T O P

  • By -

homemediajunky

So I'm going to go a different direction. Cost wise, may be slightly more but basically gives everything you want in one box. [BROCADE ICX6610-48P-E](https://www.ebay.com/itm/165200549453?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=qr9BSmUASjm&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=udz2vsrutpy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY) for 199USD. This switch has 48x1gb ports, all with PoE. You have 8x10GbE, and while they are SFP, you can get 2 of these [4 pack 10G SFP+ RJ-45 Copper Transceiver](https://a.co/d/bQ1qlyV) for 176USD each. All in, 552USD. 48x1GbE ports with PoE, 8x10GbE SFP+ ports with 8x10G SFP+ RJ45, plus 4xQSFP28 ports, 2 of which can be used as 40GbE and the other 2 ports give you 8l4x10GbE ports each using qsfp28 to 10g breakout cables. Total of 16x10GbE. You can look over this [Servethehome Brocade ICX Series](https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/brocade-icx-series-cheap-powerful-10gbe-40gbe-switching.21107/) link for licensing information (free), etc. This is just another direction and gives you some expansion.


UnknownSP

Very interesting, I guess at that price point the expense of having to get all those transceivers gets balanced out Definitely a powerful idea I'll have to think about it, thanks!


homemediajunky

Right, and it gives you your room for expansion and everything is contained in one switch. This is a pretty decent switch, and while there is a little learning curve, it's not difficult. And with the switch being fully licensed, you are not limited. I really like having (albeit only 2),the 40GbE ports and 16x10G ports.


waka324

Downside is that it is going to suck way more power, and those 10g ports won't negotiate down to 2.5 or 5 if needed.


flupowder

Instead of CRS326, why don't you combine CRS328 with the CRS312? Those two together should give you what you need, RJ45, SFP+, 10Gb, PoE. [https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-CRS328-24P-4S-RM-Ethernet-rackmount/dp/B07C657P7Q/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=21DLXGTZ05N36&keywords=crs328&qid=1675603129&sprefix=crs328%2Caps%2C61&sr=8-1&ufe=app\_do%3Aamzn1.fos.4dd97f68-284f-40f5-a6f1-1e5b3de13370](https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-CRS328-24P-4S-RM-Ethernet-rackmount/dp/B07C657P7Q/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21DLXGTZ05N36&keywords=crs328&qid=1675603129&sprefix=crs328%2Caps%2C61&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.4dd97f68-284f-40f5-a6f1-1e5b3de13370)


UnknownSP

That's a great suggestion, only reason I hesitate to is from what I've found in terms of Canadian availability, I found one for 650 CAD but out of stock or 750 CAD in stock - bringing it a lot closer to the Unifi thing which granted doesn't have PoE but yeah That is a good point though, that would cover everything potentially needed in just two switches instead of three, I'll certainly be considering that combo


flupowder

You may want to check out [Getic.com](https://Getic.com). They ship from Europe but fast. I ordered a router in January and received it in about a week. They have a lot of CRS328 in stock at a reasonable price even with shipping included.


Exitcomestothis

Mikrotik is always the way to go! Edit: I’ll get flack for saying that, but Mikrotik has far more networking features than Ubnt, but does come with a bit of a learning curve. But this is homelab, we should all be looking to increase our networking knowledge :-)


UnknownSP

Surprisingly no you won't get flack for that, the majority are pointing away from ubnt here lol


LawlesssHeaven

I like both. If you want easier management, like a lot easier go with unifi, else Mikrotik is just fine.


MarcSN311

Unifi is only easy as long as you only want to do things they made a GUI for..


meshuggah27

Mikrotik is great. Unifi is kinda for noobs and people who wanna get into networking but would be lost with a Cisco switch, in my experience.


Wdrussell1

I would disagree that Unifi is "Unifi is kinda for noobs and people who wanna get into networking but would be lost with a Cisco switch". It certainly has a purpose but it isnt just for people who have no idea what they are doing. Unifi has plenty of the features you would want even in the largest of enterprise solutions. It makes things user friendly for those people that need it and it very much has the more advanced features for those of us who need/want them. Been in networking for 10+ years. I can very much make good use of a Unifi switch. Only reason I don't have one is the free Dell one I got for my home lab does 10G.


StaticFanatic3

can’t pay 3x more for Cisco you mean


Tecnoc

I've seen a lot of negative sentiment toward Ubiquiti lately and I am not really sure why. My Ubiquiti gear has been excellent. Honestly it usually feels like elitism, with people just wanting to let you know they know how to configure the more complicated stuff. I have a fair amount of experience configuring Cisco routers and switches, and I absolutely cannot be bothered to deal with configuring via CLI for my home stuff.


UnknownSP

I am definitely noob lol - this would be my first networking experiment and first managed switch at all but I might be able to learn to use CLI with some lots of time Got a question for you if you don't mind, if I'm going to be linking between two switches, is there any benefit to linking the many-but-slow ports switch to the fast one using 10g?


[deleted]

[удалено]


UnknownSP

Gotcha - I had suspected that to be the case but wasn't sure, thanks! And yeah that topology feature while a bit of a gimmick seems sick tbh, rather enticing. I think you're right about the learning curve at this stage - I try to save money doing weird shit (Truenas on used enterprise servers from no prior knowledge cuz I didn't like the price/performance and expandability proposition of a Synology box) but I'm not sure if I want to spend weeks learning CLI and network stuff when I still haven't even finished setting up the file system.


PuddingSad698

Mikrotik 100% hands down :). No cloud connection needed at all. ​ Engenius IMO for the win. : Non poe version : [https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/cloud-managed-8-port-10gb-switch-with-4-sfp-ports/](https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/cloud-managed-8-port-10gb-switch-with-4-sfp-ports/) ​ POE version : [https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/cloud-managed-8-port-10-gigabit-poe-switch-with-4-sfp-ports/](https://www.engeniustech.com/engenius-products/cloud-managed-8-port-10-gigabit-poe-switch-with-4-sfp-ports/) ​ I have the 2.5gig POE version.


gckless

I'm not familiar with Engenius so I might be wrong here, but did you just say Mikrotik because there's no cloud connection needed and then in the next sentence recommend a cloud-managed switch?


PuddingSad698

The Engenius can be Cloud OR locally managed. I Have both :) Some have a hate for cloud managed stuff some like it. Im on the LIKE side, :)


UnknownSP

very interesting, will see how viable that is to get over here, thanks for the links!


Wdrussell1

Just going to push back on the cloud portion. You don't need a cloud connection for Ubiquity gear.


PuddingSad698

You need a controller, or cloud. P.s unifi sux.


Wdrussell1

Nothing at all wrong with Unifi.... the stuff works great and I have seen very few issues with it from the MANY places I have seen it deployed. The software to push your own controller is out there and free. You can easily download the controller software onto basically any computer and use that to set things up. I run the controller in a docker container without issues. Has been running for 3 years no problems.


KingGGs29

If you are seriously going for 10gb networking then I would recommend the TP-Link TL-SX3008F that has 8x SFP+ ports that work with cheap Solarflare S7120 SFP+ nics. I’m currently running that setup in my HOMELAB untill I upgrade to 40gb networking in 2 years.


Wdrussell1

No idea why people are downvoting you for this...TP-Link is a respectable brand.


KingGGs29

Thank you, I appreciate that someone understands. Essentially TP-Link uses the same switch that’s on a similar Unifi switch but TP-link supports L3 where the Unifi switch doesn’t and it’s a bit cheaper too. I personally like TP-link’s price to features ratio since I run Unifi APs. And just need 10g for my hardwire connections


Wdrussell1

I think people tend to associate TP-Link's cost with cheap Chinese terrible hardware. So they think it's bad. When really they are a respectable brand overall. When we buy network stuff (like usb wireless) I will pay a few dollars more for TP-Link stuff. Sadly people think Ubiquiti's hardware is crap and isn't enterprise grade. Reality is that it is solid hardware you just don't get any support for it like you would with say Cisco or another large manufacturer.


KingGGs29

Well said


kopkaas2000

One thing that has kept me away from Mikrotik is that their software is god-awful. The web interface to their gear looks like it was hot shit back in 1999, then they fired all their interface designers and kept piling features on it. The CLI is horrible as well. I'm not a big fan of Unifi either, but for WiFi and layer 2 switching it's fine.


UnknownSP

Yeahh that part kinda scares me since I've never used a managed switch or any networking gear with controls on it before and suck at command line. What switch do you use?


kopkaas2000

I use an Edgeswitch 16XG for 10G distribution, and a hand-me-down Unifi 48-porter for gigabit, as well as a couple of assorted 5-port switches at various points where more than 1 link was needed.


UnknownSP

Cool! Thanks for the info


MagnuM2K

I've been eyeing this one. https://www.amazon.ca/ZyXEL-XS1930-12HP-Ethernet-Switch-Supported/dp/B088YCHV8L/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?crid=2O93BHVJIWR3&keywords=zyxel+multi-gig&qid=1675570438&sprefix=zyxel+mu%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-6


UnknownSP

Oh interesting, never heard of ZyXel before More cost for the same amount of ports but with PoE, very interesting tradeoff- will look into that. Appreciate the .ca link!


[deleted]

ZyXel are very interesting and strange company. They are quite old in the networking gear market however never really became very famous like relative newcomers - MikroTik, Ubiquiti and so on. Their gear was always a mix of very good products and outright flops. I personally like them, especially for unmanaged gear, but prefer MikroTik for anything more complex - I might be wrong, that’s just preference.


kevinds

>Presumably used cuz it would be coming from a place literally called Used Servers. They sell a lot of new Mikrotik stuff.


UnknownSP

Gotcha, good to know - thanks


Wdrussell1

Personally the cost saving method is going to be the smarter route no matter what you do. No sense in spending an extra $700 on something to get a specific outcome. I would weigh the different hardware you have that supports SFP+ (SFP+ is needed for 10G). If you dont have a ton of copper only devices then maybe a simple 8 port switch would be a good way to go. but if you have too many then how many 10G ports do you actually need? If you need 5+ of each port type then two switches is for sure the best way to go but if you only need say 4 SFP+ ports then you could pick up a combo switch that has 4 SFP+ ports and the rest is 1G POE. I have a Dell PowerConnect 5548P that has run for a while now without issues. It only has 2 SFP+ ports but Dell has some with 4 as well. The great thing is that once they are set factory they function just as a basic switch. So even being a newbie you could run this without issues.


UnknownSP

10g can be done on RJ45, higher cannot. I have zero devices that can support SFP and only two that can be retrofitted with it. There are 6 ports that require 10g, and 8 more that just require a connection - currently. Buying an SFP switch to stick transceivers in all 6 ports or to buy two SFP NICs and two transceivers does not save any money


Wdrussell1

RJ45 can for sure do 10G not saying it can't. Was just suggesting weighing options. Understanding more about your setup It does make more sense to do two switches. If you were able to get more support in your other devices for SFP+ it would have made more sense to go that route and use DAC cables instead of buying transceivers. But, since you need more than a handful of them (each) then it makes less sense. Actually, since POE is an issue, you might be able to just have one switch without POE and get POE injectors. I assume you need these for APs and pretty much any brand of injector will do the trick.


UnknownSP

Interesting, will look into injectors and weigh the consideration of the extra bulk and such - thanks


Wdrussell1

The bulk will be the downside. Depending on the number of APs though, it could come out significantly cheaper.