8 best switches

For the organization of computer networks of various architectures and scales, special devices are widely used - switches, or on professional slang - switches (from the English word “switch”). The editors of expert.bigbadmole.com/en/en/ prepared for you a special rating of popular switches, which our experts considered to be the best in one way or another.

How to choose a switch

To begin with, let's look at what switches exist in principle, what tasks they can cope with and what should be followed when buying such a device.

Technically, in terms of hardware, switches are very similar to hubs (which are also switches in pure terminology) —the same network ports and the same tasks. The key difference is that hubs send data packets to all ports, creating a significant amount of spurious traffic, while the switches support address forwarding of packets, thus working orders of magnitude more efficiently. I must say that due to the ever-increasing price availability, the switches almost completely ousted the classic unmanaged hubs from the market.

Network switches are characterized by a rather large number of parameters. Let us analyze the most important of them, accessible for understanding by an ordinary user without special education.

Number of ports

This is the most obvious parameter, but at some points it is still necessary to focus. Commercially available switches can contain from 5 to 48 ports of the RJ-45 standard. Of course, if the local network consists of three computers, then it is unwise to buy a switch for 20 ports, unless a serious expansion is planned. But the option "butt" is also an undesirable extreme. Optimally, if there is a reasonable supply of free ports.

Network model (level)

When the term “level” sounds in the switch description, we are talking about the network information transmission model (OSI) used in the device. The logic is simple - the larger the level digit, the more intelligent the switch is, more efficient, more productive, generally better and more expensive. Briefly describe each of them.

1. First level. The most primitive model using physical transmission. These are, in particular, the very hubs that were discussed, and which, if they are still on sale, it makes no sense to buy them. In our review there are no such models.
2. Second level. This category includes almost all commercially available unmanaged switches. Such devices use a channel model. There is a separation of incoming data into separate meaningful parts (frames, frames), checking each of them and address redirection to a specific device in the network. The addressing is based on the MAC addresses of the network devices, from which a table of these same addresses is formed, with remembering the port-address connection. IP addresses of level 2 switches do not perceive and can not interpret.
3. Third level. Switches of the third level already perceive IP-addresses, and also include a number of obligatory functions. At this level, a significant part of the routers of public use and "advanced" models of switches work.
4. Fourth level Here the so-called transport model is already used. This is the highest aerobatics in network technologies, where the distribution of the data stream is carried out with a significant intellectual component.Such devices can work directly with software applications and route packets based on headers in exactly the right direction. These are often expensive technological solutions used in data centers or large enterprises. We will not consider them as part of this review, as this is the patrimony of highly specialized pros.

MAC Address Capacity

Naturally follows from the previous paragraph, namely the part that concerns the third level switches. By analogy with the reserve of the number of ports, it is also advisable to calculate the table of MAC addresses in advance, even before the purchase, and taking into account the likely expansion of the network in the future. The discrepancy to the lower side does not automatically imply the inoperability of the device or port, but in the event of a shortage of entries in the table, the switch will rewrite the new entries instead of the previous ones, which will slow down the data transfer.

Base data rate

This indicator in network devices means even not so much the basic speed, but still the maximum. The gap in speed between the standards is a whole order - 10, 100 or 1000 megabits per second. One switch can contain ports operating at different speeds or supporting combinations.

Bandwidth

Sometimes through ignorance, bandwidth is confused with data transfer rates, but this is a completely different parameter, although they are related. External bandwidth (switching matrix) implies an upper threshold for the amount of traffic that can pass through a switch within a certain unit of time. The value of this nominal, almost mathematical, and is calculated by simply multiplying the number of ports by the speed and another 2 (two-way transmission). For example, if a switch contains 8 ports and a nominal speed of 1 Gb / s, then its external bandwidth will be 8x1x2 = 16 Gb / s.

Internal bandwidth is a characteristic that the manufacturer must designate, and the buyer only needs to compare it with external bandwidth. If the internal is less than the external, then under extreme loads the deceleration of work and the hang of the switch are likely.

Traffic management

The capabilities of the switch for working with traffic are a fairly large topic, and most of it relates to the professional responsibilities of industry professionals. We very briefly go through the parameters that may affect the decision of the average user.

1. Flow control This refers to the ability of the switch to coordinate the procedure for receiving / transmitting packets between itself and a third-party device. This feature is of great importance at increased loads, when there is a probability of packet loss. The function is supported by almost every modern switch.
2. Jumbo frame. Work with packages of increased sizes. A useful feature that is important at high speeds (1 Gbps and more). Allows you to work with a smaller number of packages, thereby significantly reducing the time for their processing. It is contained in almost every modern switch.
3. Traffic prioritization. Extremely useful ability for those networks where the overwhelming share of traffic will be the transmission of video or audio. Its essence is that the switch detects more important packets on the fly and forwards them first - for example, VoIP packets.
4. VLAN support. A useful tool that allows you to distinguish between conditional parts of the network, for example - a separate group of computers for employees, separate for customers; different isolated groups for different departments of the enterprise, etc.
5. Traffic mirroring. The function that allows you to put on the one hundred percent control of intranet traffic and its properties.So, the entire volume of data reception / transmission is simply duplicated to a separate port, where it is “picked up” by specialized software for analysis.
6. Port Forwarding. A painfully necessary feature when it comes to deploying a game server with Internet access.
7. Loop protection. It is a highly recommended feature, and in the case of an unmanaged switch it is practically necessary. It is designed to eliminate the often occurring problem of looped-off sections of the network - the cause of many instabilities, freezes, speed drops, etc.
8. Channel aggregation. Combines several physical ports into one logical one with the natural addition of bandwidth up to 8 Gb / s.
9. Stacking The function is similar to the previous one in its essence, but it operates at the level of not one single device, but the whole network. It implies the possibility of combining several physical switches into one logical one, thereby obtaining more ports on the “one” switch.

Monitoring, Diagnosis and Protection

For a number of cases, it may be important for the switch to be able to independently diagnose the physical health of the network and protect itself from unwanted activity. The first is reduced to diagnosing the integrity of the cable and the connection - when malfunctions are detected at the physical level, the switch signals this by igniting the corresponding indicator on the case. The second implies protection against heavy trash traffic of predominantly viral origin.

Secondary options

And before going directly to the rating, let's briefly go over the secondary parameters of the switches, which serve more for ease of operation than for functionality.

1. Expansion slots. The switch has additional interfaces for connecting various peripherals, for example, flash memory.
2. Cable type / crimping. It is desirable that the switch independently correctly determined the type of compression of the twisted pair and supported these same types. Thus, the user eliminates the need for manual control of this circumstance.
3. Form factor The type of installation switches are desktop, wall or for placement in a rack. The latter option is most often picky about the linear dimensions of the device and the possibility of side mounting removable "ears".
4. Power Features. Since the switches often work 24/7 and never turn off, it is important that such a device carefully uses electricity and is minimally heated. Some models provide the ability to manually adjust power consumption. So-called smart switches automatically send inactive ports to sleep. Support for PoE (Power over Ethernet) technology makes it possible to provide power to a connected device through the same port that is transmitting / receiving data. Also, some devices contain built-in lightning protection (for its work requires the presence of grounding).

Top Switch Ratings

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Top low-cost switches	1	TP-LINK TL-SG108E	2 099 ₽
	2	D-link DGS-1100-05	1 587 ₽
	3	UPVEL US-5G	842 ₽
The best switches in terms of price-quality ratio	1	Cisco WS-C3560G-24TS-S	51 151 ₽
	2	MikroTik Cloud Router Switch CRS125-24G-1S-IN	9 850 ₽
	3	D-link DES-3200-28	14 050 ₽
	4	TP-LINK TL-SG1008P	3 680 ₽
	5	ZYXEL GS1900-24E	7 240 ₽

Top low-cost switches

In the first compilation of the rating we will consider the most simple and affordable models that, nevertheless, are capable of solving a rather wide range of tasks. All three switches represented use a channel network model, that is, they are second level switches. Each model under the same nomenclature and labeling has been produced for quite a few years. During this time, versions and, accordingly, technological profiles changed - up to the appearance, weight and functionality. We will consider only the latest hardware revisions of devices.

TP-LINK TL-SG108E

Rating: 4.8

Let's start with the managed switch of the super popular German trademark TP-LINK. We will consider the hardware revision of the second version.It differs quite noticeably from the first one even in that it is managed in higher versions, including through a convenient web interface, and in the first, only through a special utility, Easy Smart. The latter allows you to centrally manage all such switches in the network.

The switch contains 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports with RJ45 sockets supporting 10/100/1000 Mbit / s connection speeds. Ports automatically detect and operate normally with straight and crossover crimp of a twisted pair.

The performance capabilities of the device are as follows. Total bandwidth - Gbit / s. Packet transfer rate - 11.9 mln. Packs / sec. Packet memory buffer - 2 MB. Jumbo frames - 16 Kbps. The MAC address table can hold up to 8 thousand entries.

The features inherent in second-level switches include the following: flexible port handling (mirroring, speed limiting, aggregation), cable condition diagnostics, loop detection, IGMP snooping.

In addition to everything, this model demonstrates very good energy characteristics. Thanks to a special technology, up to 80% of electricity is saved, which, other things being equal, in “ordinary” switches is completely consumed. PoE support (powering peripheral devices through a network port) is not implemented.

The switch supports data prioritization (QoS function - “Quality of Service”) with the following parameters: 4 thousand priority queues; speed limit; prioritization for a specific port; protection from network storms.

The device supports a wide range of IEEE standards, can create virtual VLANs - up to 32 networks simultaneously.

The switch dimensions are 158x101x25 mm. Consumes 5.46 W, powered by an AC source of 100 - 240 V. Completed in a desktop form factor, rubber feet for stability are included. Manufacturer's warranty - 24 months.

D-link DGS-1100-05

Rating: 4.7

Another inexpensive managed switch in our production rating of a no less well-known company than the previous one, only already Taiwanese - D-link. This is a compact switch to five ports with dimensions of 141x85x28 mm and a weight of 320 g. It supports a wide range of functions and capabilities, therefore, it is applicable for solving a rather wide range of tasks across enterprises of different scales, but not large companies. We are considering a new hardware revision - A1.

Switch ports operate at all speeds - 10, 100 Mbit / s and 1 Gbit / s, including work on the 1000Base-T standard (Gigabit transmission over a twisted pair pair of categories 5, 5e and 6).

Configuration and management is carried out through the Smart Console special utility or through a web interface. Like the console in the model described above, the Smart Console easily detects other D-Link switches in the same network area and harmoniously integrates the device into the system, removing unnecessary trouble from system specialists. The web interface offers the same management tools, and you can connect to the switch from any workstation on the network.

We describe the basic set of features. Total switching capacity - 10 Gbit / s; the capacity of the MAC address space is 8 thousand records; packet forwarding speed limit 64 bytes - 7.4 Mpps; 128 kB buffer space for packets; Jumbo frame - 9 216 bytes.

The advanced feature set includes the following features: IGMP exchange snooping; protection against broadcast spikes (network storm); Static MAC function (fixed list of trusted MAC addresses); prevent row header locks (HoL); support groups up to 32; detection of loops with auto shutdown of the “bad” port; cable diagnostics.

This switch supports Surveillance VLAN technology, which allows you to deploy an efficient video surveillance system with video traffic prioritization.Also, this model has good performance in terms of energy consumption: the authoring of D-Link Green reduces to almost zero energy consumption overruns; transfer of inactive ports to sleep mode in automatic mode; grounding available. The maximum power consumption of electricity by the device with the most active use is 3.35 watts.

UPVEL US-5G

Rating: 4.6

Another five-port switch in our rating, this time from a much less well-known company, but with quite decent characteristics. The manufacturer is very young, it is formally American (registered in California), but in fact the English version of the site has not been supported since 2012, while the Russian version is always relevant. This unambiguously hints at the enterprise’s Russian roots. Strangely enough, in the context of the equipment for connecting to the Internet, this is even a plus, since the manufacturer “sewed” the property of automatic installation of settings for many domestic providers into the device management system. Simply select the city and provider, and the settings will “pick up” automatically. We will consider the technology version 2.0 from 2017.

Case dimensions - 92x25x68 mm, net weight of the device - 0.18 kg. Five device ports operate within the entire speed range - 10, 100 Mbit / s and 1 Gbit / s. The switch covers all of the most sought-after IEEE standards. The claimed internal bandwidth is estimated at 10 Gbit / s, the capacity of the MAC address space is 4096. Auto detection of the type of compression of twisted pair MDI / MDIX.

This switch is also characterized by high energy savings, as well as the two previous models - up to 75% savings due to the GREENforce technology. Its only drawback is its exceptional simplicity, namely, that the switch is unmanaged and does not allow you to flexibly configure many parameters, as the models described above can.

The best switches in terms of price-quality ratio

The second, expanded group of devices in our rating is a switchboard of the most different form factors, productive capabilities, functional sets, etc. Our experts selected five models, each of which in its class is characterized by an optimal combination of cost, functionality and quality.

Cisco WS-C3560G-24TS-S

Rating: 4.9

Let's start with the most expensive production model of the American company Cisco - this brand has been a synonym for high quality, performance, reliability and, in general, the highest level of network equipment for more than a decade. Switch of the third level, and this already says a lot about its capabilities.

In this nomenclature comes a whole series of switches, which differ mainly only in the number of ports, but also in some other parameters too. We will consider the most popular model on 24 ports.

Dimensions of the device are 475x44x378 mm, net weight - 5.4 kg. Execution in terms of appearance - typically "server", that is, without any design frills, a strict metal case with the presence of devices for installation in the server rack.

The switch contains an impressive amount of its own RAM-memory - 128 MB, in addition to it there is also a 32 MB flash memory. All 24 ports support the entire range of speeds - from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps per second. The claimed internal bandwidth is 32 Gbit per second. At first glance, this does not quite harmoniously correlate with the total broadcasting capacity of all 24 ports in both directions, but one should not forget that this is still a third-level switch with much more intelligent routing. The capacity of the MAC address space is 12228 records.

The switch supports various ways to connect and control. It contains a separate console port, an embedded Web interface, SNMP support, and Telnet access.

This switch can also work using the first and second versions of OSPF and RIP dynamic routing protocols. Supports first to third version IGMP protocols for managing Internet groups. There is also support for LACP, IEEE 802.1p, 802.1q, 802.1d and 802.1s protocols. MDI / MDIX twisted pair compression type is automatically detected by ports.

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch CRS125-24G-1S-IN

Rating: 4.8

The rating is continued by the multifunctional professional switchboard produced by the Latvian company MikroTik. This device is characterized by the typical features of the products of this brand: reliability, wide functionality and amazing flexibility of settings. This is also a third-level switch, and in terms of a combination of characteristics, it is almost as good as the Cisco solution described above, but at a price that is incommensurably cheaper.

The number of ports is the same - 24, and the speed characteristics are the same - 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps. Auto MDI / MDIX. There is also a separate uplink port with the same speed characteristics. The same amount of RAM - 128 MB. The processor is a 600 MHz Qualcomm Atheros AR9344. And the same range of capabilities in terms of access and management: Web-based interface, console port, SNMP, Telnet. There is a USB jack for connecting the right peripherals or external memory. The operating system is RouterOS.

The SFP port allows for flexible extensions and integrations, for example, connecting a switch to fiber optic networks without additional hardware and media conversion tools. Implemented function PoE - power through the network port.

The device also contains a touchscreen LCD display, with which you can not only monitor the statistics of the switch, but also control some of its functions.

The switch is made in the strict form factor characteristic of MikroTik products - a metal case with dimensions of 285x45x145 mm

D-link DES-3200-28

Rating: 4.7

The third number in the rating is another 24-port switch, but already at the second control level and with some obvious limitations compared to the two models described above. True, the functionality he still has undoubtedly top-end, as for devices of this class, so it is even more expensive than the 3-level MikroTik for the price.

The switch is made in a classic server form factor with rack-mount devices. Dimensions of the metal case - 441x44x207 mm, net weight - 2.15 kg.

The first most noticeable limitation that we see in this case is the port transmission rate, which is 10 or 100 Mbit / s. Only 4 SFP ports are gigabit ports. According to the manufacturer, the internal bandwidth is 12.8 Gbit / s. The capacity of the MAC address space is 8192. The device is equipped with a 16 MB RAM-memory.

As part of management, this model offers the same capabilities as the two previous solutions: Web-interface, console port, SNMP, Telnet. RADIUS / TACACS + authentication for access control. Implemented protocols for managing Internet groups IGMP three versions. The type of compression of the twisted pair is determined automatically, supported by Jumbo Frame and IEEE of all the most popular versions.

The switch also works flexibly with traffic: the possibility of port mirroring, bandwidth control, protection from broadcast surges are built in.

All Ethernet ports are equipped with built-in 6 kV surge protection.

TP-LINK TL-SG1008P

Rating: 4.7

The next position in the ranking is a much simpler network solution than the three previous models. Made in a desktop form factor and a simple sleek design.

The dimensions of the device case are 171x27x98 mm in these dimensions are 8 ports with speeds of 10/100/1000 Mbit / s and automatic detection of the type of compression of the twisted pair.

One of the most remarkable "chips" of this model is that four out of eight ports support PoE technology, that is, in addition to data transmission, they also provide power to the connected device. PoE parameters are as follows: switch power consumption with network devices connected via PoE - 63 W, without external devices - 5.8 W.

The width of the main channel (external bandwidth) - 16 Gbit / s. The capacity of the table of MAC addresses in the switch of the latest hardware revision is 4096 (in previous versions this figure was only 1024). Buffer capacity - 2 Mbps.

Dopfunktsii and useful properties: compatibility with various power devices; Compatible with IEEE 802.3af; the ability to prioritize the distribution of traffic; automatic detection of MAC addresses and automatic cleaning of records in the table over time, transmission delay in case of buffer overflow for half-duplex mode, Flow control for full-duplex mode.

ZYXEL GS1900-24E

Rating: 4.6

And completes the ranking of the best switches according to expert.bigbadmole.com/en/en/ another 24-port model from the famous manufacturer - ZYXEL. According to the combination of price / functionality / quality parameters, this is one of the most successful models according to our experts.

Dimensions of the device - 267x 42x162 mm, net weight - 1.56 kg. Made in a metal case server type 1U with the ability to mount in a rack. Contains 64 MB of SDRAM memory for the CPU and optionally Flash memory - 16 MB.

24 RJ-45 ports have 10/100/1000 kbit / s speed characteristics. Two SFP ports at 100/1000 kbits / s (only in the latest version, not in the old revisions of the SFP). The twisted pair crimping standard is automatically determined. For configuration and management, the device offers a wide range of ways and means: Web-interface, Telnet, SNMP, CLI, RMON, LLDP, TFTP

The performance parameters are as follows. Total switching capacity is 48 Gbps. The speed of redirection of 64-byte packets is 35.7 Mpps. The capacity of the MAC address table is 8 Kb. Jumbo frame - 9216 bytes. Package buffer - 0.525 MB.

The device supports a wide range of network standards, including IGMP filtering, link aggregation, half duplex, Energy Efficient Ethernet, fiber optic, etc.

---

Attention! This rating is subjective, is not advertising and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you should consult with a specialist.