching options. The three options that are most appropriate for businesses of this size are the NETGEAR Unmanaged, Plus, and Smart Switch solutions. If you're managing a large enterprise network or a campus network, then NETGEAR Fully Managed Infrastructures is the solution for you. All the NETGEAR Ethernet Switches and solutions are innovative, easy to install and use, reliable, and very cost-effective.
NETGEAR Ethernet Switches have many features that make them a most effective product. Included in these is the ability to virtually stack IP addresses in such a way that users can scale their network up with ease. These IP addresses are grouped together. Once additional data ports are connected, you have only a single switch to manage and you gain both a much higher level availability of data and a greater level of network resilience.
Benefits of NETGEAR Ethernet Switches
Some of the benefits of using NETGEAR Ethernet Switches include:
Reviews from Real Users
There are a number of characteristics that make NETGEAR Ethernet Switches extremely effective. Two major ones are its inherent flexibility and its user-friendly nature.
PeerSpot user Kevin W., a network delivery architect at a tech-services company, notes that NETGEAR Ethernet Switches gives users the ability to tailor the switches to fit their needs. He writes, "The big winner for NETGEAR is their modular switch: the 96X version. That is something that you don't see in the market anywhere else, except for Cisco who has it at a high level for a high expense. The ability to customize your own switch with their modules is a big plus for what we do in the market right now. Instead of having to piece together standardized switches, trying to make something work, or fitting the design into the mold, the modular switches are aware that you can make a mark in the industry because you purchased one switch and design with different modules added and removed later on for functionality."
PeerSpot user Chris W., a system engineer at Diversified, notes just how easy they are to use when he writes, "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."
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