Huawei Ethernet Switches Reviews

We are partners and work for the customer as a partner as well as an integrator. The use case is for connecting a central location with some branches using Huawei Ethernet Switches. 

The configuration is easy with a GUI apart from the command line. We used only the basic features, focusing on configuring VLANs and routing between them.

The most valuable features are the ease of configuration, availability of a GUI apart from the command line, and basic features such as VLAN configuration and routing between VLANs.

I did not delve into advanced features or security implementations, so I cannot comment on those areas. Possibly more advanced features could need improvement.

I have been using Huawei Ethernet Switches for around six months to one year.

The stability is good based on my experience with basic features. I cannot comment on the advanced level as I didn't work with them.

Scalability depends on the infrastructure. For a small setup, it works well. However, for bigger setups, more people might be required.

We have also used Fortinet and Check Point. I am not in a place to differentiate Huawei Ethernet Switches from these.

The configuration is easy with a GUI available apart from the command line. Time for setup varies because integrating with existing networks and other vendors can extend the process.

If you work more deeply with the product, you will come to know more about its capabilities and issues.

We've used them in shopping malls, hotels, and educational institutions for their campus LAN networks, along with Cisco switches and WLCs.

The product supported our customers' business growth thus far. It helps our customers' businesses.

The customers mainly choose Huawei instead of Cisco due to pricing. Huawei offers similar features at a cheaper price compared to Cisco. 

In some projects, I've observed that they are willing to lower their prices to compete with Cisco and expand their market share.

There is room for improvement in the customer support and services. The response time could be better.

Huawei can add AI-driven features to Ethernet switches.  

I have worked with this solution for one to two years. 

In some cases, they are scalable. With some modular switches, you can add network interface module cards for future expansion and increased user capacity.

I would rate the scalability of Huawei switches as seven out of ten. There is room for improvement here. 

We have sought their support in some cases, and they are good too.

Neutral

I'm focused on Cisco business. But in some cases, if we can't convince a customer to go with Cisco, we provide Huawei as a quality solution. And in a few cases, customers specifically want Huawei, so we provide that as well. We have a diverse product range.

Specifically, Cisco provides timely iOS and firmware upgrades regularly. Customers also appreciate the longevity of Cisco switches, which can be used for ten years without any hassle.

I would rate the ease of managing Huawei Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten. It's easy. 

It is also easy to implement in the first place. Not much configuration is needed. It's easier to finish.

Overall, I would rate it a seven out of ten. Because in some cases, issues happen. With the PoE (Power over Ethernet) switches, customers sometimes purchase 24-volt PoE features in Huawei, and the core or five ports don't work. Compared to Cisco, this happens much earlier in the switch's lifespan. I've seen this in some switches, so it could be improved.

We use the solution in-house. The network we have is not a very large one and we have in the vicinity of 300 terminals. So, it is used with IP telephony. 

We also use the solution for all the classic interactions between the terminals and memories, which is how these switches are classically used. This is different than the cases that we study and we tell our clients what to do since we are an engineering consultancy. So, we work with the government building for more than 3,000 access points. This would involve hospitals with 2,000 or more access points in respect of medical energy. We are currently working on towers building and are endeavoring to move into a passive optical local area network.

The switches will be replaced by splitters. This is a completely optical device by which the switch is at the office or the room end. I foresee this as the future, in which the entire layer of switches will disappear. I don't know if you are up to speed on the current trends, but these concern passive optical local area networks in which all the intelligent switching is in the main room with the big OLTs. In this case we are splitting an optical, meaning the fiber will go to the room or even to the device, not to the office. This will depend on whether the device has an optical interface.

So, we are making strides and advising our customers, which is not easy. 

The solution did improve our organization. For example, we had an application, which is a building beam for building information modeling. This involved tremendous number crunching and many files involving the building engineering structure. We were suffering from latency from the network speed and had to make servers especially for this application. These servers are virtualized. Of course, the speed of the switches allowed us to have a stable installation especially for this application. We are talking about a major application, involving a software collaborative work such as Autodesk Revit. 

We are now discovering these and are at ease with this new installation. We now feel at ease when it comes to working on this.

The price should be lowered as concerns flash backup. This would enable us to get rid of all of the mechanical, hard disks, as we currently have a mixture of flash and classic hard disks. I feel that technology is progressing fast enough and I believe that in the near future, within the next 12 months, we'll be able to add all flash backup systems to our solution. As for the switches, I think they will be all right for some time to come. If the network were to  improve sufficiently, we would be able to make more use of the cloud, even as concerns the telephone. However, this is not the case at present. 

It is difficult for me to point to other areas needing improvement as we have been using the technology for a relatively short period, only around five months, and I am trying to digest what we have. My network engineers would be in a better position to address this issue. Also while our installation is not that large, we are working on huge projects. These are new to Morocco, consisting of two or three years, which is not that much. 

This said, we would like to see additional backup solutions, since we have several degrees of backup. For the moment, the final one involves magnetic tapes, which is an IBM solution. We would like to take the thread of these magnetic tapes and have Huawei help us with strategic backup. One of the reasons we backup our system is for fear of ransomware, but we are required to backup everything by the end of each day or at the close of each week. It would be nice to see other solutions which would allow this, as I am not satisfied with the current one involving the use of magnetic tape. 

I am not certain that using the cloud is a solution for the time being in Morocco. We are looking with Huawei at the possibility of using hardware. This is a point of concern. 

Moreover, we would like to see more security applications. We have network security, such as Fortinet and Fortigate, but we would like to see Huawei come out with its own solution. Maybe this already exists but, if so, it is not yet very well known. 

We are satisfied with the switches and, in our approximately six months experience, have not encountered problems. We have not had stoppages or buffer memory. What I would like to see is a complete solution in which the network security is integrated with the switching as well. This way, we could have a single source for the network and not need to rely on Fortinet and Fortigate. 

As far as wifi access is concerned, we do have a system, I believe called HP Aruba, but it is old. It would be nice to see this integrated. We are not looking to change things in the short term, but to undertake a six to ten month overhaul involving the wifi and integration of 5G and IOT into our network. 

We have been using Huawei Ethernet Switches for around five or six months. It's a new experience for us. 

So far, so good when it comes to stability. In the six months which have transpired since using the solution we have yet to encounter any problems. With Alcatel we encountered several problems over the same period. These were solved with internal memory of switches. With Dell we had to restart it to clean the buffers. Since we started using Huawei Ethernet Switches we have not even had occasion to call support. This is in contrast to our experience with Alcatel, although I must point out that they solved our issues rapidly. 

The support is there and I did not have any problems with it. They intervene very quickly when the backup is there. They answer all questions and the online help line is efficient. It's very good. Huawei also has hundreds of engineers, including Chinese and Moroccan. So, it is well established, which is not the case with others. We have been working for many years with big telephone and communication companies and recently, about three years ago, they got involved in business applications. They have a policy, which is not in place from the beginning. They started to attack the business applications. They had the switches on the floor. I am talking about the Datacom, big structures. They then extended it with a great team. I believe they have involvement in 5G in Morocco, which will be operational by the end of the year, perhaps sooner. They are well established in this country.

There was a need for us to upgrade our network to one gigabit and to enable fiber channel capabilities. We contemplated all the options available in Morocco, meaning Alcatel, HP, Huawei and several others, all of the ones utilizing Oracle. In the past we made use of Avaya, as we are an engineering consultancy, meaning we deal with big offices and hospitals. So, we know about these things.

We considered all the capabilities of these switches, as well as the price and performance. We came to the realization that Huawei provides much better performance for the same price, even when taking into account very aggressive commercial policies. The prices were lower by 20 or 30 percent with more powerful features. Very importantly, we were able to to take out a five-year guarantee, with a four-year extension option. We are talking only about switches, not servers. In contrast, the other solutions only offered one to two years tops. 

The deployment took some time and I would have liked it to be faster. It took a couple of weeks or so. 

When it came to the initial setup I had my engineers do all the work. It took us a couple of months to decide on the configuration and to choose the switches.

This said, I would have to consult with our network engineers to properly address the initial installation. It is they who provided me with three detailed reports about the solution and its capacity. 

I do know that we conducted meetings with HP, Huawei and Alcatel. While I don't know what the future of switching holds for the latter I can say that Alcatel is alright. With this company we had some installation done of high end products for a hotel. 

The price is the best, 20 percent cheaper than apple to apple and with an extended warranty. 

You should know that we also contemplated the Cisco Suite, but found it to be excessively expensive. It is simply overpriced. Even as Cisco is very established in Morocco, big telecom companies are going the route of Huawei and Nokia. Cisco provides its own passive optical solution. We are contemplating the solutions offered by IBM, Nokia, Cisco and Huawei and our focus is on big installations campus-wise and on big hotels. We are trying to introduce the passive optical technologies, with all the advantages they offer. 

We are dealing with all these things in our office. We now have ease when it comes to back-up. We have a very fast spotted system with hard disk storage of 36 terabytes, meaning it is a mixed hybrid which combines flash disks and classic CDs. I am talking about the interface. The old 32 terabyte flash is extremely expensive. We are a mid-sized company, not very big. So our approach is to have this hybrid flash storage system, which allows us considerable speed but with a reasonable price.

As mentioned, our solution is a hybrid. We have certain applications in the cloud, such as office 365. We have other applications, such as engineering software. We also have it in private cloud. For the time being we have a mixed solution as we cannot, at present, put everything in the cloud. In Morocco, the internet connection speed is good but it can be better, since we have huge files with which we must work interactively. 

So, sometimes we work on-site and then the file will be stored in the cloud, but all the number crunching is used in working stations on the site, not PCs.

Internally there are around 70 users making use of the solution in our organization and externally around 40 engineers and technicians who are connected to our network country-wide. We even have our mailing system in-house. We use an English-based electronic document, such as PDF, which we have in the cloud. For the moment, our solution is a hybrid between the scientific and office application. 

We are using the solution daily and it comprises our entire network, all our work. If it stops we lose money. We use it all the time. Of course, we have the standby generator and all the redundancy of static uninterruptible power supplies, since a single hour of stoppage would equal thousands of euros lost. We are very careful about that. We have one or two configured switches so we can just plug it in and continue to work. We have yet to encounter this problem. 

My advice to others who are considering implementing the solution is to negotiate aggressively. Huawei is very good at negotiating, but it is important for the consumer to know the nuts and bolts of the proposal and to derive from it the maximum. Someone with technical knowledge can get many more concessions from Huawei than one without. 

I rate Huawei Ethernet Switches as an eight out of ten, as nothing is perfect. This is because the deployment took some time and I would have liked it to be faster. 

I've been selling Huawei switches here in Pakistan. This is used as a switch. It can be used for firewalls and other PoE switches. 

They are very user-friendly. Handling Huawei is very easy.

It is a stable product.

The solution is scalable.

I have found the deployment process to be pretty fast.

It's an affordable product.

I'm still learning the solution. 

There are some support issues.

I've been using the solution for five years. 

The solution is stable. I'd rate it eight out of ten. It is reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

The solution can scale. I'd rate the scalability potential 7.5 or eight out of ten. 

We have a variety of clients using the solution. Usually, they are companies in the public sector. 

We've had issues with support in our region. They do help us with support issues and really try to get us answers. However, there can be a delay in getting a response and it isn't consistent. 

Positive

I'm also familiar with HPE. 

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. I'd rate the ease of deployment 7.5 out of ten. 

Deployment can be finalized in just a few hours. 

The pricing is okay. They support various partners. I'd rate the pricing ten out of ten. They are affordable. 

I'm an authorized Huawei partner and reseller. 

The solution is good, however, sometimes, we have issues with technical support. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. 

One scenario where Huawei Ethernet Switches improved network efficiency was last year when a customer needed switches with 10 gigabits, which are not very common in the market. Huawei provided this kind of switch, enabling the customer to upgrade their network from 1 gigabit to 10 gigabit speeds across all devices.

The tool offers a range of switches from basic to high-end models, with different features. 

The solution's marketing could be better. It spends money on marketing but doesn't highlight the most important features. Sometimes, it provides too much information, which can confuse customers.

We considered and evaluated other switches besides Huawei Ethernet Switches. Sometimes, customers specifically ask for other brands or another partner who is already working with them. However, we know the resources in Huawei and have good communication with the brand. 

Initially, our customers had some questions and doubts about these devices. However, now they understand their value and have told us that they are among the best on the market.

Our clients integrate the tool with other solutions. We try to sell a complete solution with all Huawei components. Integrating WLAN or access points from other brands sometimes causes issues, but these cases are exceptions.

I would recommend it. We tell our customers about the many benefits of our technology when they speak with us. I rate the overall product a ten out of ten. 

We use Huawei Ethernet Switches for business networks and connectivity.

The solution’s stability could be improved. Huawei Ethernet Switches have not automated its firmware.

I have been using Huawei Ethernet Switches for two years.

I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten for stability.

Huawei Ethernet Switches is a scalable solution. The solution's scalability depends on the model that you buy. We have the number of users for the solution ranging from 20 to 600.

The solution’s technical support is good.

We previously used different solutions like Cisco, Aruba, Avaya, D-Link, and TP-Link.

Since I am a technical person, the solution's initial setup is easy for me.

I deployed Huawei Ethernet Switches in 20 minutes.

We only pay one-off instead of paying recurring license fees.

We need two people for the solution's deployments and maintenance. I would recommend the solution to other users. Once you purchase and finish configuring the solution, you don't do much configuration on it anymore.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten.

Huawei has a portfolio of switches for access, aggregation, and core layers. They offer various solutions for different use cases and meet the requirements of other projects. For example, we use Fort Knox cloud compass solution for cloud networking.

Huawei switches come in small, medium, and large capacities and can be used for monitoring and switching. They also offer alternatives like Huawei Altheirs, which provides all-in-one switching, security, and VPN routing functions for routers.

We have several customers, including those in high education, oil and gas, banking, insurance, and government companies, as well as some ministries. Huawei Ethernet Switches are very reliable and provide excellent performance.

Compared with other brands like Cisco, modular cards may have some security issues or vulnerabilities. The only thing that could be better is the security module.

I've been working with Huawei switches for a few years now. I use it for projects that include routing, security, and performance optimization features.

It is a stable solution.

Huawei offers both cloud-based and non-cloud-based Ethernet switches with varying levels of scalability. Just like with security, you should consider scalability as well. There is a big difference in putting security for the switches, especially with the increasing number of cybersecurity threats. You should also consider a scalable security solution for future needs.

Regarding my experience with customer service and support, technical support is essential, especially when designing and configuring switches. The level of support required may vary depending on the project manager and the scale of the project. It's worth noting that the level of interaction with the customer may differ depending on the local Huawei and the R&D team. However, it's always important to negotiate and agree on the support needed to ensure the project is successful.

The initial setup is very straightforward. The setup is different depending on the situation. However, with the network management system and iMaster, it's easy to deploy and configure the switches for normal or batch configurations. I think it's a useful solution.

The deployment process varies depending on the situation. But with the iMaster, you can easily input the necessary configurations for many switches at once.

Moreover, it depends on the customer's requirements. Do they have an existing network, or do we need to build a new one? If it's a new network, it will be easier. We can make access aggregation in the form of specs and then make it work for the customer. We need to know the MAC address to make it work. For example, network management can be different for different customers, depending on their existing network. It's not difficult, but it can be challenging for wireless.

If you have the basic function, there's no problem. However, you must purchase a license if you require advanced features or additional functionality beyond the basic setup. It applies to all customers, not just myself, and purchasing a license is perfectly acceptable and necessary to access these additional features.

I would advise you should make a good design, and the project will be easier.

Overall, I would rate Huawei Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten.

Our primary use case is for telecommunication companies like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, Huawei Ethernet Switches. It serves as the backbone for connectivity, internet access, and user profiles.

Huawei Ethernet Switches excel in compatibility with other brands, offering features to ensure seamless communication with existing protocols. This allows them to work alongside switches from different manufacturers, such as Cisco, by making adjustments on both ends for compatibility. 

Deploying Huawei Ethernet Switches in an organization offers advantages, especially if the decision is made early in the process and the company opts for a single-vendor approach. This simplifies implementation and customization, often resulting in lower prices and tailored solutions from Huawei. However, excessive customization can lead to support issues and challenges in knowledge transfer during employee turnover. 

I have been using Huawei Ethernet Switches for the past three years. 

Huawei Ethernet Switches offer scalability in size, impacting network expansion plans based on specific needs and user demands. The scalability rating would be around 7 .5 out of 10

Huawei offers excellent support, with prompt responses and a proactive approach. They have local representatives who replicate issues in China, providing solutions quickly. If needed, they send a team to assist onsite. 

The initial setup of Huawei Ethernet Switches is straightforward, rating it highly on ease of use.

Huawei Ethernet Switches are very competitively priced, almost 4 out of 10.However, the low price point may sometimes raise concerns about quality for some companies.

I would rate Huawei Ethernet Switches a seven out of ten. it's essential to conduct a proof of concept and monitor performance over time, especially in multi-vendor environments.