Which should I use...

william.briere · ‎10-15-2007

Hello,

We currently use 3560 POE switches and put a layer two image on them and use them as switches for our IP Phone network. I have seen a Cisco 500 that also has POE and seems to do pretty much what we would want. Is there any reason I should stay away from the 500's if I never have a layer three need?

Please advise

William

pklos · ‎10-15-2007

500 is much cheaper, but you can't use IOS CLI, configuration is possible only with web browser. You can configure jest some basic options, AFAIK you can't do advanced managment, configure span ports, security and many other interesting things.

Cisco 500 is good for small office, but for sure not for corporate use.

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regards,

pk

william.briere · ‎10-16-2007

Hello All,

Is there really no other opinions out there that can guide this decision? Please respond.

Thanks in advance

IGBarrere · ‎10-16-2007

I personally do not like the 500s because I rely on command line operation all the time. In my work environment I rarely have access to a gui and do all my work through ssh or other command line options. If you don't have a problem getting less functionality and configuring through a gui, then go ahead, sounds like a good fit.

saro · ‎10-16-2007

William,

The CE500s use "off the shelf" chipsets. They are basically a bit better than Linksys you can pick up from Best Buy :) That is generally enough reason for a large enterprise to stay away from them. The mean-time-between-failures is generally much lower as well. Others mentioned that lack of CLI and I will add that smartports leave me feeling stupid :) BUT, if price is the major driving force, then it is an option.

Saro