Durable switch for small business

[Fardringle]

Seven years ago I purchased two HP Procurve 1810g-24 switches for a small office where my wife works based on many positive recommendations from networking pros here. They have been fantastic. Zero problems ever. Until about two weeks ago. The problem is gradually getting worse, but many computers on the network are getting random packet loss to and from each other and the main router. I'm pretty sure one of the switches is still fine, but the other is definitely starting to fail (I swapped it with a super cheap switch for testing and the problem disappeared). So, I'm hoping for suggestions on current equipment that might be as reliable as the Procurves but won't break the bank. I want to keep the cost around or below $500 if at all possible. Higher is OK for something good, but preferably not a lot higher. Two 24 port switches or one 48 port will be fine. In one minor way, I'd actually like a 48 since I can simplify things in the wiring room by matching port numbers on the switch with numbers on the patch panel. Not a big deal, but it would be nice.

I already like my results with the ProCurve line but I don't know what model(s) to consider, or if there are other brands worth looking at in the price range as well so I appreciate any information you can give me. Thanks.

 

[bbhaag]

First off take my advice with a grain of salt. I have never used any Ubiquiti enterprise products before just their EdgeRouter-X for my home but Newegg has the Ubiquiti Networks EdgeSwitch 48 LITE ES-48 on sale for $360. Seems like a nice price for a managed switch that large....if you can get past the reviews.

 

[PliotronX]

Smart switches are going to offer the best bang for the buck and I like the Zyxel smart switches (GS19x0). Having taken Cisco classes, the procurve cli makes little sense to me but I understand there are fans of them so stick with what you like.

 

[ylin0811]

I had a good experience with the following switch for a few small deployments and it is manageable through the web gui

https://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Busine...&sr=8-1&keywords=cisco+small+business+gigabit

Just make sure you keep the switch in a well ventilated areas.

 

[XavierMace]

Your switches have a lifetime warranty, if you can run off the cheap switch temporarily, just do that and RMA your failing one.

 

[rchunter]

Yes definitely get it replaced. I'm pretty sure HP will just ship you a new one.

 

[Fardringle]

I appreciate the suggestion, but I don't have receipts for them, (stupidly) didn't register them, and don't even remember where I bought them originally..

I will contact them to see what they say, but I may still need to shop around for new equipment if I can't get them replaced under warranty.

 

[Fardringle]

I grabbed the serial numbers from the switches and attempted to register them on HP's warranty system, but apparently at least one of them was reported as purchased somewhere other than the United States, even though I bought both of them at the same time from the same listing on Amazon.com (I found the email confirmation for the original order) and had them delivered to the business office located in the U.S...

I submitted a support ticket and I guess I'll wait to see what happens. The cheap temporary switch is behaving for now, so I'll give HP a chance to respond before I buy something else.

UPDATE: I talked to HP support today and they said that the switches I bought were supposed to be sold in another country and Amazon is not a valid reseller. So...no warranty.

Update again: A "supervisor" at HP just called me back and said that the switches ARE in warranty so they'll send a new one tomorrow. No idea why the other person said it wasn't valid...

 

[ch33zw1z]

good, as a service rep...i can say remote support centers are a crap shoot, sometimes its a wonder anything gets done. good they're sending you one