Belden Managed Switches vs. Cisco Catalyst IE3200 Rugged Series Switches vs. NETGEAR Ethernet Switches

In areas with harsh temperatures like freezers they are an awesome fit, as I mentioned in the first part of this review. I would not recommend this switch in an area where it may be exposed to other elements like water. For example, in a washdown area like in our food production plants, we are constantly hosing down / steaming the area to sanitize. The only way I would recommend it in an area like that is if it is physically located inside of some sort of enclosure, but in that case you might as well purchase a less expensive non-ruggedized switch and do the same.

Incentivized

Great for entry-level networking, and the cost-to-quality ratio is great for the average consumer. I've used them in a crawl space that is not climate controlled, and it just works and provides the switching capabilities I need. These are great for users that don't have a ton of experience and can simply try to troubleshoot with a simple power cycle.

Incentivized

• Stability in harsh weather conditions
• Easy to configure with a GUI that non network professionals could use
• Customization with the ability to have the most common amount of SFP ports needed

Incentivized

• Manage extra connections in a switched network.
• Provide good throughput for those extra connections.
• Easy to add into an existing network environment.

• A bit of speed improvement could help.
• The technology is quite new and more docs would help.
• Only 3 internet protocols are supported.

Incentivized

• Better advertisement about advanced enterprise features. My experience is with smaller switches and not with the fully managed switches.
• Additional management tools to monitor multiple switches in the environment. Similar to Cisco Network Assistant.

Incentivized

When comparing the Cisco Catalyst IE3200 Rugged Series Switches to the IE3300 model, I selected the IE3200 due to its affordability and comparable performance. The IE3200 offers a cost-effective solution without compromising on durability or functionality. Additionally, the IE3200's compact size and easy integration into existing infrastructure were additional factors that influenced my choice. Overall, the Cisco Catalyst IE3200 Rugged Series Switches provide a reliable and budget-friendly solution for rugged industrial environments.

Incentivized

While the Ubiquiti are much easier to manage remotely through their cloud controllers, the Netgear is much more reliable in harsh environments than the other simple switches we use, as they seem less susceptive to high temperatures and humidity. (TP-Link and Zycel are the other major brands we use for simple switches.)

Incentivized

• Allows us to have network connectivity in our warehouses and yards
• Allows us to have phones in our warehouses and yards
• Allows us to have surveillance in our warehouses and yards

Incentivized

• Keeps our investment in infrastructure connections low because they can provide those connections.
• A lower cost alternative to adding in wall connections.
• Sometimes they can cause collision issues due to traffic across them.