Decent Used Network Switch

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Reryox

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Nov 19, 2016
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I'm looking to do some upgrading of my home network to more commercial level gear and learn more about networking in the process.

I've been looking on ebay for used network switches in the 16 - 24 port range. I'm pretty sure I want a managed switch as I'd like to try out link aggregation between my main workstation and my file server, but beyond that I'm not really sure if i'm looking at junk or a good deal.

I see Dell Powerconnect 5324's show up quite a bit would this be a solid choice?

Currently my network consists of the following

- 100/30 Internet Connection
- Basic Wifi Modem/Router
- Windows 2012 R2 Essentials (File Server)
- Windows 7 (main workstation)
- A few other random computers

I plan to add the following

- A pfsense box
- VM Server
- Possibly another file server to store backups


I was using an 8 port Netgear GS608 but it recently died which is a big reason I'm looking for a new switch.

Any recommendations for good switches to keep an eye out for would be appreciated.
 
I run a couple dell 2724s and they are very solid. Web gui can be a bit finicky with browsers, but it does work.
 
If you are local to the Seattle area I have a Cisco 2600 Router (with a WIC) and a Cisco 2950 24port Switch that I would be willing to sell for like $50 OBO. I used them for my home network but don't need them anymore and am working towards upgrading to a Cat6/full gig network in house. Both of them worked flawlessly and are rack mountable as well.

I had port mirroring set up on the 2950 and ran an IDS system (Snort) and a SEIM (AlienVault). I also segregated everything in my home network to their own VLAN's with this setup. Wireless, Cellphone Wi-Fi (On TMobile and need to use thier WiFi buffer thing...), Smart Devices, WIred Devices... etc...

I had an ASA 5510 (9.2) in the mix to and would use that to do a S2S IPSec VPN so I could work on stuff on the move and still stay encrypted... Sadly I got rid of that.
 
Budget?

I'm actually quite surprised given the age of the 5324, but it sounds like that switch is actually 24 gigabit ports and not 24 10/100 ports with 4 gigabit uplink ports. As far as I know a Cisco 2950 is going to be the latter, and you'd need at minimum a 2960G if you wanted to have full gigabit ports.

The best I can say about that Dell is you're going to be playing roulette with the switch. The switch came out 13 years ago, so most of them are probably at least 10 years old. Power supplies and fans start to die and you might have a great piece of equipment for a month or two then end up with a brick.

Dell has probably the best inventory tracking in the business, so I just picked a random one on ebay I could see the service tag on. If you check the warranty status it will show you the ship date of the switch was September 04, 2004. If you can find one that's < 10 years old maybe I'd consider it, otherwise it's going to be ready to fail at any time. It looks like the 2724's mentioned in this thread might be a couple years newer, and I was able to find Dell 3524's in ebay and that tag came back with it being shipped in 2008.

If you have a bit of cash to spend I'd probably look for something a bit newer, as the 5324 is quite old. Cisco isn't going to be cheap at all, but I know that Dizzy will be in here very shortly pushing his Zyxel recommendations. You might be able to find a used one of those that won't break the bank either.
 
I would like to keep it to around $100.

What are the Cisco products like to use? I'm not looking at getting any certs or anything.

right now I'm leaning towards a Dell 2724.
 
Ciscos are decent to use, and will have the most compatibility with everything. Cisco is the dominate market player so it's well supported, but it also carries the price tag to boot. Even used gear the price is going to remain high because people still run their businesses on that equipment. Someone might upgrade their network, but there are plenty of others ready to grab the hand me downs to upgrade their gear.

So with $100 budget in mind, I wouldn't worry about trying to pursue them because it's not going to fit the budget.


I think the Dell 2724 is probably going to be the best bang for your buck, and will likely suit your needs. You can get them pretty cheap off ebay so it's not a huge loss if you get a few years out of it before it dies. I have some small powerconnect unmanaged switches that lasted about 12 years before the power supply started to fail, so hopefully the 2724s can last as long or longer. (Just keep in mind one of those might still be 8+ years old)


Actually, I just cruised Wiki and see there is a 2824 model lineup.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_PowerConnect

I found one of those on ebay and it's still reasonably priced and it was manufactured in 2010.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-PowerC...099306?hash=item2cb845216a:g:Ei8AAOSw-0xYbVZc

It sounds like the 2824 is simply an updated version of the 2724, so depending upon the price it might be a worthy upgrade. I'm not sure why the listing I linked says 100mbps as it definitely should be all gig. Don't get a 35xx series like I was looking at earlier though as apparently those are 10/100.


About the only other option I see is in the Zyxel lineup the GS1900-24 would be around $100. I'm not sure what features it's lacking from the GS2210 which would be closer to the equivalent of the Dell we're looking at, but it does have VLAN and LAG support so it might work.

https://www.amazon.com/ZyXEL-24-Port-Gigabit-Ethernet-Rackmount/dp/B00I126P8U
 
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I have an HP Procurve 2810-24g gig 24 port switch (J9021A) I snagged off ebay for $70 shipped a couple years ago. I wanted a 48 port version but they were 150 at the time.

I upgraded from a HP Procurve 2524 switch I had used for nearly a decade, which I still have.

Haven't had any problems with either switch.
 
You can get a 2960G for ~$100. Worth every penny when you consider they easily last 10+ years without any problems. Rock solid platform.
If you need L3, you can get 3750Gs for dirt cheap as well.
 
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