Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Reviews

My primary use cases of this solution are for wireless, routing, and filtering. For example, we use one as an edge router for our DMZ, so people from outside can reach several DMZs from our enterprise organization.

The most valuable feature is its ability to multitask.

An area for improvement would be that it's very hard to configure if you're not familiar with the UI or CLI of the product. The UI itself could also be improved.

I've been using this solution for ten to twelve years.

The stability of this product is ok.

This solution is fairly scalable, though it is limited by the size of your CPU.

Technical support tends to give conflicting advice on how to configure the product.

I previously used Cisco ACI and Cisco Wireless but switched because of their pricing.

The initial setup was very complex.

I implemented this solution myself.

This product is fairly cheap compared to its competitors, and there are no additional costs.

I evaluated Cisco, Meraki, Ruckus, and SonicWall.

This is a very good product, and it can be used lightly, but you have to understand how it works before implementing it. I would give this product a score of seven out of ten.

We can configure it on our own and it works well. We don't need to do many changes on the device.

Its configuration is similar to Cisco switches. We don't have any unexpected problems with this solution.

The pricing is quite good.

The functionality is very good.

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.

We have been using the solution for half a year.

The solution is very stable. Once we set them up we don't need to worry about them anymore.

We've reached out to technical support, and we've had a good experience. Dell offers very good support.

We also use Cisco switches. They are very similar to this solution. Cisco and Dell have the same functionality. For Dell, however, it's two devices in one cluster. Still, it's very similar. I don't see any big difference between Cisco and Dell.

The initial setup is straightforward. It has an easy configuration. Once it's set up, you can basically walk away and forget it. 

Dell costs less than Cisco. Cisco, in comparison, is about four times more expensive.

We're just customers. We aren't partners with Dell.

The solution is fairly easy to use. We configured it and plugged it in, and now it works without a problem. We haven't had any issues with this platform after a year and a half of use.

We don't have any use cases with these devices currently. We do have corporate support from Dell because we bought switches and servers. I don't administrate servers, I only administrate on network infrastructure. 

The implementation we've done so far has been quite small. However, Dell is very good for big companies.

I'd recommend people buy the solution. It's much less expensive than Cisco, and yet it has the same functionalities.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

We do not use the product for access but for storage. We use it to connect to the storage. 

The product is cheap. 

The product needs to improve in terms of reports and backups. 

I have been working with the product for four to five years. 

The product is stable. 

The tool is scalable. 

The product's support is good and proactive. There are times when they see the problem beforehand. 

Positive

The tool's setup depends on the features that you need. The documentation is good. I don't see any problem with the solution's configuration. The tool's deployment can get completed in just a few hours. The solution's maintenance is good. 

The solution is worth its money. 

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

I would rate it a nine out of ten. The solution is a good switch but there is a learning curve for it. 

The ease of configuration and ease of use are great.

The solution is stable.

There's no maintenance required.

Dell offers very good support. 

I do not need any features added. I have no notes for improvement.

The pricing could always be a bit lower.

I've been using the solution for ten years. I've used the solution for a while at this point. 

It is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

We don't really deal with scaling. We are a small shop. It's likely better for smaller companies as opposed to large enterprises. 

I've used technical support in the past and have found them to be helpful and responsive. 

Positive

We do not require a lot of maintenance when dealing with the solution. This solution is deployed on-premises, not on the cloud. 

They are in a good price range for us. We do not find the solution to be too expensive. That said, we'd always like to see lower pricing. 

We are a customer and end-user. 

We use it in various environments for different customers.

Its throughout and compatibility are the most valuable. 

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.

I have been using this solution for five or six years.

It has good stability. I am happy with its stability. 

It is expensive to scale. Our clients are medium and large organizations.

Their technical support is good. Sometimes, there is a delay in the replacement of the parts, but they are generally good. Their documentation is also generally fine.

The initial setup depends on the environment. Sometimes, I need the inter-VLAN or layer 3 feature, which can be complex. In some of the modes, it is plug and play.

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

We evaluated Cisco, HP, Aruba, and Brocade. In most cases, the clients decide based on the brand and the price.

I would rate Dell PowerConnect Switches an eight out of ten.

We are a small operation and don't have a so-called data center. Our requirements are not complex and we really just need a firewall for downloading material. We use 48 port units. The switches have that capability and give us enough flexibility for when the time comes to really start segregating things. The product is used extensively but it doesn't require much maintenance. I'm an IT manager and we're Dell customers. 

The most valuable feature of this product is its reliability. Dell products are generally quite reliable in terms of all the servers and the desktop. 

I think accessibility and management could be improved. It would be helpful if it could be configured on a tablet or mobile. 

It would be great if at some point they came up with some web-based GUI app that allows you to easily manage and configure your switches.  

I've been using this product for six years. 

Over the many years we've been using this solution, we've had maybe one of two issues, usually related to crashes in our network rather than problems with the solution. There haven't been any connectivity issues. 

Scalability is not an issue in this product. 

I don't think the initial setup is complex, we managed to do it ourselves without any problem. As long as all your cabling is properly numbered and you know where they lead on your patch panel, then you're okay.

There are no additional costs other than purchasing the solution which is quite reasonably priced. 

In terms of costs and reliability, they are okay. It might not be able to do more complex things so anyone looking to use the solution would need to figure out their requirements. 

I would rate this solution a nine out of 10. 

We are customers of Dell and I'm a systems administrator. Our primary use case for the product is connecting the main core, the data center, with core switches. We have six floors in the building and on each floor we have two switches we connected using stack technology with a fiber network in between.

There are many valuable features - the cost was the best we found with comparable products. The technology is good and the interface is simple. We haven't had any bugs, disconnections or delays. It's good because we use it for streaming videos and things like that. There were no issues during implementation and we haven't had any issues in the time we've been using the product. 

A possible way the product could be improved would be to allow integration between other brands like HP or Cisco. It would be great if you could use the interface with more than one brand. Compatibility would be a good feature but it's unlikely to happen. 

Stacking and fiber cords would be good additional features in the next release. Because of the stackings, you lose some boards and the two switches. If they made a core cable that would be better. 

This is a new product for us and we've been using it for the last four, five months only. We're using the latest version. 

We haven't needed to contact technical support. 

In the previous project I used Sophos but it's for a different purpose with junior board switches. Now we're dealing with a security project so it's a different kind of project with different requirements. 

The initial setup was very straightforward and easy. It's a good feature in Dell switches.

Deployment throughout the building, including core switches, data switches, connecting the wires and fiber cable took about 10 days. We had two people assisting us from the vendor company and three people from our company. Initial deployment is the responsibility of the vendor. 

We evaluated numerous options before choosing Dell including Fortinet, HP and Cisco. But really it was this solution that worked given our budget and for installation, it was a good solution in terms of technical support, scalability, availability and a lot of things. It satisfied our requirements.

I would rate this product an eight out of 10. 

The primary use case of this solution is for storage and connectivity.

The support is just so good that there is no reason to re-evaluate because of the impact on the trust structure of operations. 

There has never been a recorded event, even though we have had maybe, sixty, sixty-five, or even seventy incidents on the Proactive Care interventions data that have taken place.

I can recall at least three in the last five years, with physical outages, that were recovered without any impact on the operations. 

The most valuable features are the jumbo frames and the stacking.

Proactive care is the highest level of support contract that you can have.

Everything from A to Z is better managed with Dell Support.

Scalability, especially with the power connect series is something that you have to take into account before starting the project because any changes to an ongoing project can be difficult.

This solution is 100% stable. There are no issues. There are failures, but the failures are backed up. Most of our failures have been studied by Dell Proactive Care before they even occur.

If there is an issue, like a hardware failure, then the configuration is set up in a way that there is a redundancy. The redundancy is confirmed, it's then checked and double-checked.

The impact on the operation is zero.

Usually, we don't even update them. We only apply patches to the storage switches, when they go, or when they are phased out.

That's usually the only time we do any maintenance on them, because it's such a critical factor, if the storage goes down, that has a massive impact on the environment.

Generally, there is no maintenance unless it is proactive maintenance or if there is a major fault.

Scalability, especially with the power connect series is something that you have to take into account before starting the project because any changes to an ongoing project can be difficult.

The hardware has already been purchased, and the contract has already been disclosed.

Scalability is dependant on your perspective. You can add another power connector that is the same with the same details, but scalability when it comes to sizing and increasing the capacity is more difficult and more complex.

The technical support is better than Cisco's. It's awesome and better than the others.

For the knowledge-based articles, the support web page is better designed. It is more categorized and structured.

Everything from A to Z is better managed with Dell Support.

For LAN switching it's always been Cisco.

For LAN switches it's always been Cisco and for Storage Networks it's always been with Dell.

I have never mixed them.

The initial setup is straightforward with complex settings. It's not as simple as taking it out of the box and assign an IP. Some parameters need to be checked.

Dell is very good at documenting, they provide best practices, and they check to see if you have applied those setting before activating the Proactive Care support contract.

Depending on the size, the deployment takes one or two days. If you have some experience it's easy and flexible.

I would say that a client without experience could perform the setup because the command line interface is very similar to Cisco. The entry-level two thousand series are pretty straightforward. The eight thousand and higher series would require some assistance from Dell to get the latest firmware, the proper configuration, and the proper support contract.

My advice would be to go with Proactive Care.

Proactive care is the highest level of support contract that is available or provided by Dell.

I would say it's recommended, especially for the power connector for a higher level and various switches like the eight thousand series and higher. 

My advice would be to always call for Proactive Care support contracts because they will make sure you get the best service that is available.

There is no need for improvement because they are proactively maintained by Dell themselves.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.