small/cheap managed switch with vlan

[holden j caufield]

I got a great 24 port gb switch from work as they were just going to throw it away so I was able to snag it before it went to ewaste. Managed, vlan etc. Problem is that it's made to sit in a server room and it wasn't loud there but in my house it sounds like a jet engine.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

You can do some mods if you are so inclined to change the fans to a lower airflow model, add heatsinks etc.

 

[azazel1024]

Toss it. I am sure its an old Cisco, HP, whatever gigabit switch which probably pulls down about 80-160w. IE massive electric bill from it. As you mentioned, get a new cheap one.

Do you need 8/16/24/48 ports? An inexpensive and decent one that I would recommend for 5 or 8 ports is the DLink DGS1100 series. Good semi-managed switch, VLANs, LAG, etc. Cost range is ~$50 for the 5 port and $60 for the 8 port.

For 16/24 I'd suggest the TP-Link SG2216/SG2424. Also does all of the same. Cost is around $130 for the 16 port and $170 for the 24 port. I got my 16-port SG2216 on sale for $105 about a year ago.

Those are probably the best bang for the buck semi-managed switches that seem to be pretty fully featured, work well, etc.

 

[cmetz]

holden,

What model of switch?

Gigabit network switches used to have poor power efficiency due to a combination of where the technology was at the time (semiconductor process/node size, etc.) and it not being a thing manufacturers needed to care a lot about. With modern technology, gigabit doesn't need to use much power, while power efficiency is now a big deal.

Power efficiency means higher electric usage - maybe more or less of an issue depending on the cost of electricity where you live - and it means heat which means fan noise.

All that said, a lot of modern data center grade switches aren't bad in terms of power efficiency, but they have fans that are optimized for worst case cooling performance, fan lifespan, and cost. Noise is generally not a big consideration for data center grade gear. So there is a real possibility that you have a decent switch in terms of its power efficiency and it just really needs a fan mod.

Give us more information and we can advise you further.

For reference, I have an 8-port gig switch (for occasional lab use!) that uses 220W idle. I also have a 20-port gig switch for production use that can use about 30W worst-case. There's about a decade in between those two product designs, though.