NETGEAR and Ubiquiti compete in the network switch market focusing on small to medium-sized business needs. Ubiquiti seems to have an edge due to its user-friendly interface and centralized management advantages, making it appealing for less technical users.
Features: NETGEAR provides auto-sensing Ethernet connectivity, noise reduction, and remote management capabilities, ideal for flexible deployment in small enterprises. Their switches support VLANs and QoS for enhanced network customization. Ubiquiti offers centralized management via the Cloud Key UniFi controller, a straightforward interface, and reliable performance aimed at easy network configuration and management.
Room for Improvement: NETGEAR lacks advanced security features and struggles with complex VLAN management, posing challenges for larger networks. Their hardware setup is not always rack-friendly, and inconsistent firmware updates are a concern. Ubiquiti needs to bolster security features and improve its supply chain to meet market demand. Pricing for non-PoE models remains an issue, compounded by ongoing supply shortages.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NETGEAR's simple setup process is appreciated, but it faces criticism for customer service, with users encountering difficulties in obtaining knowledgeable support. Ubiquiti is praised for a smooth integration process, although live support access and supply chain issues present challenges.
Pricing and ROI: NETGEAR's pricing is competitive, offering good ROI with a flexible license model ideal for SMBs despite recurring fees for cloud-managed solutions. Ubiquiti offers cost-effective solutions, particularly for smaller deployments, with no additional licensing costs. Though price points for some models are high, the lack of recurring costs makes them attractive compared to high-tier brands.
Another solution offered to us was more than double the price, making UniFi a cost-effective choice.
We saw a return on investment within a year, although I believe there's more potential to be leveraged.
There are issues distinguishing which switches support cloud features.
The team is knowledgeable and efficient.
We would rate the technical support by Ubiquiti around 8 out of 10.
They have a large customer base that sometimes faces issues due to a lack of know-how in managing the devices.
The scalability of NETGEAR Switches is easy and very beneficial for us.
NETGEAR's scalability through its Insight Cloud system is on par with Ubiquiti's, although it must offer features beyond its competitors.
The solution is sufficiently scalable because the switches can be stacked.
I rate the scalability as nine out of ten.
If planning for future scalability, choosing switches that support extra modules for fiber optics is advisable.
We've experienced failures such as a 16-port dying after three to four years.
I did not experience any problems the whole year.
We have never experienced any problems with Ubiquiti UniFi Switches as they are consistently stable.
The switches are stable and there have been no outages.
They should introduce features like dual firmware or dual boot that allow systems to be updated without downtime.
They can improve on the commercial part, specifically the cost, as it is higher than other brands.
Recent updates have removed many options available in earlier versions, simplifying the interface but limiting control.
The current setup is closed and does not allow for integration with non-Ubiquiti VoIP devices or providers outside their ecosystem.
The choice depends on the network architecture and planning for the future scalability requirements.
Some high-end switches required for specific advanced features, like precision time protocols, can be more expensive.
Many vendors mark up prices significantly.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are cost-effective, offering similar performance and features as higher-priced alternatives like Cisco or Ruckus.
Pricing is very favorable, with minimal licensing involved.
The precision time protocol feature caught our interest for future use in specific settings like churches, where low latency is required.
The most valuable features are routing and access control.
I was involved in Kenya's last general elections where we used Ubiquiti equipment, both wireless and switching, which performed excellently.
I can manage user connectivity, limit bandwidth, apply MAC address filtering, and it offers POE capabilities.
The switches enable management from anywhere using the cloud controller, making configuration changes and management easier.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| NETGEAR Switches | 8.3% |
| Ubiquiti UniFi Switches | 7.7% |
| Other | 84.0% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 41 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 11 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 45 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 8 |
| Large Enterprise | 1 |
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."
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are managed Gigabit switches (Available with 24 or 48 RJ45 Gigabit ports) designed to meet all your network needs while delivering excellent performance. The switches’ excellent network performance is combined with fiber connectivity that includes two SFP ports and the ability to process traffic without putting packet loss at risk.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Are:
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Output Modes:
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Input Modes:
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Features:
Benefits of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches:
Reviews from Real Users
A PeerSpot user who is a Director of Technical Operations/CTO at a consultancy says "The ability to deploy quickly and then having one central location for all the settings are its most valuable aspects."
"The integration with the controller is one of the most valuable features of these switches. They are also very stable. For example, we have some equipment that we haven't touched for four years that is still reliable," says Doru I., Senior solutions architect at Aplix Technologies
Murali S., Management Consultant at a consultancy, explains that “For the world where you have to balance traffic and traffic loads and bandwidth, their GUI makes it really easy because the switches, though they are enterprise grade level two or level three switches, the GUI is designed so that it's easy to set up VLANs where you need to control your traffic so that your phones don't break up and get choppy because of other people loading the network down too heavily."
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