Netgear GS724T ProSafe 24-Port Gigabit Smart Switch
See it at Amazon.com for $325.79Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Notworking Architect (PI)
My NFS write performance from my iMac to Linux Server was horrible, and after trying a whole bunch of optimizations. I decided to see if network errors were the culprit. Quickly got two Netgear GS724T Smart 1Gb Network switches from a friend to check if "The Network" was the issue due to dropped packets.
Got the boxes opened, plugged all the cables in, and powered up the units. First thing I noticed was the fans. The fans came on immediately, and are not thermally controlled. The noise level seems to be okay, but could be an issue in a quiet room. Maybe the next revision will have thermally controlled fans. The airflow for the fans are the side panels, would have liked it to be front to back.
Moving forward, fired up Firefox to configure the switches. Problems, I could not find the switches on the network. Spent the next twenty minutes checking the DHCP server (NetScreen 5xt router) for assigned IP address. I had to reboot the switches, and start over many times. No luck, no IP address assigned to the switches.
At this point, my daughter walks saying, "What are you doing, Daddy?" I reply, "I am configuring a switch". There went the next half an hour trying to explain to my 8-year-old daughter what a smart network switch is. By this time my daughter is thoroughly convinced that I am clueless about what I am doing, and know absolutely nothing about switches. She starts rummaging around the Netgear shipping box, and pulls out the small booklet. "What is this? She asks. "That is the manual for the switch" I replied. "Have you read it?" she asks. At this point 'Real men don't eat Quiche, and Real men don't read manuals' flashed through my head, and I slowly replied ".... Nnooo". She quickly replies, "May be you should" before running out of the room.
Okay time for the manual. The manual is fairly straightforward, skimpy at places. Wickedly I thought 'Maybe I should get my daughter to write the manual. I am sure she would start by 'First....... No.. No waait, First.... you.... open.... the.... ".
Stop it; Stop it, back to work.
I quickly opened the manual to DHCP and setup page. The manual states " switch should be in DHCP client mode". No way Jose! and gave up, did not want to argue with the switch. I changed my iMac to the switches subnet (listed on the manual). Voila, switches visible. Now we are cooking with gas.
The web configuration is a breeze, and quite straight forward. I set up static IPs on both switches and changed password etc. For the network functionality I enabled two trunked ports at 1Gb between two switches, disabled VLANs, didn't need them for my application, and enabled auto negotiation on the other ports.
The switches worked like a charm. Started the NFS tests, and logged onto the switches to see packet statistics. No Problems here, no packet drops at all. However NFS is still slow. Maybe I will review that ##$%$$#@# Linux server next.
I have been using the switches for a few months now, no problems so far. All in all this is a solid product, with excellent performance at a great price. I would highly recommend this switch. My pros, cons and wish list are as follows;
Overall rating: 4.5/5 (dinged 0.5 for the DHCP fiasco and Cons)
Tech Level: High (my daughter would disagree)
Pros:
Great Price.
Full non-blocking wire-speed connectivity. Web interface for programming
Packet statistics are a great help in debugging network issues.
VLANs, Trunking/bonding features.
Jumbo frame support
Cons:
No PoE, not a big deal IMHO
LED lights are not on the jacks; you have to look to side to check link status.
Fan noise
Side airflow
Documentation should be consistent with switch behavior
Wish list:
Thermally controlled fans
mDNSResponder for configuring multiple switches.
Front to back airflow
(4 out of 5)Excellent SMB Switch with Enterprise functionality
Who could ask for anything more? If you are looking for a bare-bones L2 switch with advanced L2 functionality, but without the high-price and need for advanced training then this is the switch you need to get. We like Netgear products a lot and have watched them progress as a company. They got this switch right. WebUI is easy to navigate and program, Help system is content-rich, and performance is well-balanced with the price. Most users won't need all the funtionality, but if are one of the few who are small but need BIG services, this switch hits the sweet spot.
(5 out of 5)best smart switch for the money
great switch if you want control over it also 24 ports 1000mbps and full duplex 2 fiber optic ports and great price what else do you want?
(4 out of 5)Loud but inexpensive and fast
The fan is loud, and on one of the three I bought the fan bearings are REALLY loud. However, the thing is really fast and really inexpensive for being able to provide VLANs and QOS for a LAN. I bought two for the office because of the trunking feature but have not used/tested it yet because it is plenty fast without it.