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Cisco Switches |
Netgear Switches |
| What is a computer networking switch? It is one hardware device that connects the different computers within a local area network (LAN). The computer networking switches process and route data at the layer 2 (data link layer) of the OSI model. There are a few big brands which produces the computer networking switches. Two of the main big brands are Cisco and Netgear. Cisco had been producing networking solutions for the market for many years. A wide range of networking products and services are developed and released to the world. Besides the network switches, Cisco had also developed many other networking products such as routers, storage networking, wireless LAN controllers and many more. Netgear is another networking brand which had been producing superior networking products and services in the market since 1996. Netgear generally focus on building networking solutions for the consumers and small businesses. Netgear develops and releases a wide range of networking products such as network switches, routers and gateways, adapters, and many more. Netgear offers a vast line of affordable networking switches in the market. These range from the Managed 10/100 networking switches to the entry level managed Smart Switches to the simply just plug-and-play unmanaged switches for the small businesses and homes. Some of the different types of Netgear switches shall be discussed below. The first type is the Netgear Fully Managed 10/100 networking switches, which is also known as the Netgear's ProSafe FSM Series Layer 2 and Layer 3 Managed Switches. These are ideal as networking solutions for small businesses, which requires high performance switching that is easy to use and install. For these range, there are a few different models of the switches for selection. Some of the Netgear's ProSafe FSM Series include the ProSafe Entry Level 24-Port Fast Ethernet (10/100 MBPS) L2 Managed Switch, the ProSafe Feature Rich 48-port 10/100 MBPS L2 Managed Stackable Switch, and the ProSafe 24-port 10/100 L3 Managed Stackable Switch with 4 Gigabit Ports. Besides the Netgear Fully Managed 10/100 networking switches, there are also the Netgear Smart Switches for businesses which are growing. The Netgear's ProSafe Smart Switches offer businesses an affordable and reliable networking solution without implementing the full Layer 2/ Layer 3 management, which may be complex and costly for the small and mid-sized businesses. Smart Switches are an alternative for those who do not require a unmanaged or fully managed switches. Some of the Netgear Smart Switches include the ProSafe 48-Port Gigabit Smart Switch, the ProSafe 24 Port 1/100 Smart Switch with 2 Gigabit Ports and 12 Port PoE, and the ProSafe 24 Port 10/100 Smart Switch with 2 Gigabit Ports. Next is the Netgear Unmanaged Desktop Switches. There are a wide range of desktop Switches available to suit each individual's preferences, be it at home, small businesses or home office. These are usually easy to use and install. Some of the Netgear Unmanaged Desktop Switches include the ProSafe 16-port Gigabit Desktop Switch, the 8-port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, and the ProSafe 8-port Gigabit Ethernet Desktop Switch 10/100/1000 Mbps. |
Computer Networking Switches |