Top picks for budget-friendly rack-mounted switches
Top picks for budget-friendly rack-mounted switches
Second-hand old enterprise equipment offers excellent value. For instance, you can find a Cisco 3750 switch for under £100 with all the features you need and it will likely last forever. These items were previously priced at £5k+ when new. Many companies sell used networking gear, and Cisco kits are even traded as commodities. However, they tend to be noisy, heavy, and require some basic network knowledge to operate effectively. Consider your interest before deciding.
I wouldn't invest in a PoE-enabled switch unless I needed it for security cameras. For other uses, I'd suggest using a separate network for cameras to maintain security. You mentioned transferring large files—exploring 10Gb networking might be worthwhile, though you'll likely need to upgrade your PC/NAS hardware and storage. Also, keep in mind that 10Gb switches can be more expensive, so it's up to you whether the extra speed is necessary.
10gigabit networking isn’t really practical for home setups, particularly for end-user devices. The switches needed for this purpose (those that aren’t outdated) come at a high cost. Regarding CCTV on a main network switch, with a managed switch you can actually create multiple isolated virtual LANs on the same device, ensuring your main network remains unaware of the CCTV segment. This approach is typical in office environments where users have varying trust levels. Any managed switch can handle this.