Adtran NetVanta Routers and Switches vs. Cisco 2000 Series Connected Grid Routers (CGR 2000)

Adtran NetVanta series switches are a very desirable switch set at a reasonable price point with a large amount of configuration ability for both L2 and L3. They are best suited for medium to large institutions that are not Cisco Dependent. They work well for small businesses as well but may be too high of a price point and too large of a feature set needed for a SOHO type set up which may turn away customers in that range. The 1531/P series does offer a smaller switch with the option of PoE in the P model and gives a total of 12 individual ports between the 8 PoE ports, 2 non PoE ports, and 2 SFP ports capable of Gigabit or 2.5Gbps with Adtran's interconnect cable. This may be more suitable for a SOHO set up but again may offer more than many small businesses need and may seem daunting.

Incentivized

The Cisco 2000 Series Connected Grid Routers (CGR 2000) is well suited in an enclosed environment where there is no air con in place, and it may get quite hot. It provides copper and fiber connections to the next site so if you have a fiber in place, it suits as well. As it's not designed for speed, so if you are after high speed links, such as 10G and above, it is not the choice.

Incentivized

• In industrial environments, Adtran NetVanta switches are robust and have a very long lifetime.
• In office environments, Adtran NetVanta switches are low profile and easy to install.
• Adtran NetVanta switches have multiple options for mounting, racks or wall mount are equally simple and well implemented.

Incentivized

• Resistant to many elements that its exposed to
• Work well in higher temperatures
• Compact enough to be installed in an inground box

Incentivized

• PoE can be a little slow to initiate as the switch communicates with the device to determine the proper power level.
• 1550 Series seem to come flashed with a non-standard Firmware initially that must be upgraded before any configuration can be done.
• USB Driver for 1550 Series USB Serial connection is a non-standard driver that must be downloaded from Adtran vs Windows Plug and Play.

Incentivized

• Harder to find and acquire than other routers

Incentivized

Have not had to use support yet but would follow our current Cisco process.

Incentivized

We have used everything from Foundry/Brocade, to Cisco, to Extreme, and nothing lives as long and performs as well as NetVanta switches.

Incentivized

While the Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms provide better throughput and thin chassis (1 RU) compared to the Cisco 2000 Series Connected Grid Routers, the Cisco 2000 Series Connected Grid Routers survive in a hot, non-ventilated/aircon enclosed environment and, at the same time, provide connectivity from the sites back to the data center.

Incentivized

• High Performance and reliability have allowed for a 'set it and forget it' type installation, giving greater customer satisfaction.
• The price point of the switches, while higher than other models such as HP or Dell potentially, is in line with their reliability and functionality and comes in less than Cisco much of the time.
• Having a long time relationship with Adtran as a company has allowed us to quickly assist customers with their needs, saving everyone time and money.

Incentivized

• Saved money on replacing standard routers that die in those environments
• Saved time with the easy linking and connection options
• Given us peace of mind that the device will continue to run without intervention

Incentivized