We use the solution for a small network and a small data center.
Easy to use, manage, and configure
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very stable and easy to use."
- "I would like to see more updates for the solution."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is very stable and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more updates for the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using HPE Ethernet Switches for a couple of years.
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HPE Ethernet Switches
October 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution ten out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
More than 250 users use HPE Ethernet Switches regularly in our organization.
I rate the solution’s scalability ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The solution’s technical support was good.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is very easy.
What about the implementation team?
The solution can be implemented through an in-house team. The solution's deployment process is very easy and includes designing the network and configuring VLAN.
What other advice do I have?
The solution's security features are very good, and I rate them ten out of ten. Two people are needed for the solution's deployment and maintenance. I would recommend the solution to other users. I rate the solution ten out of ten for ease of management and configuration.
Overall, I rate the solution ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Consultant and technical support at joudeh center for computer and modern software
An overall stable and scalable solution that can be run unmanaged
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable product is the unmanaged HP switch."
- "The solution would be easier to set up if its GUI could improve or if it had a wizard."
What is our primary use case?
The product can be used for integrated security in IT networks for small businesses with about 100 customers in one location. I can stack three of four switches in these cases.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable product is the unmanaged HP switch.
What needs improvement?
The price could be more competitive, and the product needs to improve its stability. Also, the solution would be easier to set up if its GUI could improve or if it had a wizard. Similarly, it would be easier to set up if the user manual could be more straightforward.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the product for three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the product's stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the product's scalability an eight out of ten. Twenty-five to 30 users use the product.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is somewhat straightforward. It is straightforward for unmanaged switches but managed switches might need technical support. It takes half an hour to one hour to deploy. When deploying the switches, we must set the steps to make VLANs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a yearly license. The solution could be cheaper.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We use Fortinet and Cisco for larger businesses because we may lack information about the scalability of Aruba's and HP's higher-level products.
What other advice do I have?
I rate HPE Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten. I recommend users start with unmanaged switches and take managed switches later.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
HPE Ethernet Switches
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about HPE Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
872,846 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Cloud onboarding is fast and has cooperative customer support
Pros and Cons
- "We were able to onboard HPE Ethernet Switches easily to the cloud. It was fast and took only five minutes to complete."
- "HPE Ethernet Switches must ensure that the updates and patching are done regularly. When we have new software updates, we can resolve issues quickly."
What is our primary use case?
We use HPE Ethernet Switches to connect access devices.
What is most valuable?
We were able to onboard HPE Ethernet Switches easily to the cloud. It was fast and took only five minutes to complete.
What needs improvement?
HPE Ethernet Switches must ensure that the updates and patching are done regularly. When we have new software updates, we can resolve issues quickly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
HPE Ethernet Switches is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Aruba's technical support is good and cooperative.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Cisco before HPE Ethernet Switches. We chose HPE because of our company's single-vendor policy.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is straightforward and takes less than five minutes. To deploy the solution, you need to know the site's size and number of users. This is important since you need to know the model that needs to be purchased.
What other advice do I have?
I rate HPE Ethernet Switches a ten out of ten. You must understand the product well so you won't waste money. You need to know the deployment to purchase the suitable model. There are different products which can result in high costs.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
IT Specialist at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has a simple and understandable user interface
Pros and Cons
- "I value that there is a clear place to find a MAC table with HPE Ethernet Switches."
- "The next release would benefit from adding a central management that could be deployable on premise and allow you to see the layout of topology."
What is our primary use case?
The use case of this solution depends on our client's environment. Some use HPE Ethernet Switches right out of the box, while some of them use models where the interface can only be opened by Internet Explorer.
The primary use cases would be office interconnection and industrial interconnection. The switches are best suited for our small or medium-sized clients.
What is most valuable?
For me, as an administrator, I value that there is a clear place to find a MAC table with HPE Ethernet Switches.
HPE Ethernet Switches are quite robust. I have not seen them damaged to the level that they are not operable anymore.
The solution has a simple and understandable user interface providing everything I need.
What needs improvement?
In the past, I have encountered configuration problems with the Spanning Tree Protocol. The switches were only handling a single loop. There were quite a few looped switches that could not handle the board blocking, creating the need to manually fight each loop. I have not had the same problems with the newer models of HPE Ethernet Switches.
HPE Ethernet Switches tend to hang from time to time, but all switches do that.
The next release would benefit from adding central management that could be deployable on-premise and allow you to see the layout of topology.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with HPE Ethernet Switches for about one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. HFE does not fail any more or less often than other switches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
HPE Ethernet Switches, especially the 1820s, are best suited to small or medium-sized organizations, however each case is model dependent. The switches we use, are used in large companies, but they are fractured into smaller layers of three subnets.
The solution is scalable, you can add a switch when you need to, and you can reconfigure it.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had the need to contact customer service and support. Any past issues, we were able to resolve by go through some of our forums.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Since our company provides services, we work with the switches that the clients have. Most of the switches we work with are HPE's, Cisco, and UniFi.
I found that when using Aruba or UniFi, you have to search for the MAC table from CLI. This is difficult because when someone calls using a MAC, I will not get the IP address and I need to guess where the user is.
UniFi requires less intervention in configuration, requiring some tune-up support. HPE needs to be configured manually.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of HPE Ethernet Switches is straightforward. The time it takes to deploy depends on the overall network configuration, including the number of LAN, number of up links and down links for that switch.
If you only need to connect the switch to the up link and give out for a test for the end devices, it would take a maximum of thirty minutes after installing the switch to its correct place.
In a case where there is a lot of VLAN with some trunking, deployment could take a couple of hours.
I would rate the initial setup of HPE Ethernet Switches a five out of five. They require little to no maintenance and are reliable enough.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As a technician, I am not certain of pricing, but I believe HPE is less expensive than Aruba and UniFi and that is why certain clients have chosen them as their solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend to anyone looking into implementing HPE Ethernet Switches to go for it if the price makes sense for their organization.
Overall, I would rate HPE Ethernet Switches an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
Simple to set up and lasts a long time, but some older models have low bandwidth
Pros and Cons
- "It's stable and performing well."
- "The scalability is limited."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use it for switches. We use it to interconnect all the LAN, and WAN switches. It's great for creating an interconnected network.
What is most valuable?
It's stable and performing well.
The solution is simple to set up.
We've been using old models for the longest time now. They're reliable and function well even after all this time. The wear factor is very low, and they're still reliable. If the bandwidth is not an issue, a company can use it for a very long time.
What needs improvement?
Some of the older versions have lower bandwidth.
The scalability is limited.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've used the solution for the longest time right now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and the performance is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It does not crash or freeze on us. It is reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can only scale so much. There are limitations in terms of the number of ports.
While we have one group using the switches, everyone is benefiting from them as we are using them to connect our networks.
We have about 3,000 users on the solution right now.
I'm not sure if we have plans to increase usage. We're still coming out of the pandemic.
How are customer service and support?
Our vendor usually provides support. We're satisfied with the level of service we have.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple. It's straightforward. It's not complex or difficult.
What about the implementation team?
My colleague implemented it with other switches.
The vendors who are bringing the switches to our company, or the vendors who are selling the switches, will provide the staff to help install the solution. Usually, there are around five persons at a maximum helping to assist.
What was our ROI?
We've seen an ROI. With some switches, they are still with us, they're still operational. We've only had to upgrade a bit which is the only reason why we're replacing them. If we didn't replace them for the upgrade they'd still be working. They last a very long time. You get your money's worth.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I can't speak to the exact licensing costs.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not familiar with which version we're using.
I'd recommend the solution to others.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head Of Business at Zeta-Web Nigeria Limited
Straightforward to set up, reliable, and easy to expand
Pros and Cons
- "It's straightforward to set up."
- "The product could always use better technical support."
What is our primary use case?
The on-prem deployment is usually used for SAN storage.
What is most valuable?
The devices are scalable and they have good performance.
It's straightforward to set up.
What needs improvement?
The product could always use better technical support.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been dealing with the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The performance is good and they are reliable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a product that can scale well. It's easy to expand as necessary.
We have two clients that use these switches.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support could be faster.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple. It's not overly complex or difficult.
The deployment only takes a few days. It's pretty quick to set up.
One engineer is enough in order to handle deployment and maintenance.
What was our ROI?
We have seen an ROI. Usually, there is a part of a combined solution, so the switches don't stand on their own. The switches are part of whatever you're trying to do in terms of server consolidation or if you're trying to convert your data center to a software-defined data center so you need good storage switches. They play their part in that solution. It's difficult to pick out the particular return on investment, however, they play their part in the whole infrastructure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't handle the actual licensing. I can't speak to the exact costs.
What other advice do I have?
We provide the solution to clients.
I've implemented the product enough to know it's a good solution. If it fits a company's needs, they should go ahead.
I'd rate it an eight out of ten. Our experience has been largely positive.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
IT Manager at a government with 51-200 employees
Effective, simple to use, stable, and easy to install but the GUI could be improved
Pros and Cons
- "It's fairly lightweight, they don't require a lot of maintenance."
- "The ability to stack, as well as a unified operating system, would be extremely beneficial."
What is our primary use case?
We use HPE Ethernet Switches for access control or access switches.
How has it helped my organization?
HPE Ethernet Switches have helped us build ACLs and VLANs.
What is most valuable?
They are effective.
We have some fairly simple requirements, we can do the things that we need to do, it gets the job done. The interfaces are more user-friendly than they were ten years ago.
It is simple to operate, and they have the feature sets that we require.
It's fairly lightweight, they don't require a lot of maintenance.
What needs improvement?
In general, the web GUI, or web interface, requires improvement.
Interface, and the ability to do things that are only possible through the command line, which seems pointless because there is no reason to have a command line for many of the functions.
The ability to stack, as well as a unified operating system, would be extremely beneficial. It isn't there. They are budget switches.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using HPE Ethernet Switches for 15 years.
We use several versions of this solution, ranging from the most recent to some that are over ten years old. We have a full spectrum of switches.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have no issues with the stability of HPE Ethernet Switches. It is stable and it works.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is determined by a pricing decision. HPEs are not at all a Juniper or anything like that, but for a budget shop like ours, they are adequate.
Our company has 250 users who use this product extensively.
How are customer service and support?
I have never contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we had not used another solution. We started with HPE Ethernet switches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is relatively straightforward.
It took a couple of hours to get it set up and configured.
I am responsible for the maintenance of the product.
What about the implementation team?
We did not use a consultant or integrator to assist us with the configuration, we did it ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no licensing fees, the price of the product is all that is required.
What other advice do I have?
It is what it is and can be used by anyone; no expertise or prior knowledge is required.
I would rate HPE Ethernet Switches a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Has a helpful user interface and provides good reliability
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's interface is helpful, and you can see the traffic."
- "The solution lacks certain protocols and has a limited warranty."
What is most valuable?
The solution's interface is helpful, and you can see the traffic. HPE Ethernet Switches is a reliable solution.
What needs improvement?
The solution lacks certain protocols and has a limited warranty. You have to pay extra to get more warranty on it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using HPE Ethernet Switches for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
HPE Ethernet Switches is a stable solution, but it depends on your requirements.
I rate the solution a nine out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable to a certain extent. You won't be able to do advanced networking on it. Around 100 users are using the solution in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support team will arrange for things to be changed or replaced.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution through an in-house team. To deploy the solution, you need to log on to the interface and configure whatever you need to configure. The solution can be deployed within minutes. The solution has a plug-and-play deployment process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
HPE Ethernet Switches is a fairly cheap solution. The solution does the job well for its price. You have to pay a lot more money for higher features, but then you are probably better off looking at higher-end switches. HPE Ethernet Switches are designed for smaller size businesses.
What other advice do I have?
The solution can be deployed on-premises and on the cloud. Integrating the solution with our existing network infrastructure was very easy.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: October 2025
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