Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] vs ExtremeSwitching comparison

Dell Technologies and Extreme Networks are both solutions in the LAN Switching category. Additionally, 90% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Extreme Networks users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Read 34 Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] reviews

90% willing to recommend

ExtremeSwitching

Read 25 ExtremeSwitching reviews

1,100 Views
880 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

ExtremeSwitching

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] and ExtremeSwitching based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in LAN Switching.

To learn more, read our detailed LAN Switching Report (Updated: January 2026).

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LAN Switching

January 2026

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Helped 881,360 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

ExtremeSwitching

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

LAN Switching (7th), Data Center Networking (8th), AV Over IP Switching (3rd)

Featured Reviews

LarsEvans

Chief Technology Officer / Chief Information Security Officer at Lorton Data, Inc.

Reliable and useful for network segmentation

The solution's most valuable feature stands up well. The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time. I think if you speak about the features that have a flow and you can measure, it is hard to say. I don't spend a lot of my time with the tool, but I know that Dell APEX is the solution's cloud. I would say the VLAN features are important. The VLAN features are really useful because network segmentation is important. I would say the tool is easy to program. I don't know if the tool has any security features that I am aware of other than the fact that the solution is for networking. The VLAN and the ability to segment your networks are easy, which is its security feature.

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Shrikant Teggi

Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi

Excellent support and reliable performance drive positive experiences

We have been working with wireless for the last seven to eight years. At the moment, the customer has decided to go with a different brand. We are only dealing with the wired switches, not the wireless ones. We use ExtremeSwitching only, not Enterasys. Enterasys was the old one. I am not a networking person, so at this point in time I do not have much working experience on the switches. We have a separate team here who are working on these products. We have not reached that stage yet, but definitely in the near future we may use this kind of feature. Recently they have introduced platform one, which is an AI-based automation tool. That is definitely on the cards. Maybe in one year, we may start using that option as well. First of all, the product is robust and they are also coming up with new features. The second part is the support is excellent from ExtremeSwitching. They maintain delivery time and follow through on their commitments properly. The performance we expected, we are getting from ExtremeSwitching. All these requirements we have are being met with the product, features, and support. It is cost effective. I rate ExtremeSwitching a nine out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"There is high reliability since we have used them for close to twenty years and only had possibly one failure."

"Its throughout and compatibility are the most valuable."

"The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that it is a stable and reliable product covered with good warranties and prices that ensure deep discounts for partners."

"The features I've found most valuable are that the product is very easy to configure and inexpensive."

"Dell PowerConnect Switches are easy to configure."

"The solution’s technical support is good."

"The solution's most valuable feature is its good integration with solutions from other vendors."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is simplicity."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros

"ExtremeSwitching fabric technology is a unique technology used to protect against viruses. ExtremeCloud IQ is a very good and feature-rich solution compared to Cisco, Ruxi Networks, or Huawei."

"It is very reliable because one of the reasons is the non-blocking architecture of Extreme Networks."

"The most valuable features of ExtremeSwitching are that they are robust and have plenty of features. There is a lot of functionality. They have a lot of other features ExtremeSwitching that you can get involved with but I haven't been using many of them."

"Setup was easy. It only took a couple of hours to set up."

"ExtremeSwitching switches are highly reliable."

"They are good. We have been using them for about two years, and we are satisfied with their performance. For our network environment, these switches are working fine."

"The unique ring topology is actually a handy innovation."

"Our vendors are great and they offer very good support services."

More ExtremeSwitching pros

Cons

"The CLI for Dell PowerConnect Switches is sometimes confusing, especially with the LAN, but for the GUI it is simple."

"It would be great to have modules that integrate with SDN solutions such as Cisco ACI, Arista SDN, Huawei Agile, and IBM."

"Their hardware is not reliable, it's faulty."

"We've only been using the solution for half a year. We haven't run into any issues, but maybe over time, that may change. It's too soon to tell. Offhand, there aren't any features that are lacking."

"I would like to see better scalability and more features on these switches in the future."

"A big issue with this product is that when our customer migrated the data center, one cluster blocked the whole network and because we had a new approach, some commands were not compatible with the new version."

"There should be more port options in this switch. Currently, it has 24 or 48 ports. However, some of our customers require only 8 ports, but I have to put a switch with 24 ports. They should provide smaller solutions and complimentary access point for companies like ours with a low quantity of work. The main issue with this product is branding. They should improve their branding and promote their brand more in Mexico. Customers are more aware of brands like Cisco as compared to Dell."

"Accessibility and management could be improved."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons

"There are latency issues that need to be addressed."

"ExtremeSwitching should provide command lines more readily without needing in-depth searching on their support portal, especially for unique configurations."

"I believe they should be more aggressive in terms of pricing."

"While it is true of all vendors, there may be a slightly lower reliability standard."

"The solution lacks a cyber asset attack capability."

"ExtremeSwitching switches are not prevalent in the industry, so it's harder to go online and research how to deploy their APs or switches. There is a broader user community for Cisco and Juniper because they've been around for a while and everybody has a bit of knowledge they can publish online."

"The interface could be improved."

"ExtremeSwitching is scalable to a certain extent for SME-segmented IP."

More ExtremeSwitching cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In my opinion, it is a product that is priced somewhere in the middle, making it a well-priced solution in the middle. It is not a very cheap product."

"The price of these switches is okay."

"I would rate the pricing as a seven or eight."

"Its price is okay. Sometimes, it is lower than a Cisco solution."

"Dell PowerConnect switches are cheaper than Cisco switches. Cisco's higher capacity switches (100 or 200 gigs) are super-expensive. With the higher capacity, the price of the switches and the price of the architecture go high. Dell is cheaper and modular. So, I don't need to invest 100% upfront. I can invest as I progress. That is an option because the chassis will not be populated with all the pluggables. I have a choice because it is modular. I can go for 25 gigs today, and after four months, I can go for 100 gigs, and after that, I can go for 200 gigs. I have a choice when it is not a fixed switch."

"Pricing for Dell PowerConnect Switches is quite competitive compared to Cisco and HP pricing. Dell has cheaper pricing and the company is trying to push for sales for its switching infrastructure because right now, the current market is dominated by Cisco. In the US market, there's Cisco, HP, Juniper, and Arista which you can buy for data center switching meant for different kinds of enterprises and ISPs. Dell PowerConnect Switches, on the other hand, is a product for people who need smaller setups or individual switches, especially those looking for a cheaper product and basic switching, though you can also buy a complete suite packaged with the switches."

"The product is cheaper than Cisco and licensing is yearly. We have to pay additional costs for support."

"PowerConnect Switches are priced well."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice

"The price is expensive. We pay for a license, but you have to pay more if you want to increase the number."

"The pricing and licensing are good with the cloud."

"The product is expensive."

"There is no license required to use the solution. The hardware controller is expensive, and this is why I prefer controlling ExtremeSwitching on the cloud."

"There is a cost for ExtremeSwitching and if you want the support and maintenance, there are additional costs. My clients typically pay for the support and maintenance annually."

"It is not a subscription-based model, and there is no licensing concept. We have to pay for hardware AMC. We have hardware on our premises and for the hardware support, we have to go for the annual maintenance contract with the partner."

"We paid 25,000 to 30,000 INR."

"On pricing, ExtremeSwitches are going to beat most of the major competition."

More ExtremeSwitching pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Energy/Utilities Company

10%

University

Manufacturing Company

18%

Computer Software Company

University

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	21
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerConnect Switches?

Dell PowerConnect Switches have a VTL feature similar to Cisco's VSS. With VTL, using this technology, you can cluster two switches together to increase redundancy in the environment.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerConnect Switches?

The solution is cheaper than Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerConnect Switches?

Some proprietary commands available in Cisco are preferred by users accustomed to Cisco systems. These users might hesitate to switch because they want to continue using familiar commands and see t...

See all answers

What do you like most about ExtremeSwitching?

The product offers a single management platform for multiple models of switches. The tool also allows users to manage multiple sites from a single dashboard.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeSwitching?

I would rate the pricing for ExtremeSwitching six to seven out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with ExtremeSwitching?

Regarding what could be better with the product, I am not aware of how much AI functionality is provided in ExtremeSwitching. Everyone is talking about AI, so there should be AI facilities provided...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 38% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 20% of the time

HPE ProCurve vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 16% of the time

Dell PowerSwitch N-Series vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Nexus vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 13% of the time

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Competitors

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs ExtremeSwitching

Compared 48% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs ExtremeSwitching

Compared 13% of the time

Enterasys Campus LAN Switches vs ExtremeSwitching

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco FabricPath vs ExtremeSwitching

Compared 9% of the time

Ixia Bypass Switches vs ExtremeSwitching

Compared 8% of the time

More ExtremeSwitching Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

January 2026

Download Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

ExtremeSwitching

January 2026

Download ExtremeSwitching product report

Also Known As

PowerConnect Switches

No data available

Overview

PowerConnect Switches family offers a set of flexible, manageable and comprehensive switch solutions supporting up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and optimized Internet iSCSI (iSCSI) performance with Dell Storage solutions, ideal for enterprise and campus LAN environments alike.

Dell Technologies

ExtremeSwitching is the family of products comprising different switch types: Modular (X8 and 8000 series [formerly BlackDiamond] and S and K series switches); Stackable (X-series and A, B, C, and 7100 series switches); Standalone (SSA, X430, and D, 200, 800, and ISW series); and Mobile Backhaul (E4G). ExtremeSwitching work from Edge Switching that ensures the performance and reliable operation of end-user devices and applications including port density, bandwidth, and network services to Aggregation / Core Switches is designed for the demanding needs of aggregation, top-of-rack and campus core environments, these switches deliver 10Gb, 40Gb and even 100Gb bandwidth with maximum throughput and reliability.

Extreme Networks

Sample Customers

Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University

Blue Waters

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in LAN Switching. Updated: January 2026.

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