Networking company Zyxel last week announced the availability of a new range of Gigabit network switches aimed at delivering Gigabit Ethernet to desktops within small and mid-sized businesses. Common features across the series include virtual local area network (VLAN) capability, QoS (Quality of Service) and security management. Some models offer support for 10Gb Ethernet (GbE) ports, which can also be used with servers equipped with 10GbE network adapters or 10GbE storage devices.
The XGS1910 is available in 24-port and 48-port models, and comes with two enhanced small form-factor SFP+ ports for 10 Gigabit (10G) uplink or stacking. The integrated 10G ports eliminate the need for additional modules to add 10G support, and the switch itself is Web-managed for ease of use. The GS1910 switch is similarly Web-managed, and is essentially the lower-end version of the XGS1910 series with slower switching and no 10GbE ports. It is also available in 24 ports and 48 ports.
Finally, the GS1910-24HP and GS1910-48HP offers high power PoE (Power over Ethernet) in the form of 30W power IEEE 802.3at support. This is ideal for PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) IP cameras that require more than the 15.4W offered by the 802.3af PoE standard, or newer wireless access power that requires more power. The “HP” switches are also backward compatible with 802.3af PoE standard devices.
In a statement, Steven Joe, executive vice president of channel business for Americas at Zyxel, pointed to the affordability of the new Gigabit switches and how they offer “the richest L2 features available to meet our customers’ current and future mobility and cloud computing demands.” Another advantage would be how they are IPv6-ready.
The 24-port XGS1910 has a list price of $690, while the 48 port is priced at $1370. For small businesses with a single 10GbE server or storage appliance, the 24-port XGS1910 with its two 10GbE port does appear to offer compelling value. Slightly larger businesses can also tap on the 48-port XGS1910 to bring Gigabit speeds to the desktop, which is an appealing proposition at its reasonable price of about $31 per Gigabit Ethernet port.
You can check out the detailed specifications sheet for the new switches (pdf), or read the press release for the switches for full pricing information.