NETGEAR8 Port PoE Gigabit Ethernet Easy Smart Managed Essentials Switch (GS308EP) - with 8 x PoE+ @ 62W, Desktop or Wall Mount

Low cost POE smart-switches are fairly common these days but I like the fact that this is a metal unit that Netgear still actively supports with firmware updates, They also tried to do something different with the interface. It took a little getting used to but the graphic-forward interface makes it super-easy to configure your VLANs, POE ports etc.The best complement I can give is that I never have to think about it. My IP desk phone and Wi-Fi access point always stay up and throughput across the switch-fabric is consistently where it should be.The only thing I can think to ding them for is the obnoxiously large Netgear logo on the top of the router but at least you know what it is at a glance I guess.N.B.Although they encourage registration the first time you log into the switch, you can decline the prompt to create an account and never be bothered about it again.

Great price, plug n play, using it to extend my network (home). 5 min set up

Used it to add 3 ip cameras to my nvr using a wifi bridge. Workes great!

I didn't have enough network runs to my office and this little switch has done great feeding off our main switch stack; no issues.

I have bought a few of these for use on our campus and I can say that they are basically a steal for what you get. Not they don't have their issues. Here are my pros and cons:Pros-Price- Bar none this is the cheapest managed PoE switch I have been able to find. At $7.50 a port its basically unbeatable. Most commercial switches I have had quoted come out to about $30 a port. Yes greater functionality at that price, but not worth it if you don't need them.Power- It actually has a decent power budget. 62W over 8 ports which averages out to about 7.75W per port. This is plenty to run low power applications such as security cameras. You can still run things such as wireless access points, but don't expect to fully populate the switch with them. (Edit) If you are in need of a greater power supply per port, the GS316EPP has an astounding budget of 231Watts which works out to about 16W per port. Should be enough to power just about anything but the most power hungry PoE devices.Management- The fact that its actually manageable at this price. The features available are not spectacular by any means, but you probably are not buying this if you need in depth QOS settings. You can fully manage both the power and VLANs on it which is more than sufficient for basic networking. It does have a free management software that you can use, thought it does have some serious limitations.GUI- The web GUI is pretty straight forward with the home screen providing most of the basic device settings at a glance. Switching tab aside, settings are clear and concise. They also have helpful descriptions for those less familiar with networking terminology.Bandwidth- All 8 ports are gigabit capable and the switch does allow port aggregation allowing for a greater outbound bandwidth from the switch if you have a few high volume devices plugged into it.Cons:Management- As previously stated, this certainly isn't a state-of-the-art device. QOS settings are limited to bandwidth controls and only the most basic of Multicast settings are available. The free "central" management software also has a major limitation. It only works if the switches are in the same network as the computer/server hosting the management software. If your computer is in 192.168 and your switch is in 172.16, it will never find it. This isn't an issue if you are operating a flat network or have a management VLAN.GUI- Overall the GUI is great, but the VLAN management is very annoying to work with. For starters, the VLAN modes are not particularly well described, so figuring out which one does what you need is a matter of trial and error. The Advanced VLAN Management is particularly painful to work with, though it does offer the greatest flexibility in settings. This is primarily due to the interdependence of the PVID table and the VLAN port assignments. To change the PVID setting on a port, you must have the VLAN you are changing it to assigned. Or if you want to remove an assigned VLAN, but its the PVID, you must first remove change the PVID before you can remove it. These are on completely separate pages requiring navigation between the two when tweaking the settings. If you are going to be changing these frequently, be prepared to spend a lot of extra time doing so. Though less irritating, having to click edit on each individual VLAN to manage its assignment to ports is unnecessary and could have easily been on the main VLAN management page.CLI- Or lack thereof. For those of you who much prefer Putty to a web browser, that simply isn't an option.(Edit) Mac Table- Zero access to what is one of the most useful features in switching. Figuring out what is plugged into what port without it is basically just unplug the cable and see what goes down. Not great great for high availability devices and end users.TLDR: Best bang for buck for a managed PoE switch that you can find. Great if you need something just above plug-n-play. Just expect a configurable feature set comparable to the price.

I needed another. I use them mostly for security cameras. Can't have too many security cameras in today's world.

Easy to use no headaches great switch. Just works

You can't beat these and the price. Very solid product