HP ProCurve 1810G-8 - any opinions ?

[Kiangs]

Hi

I'm looking to purchase an additional 8 port Gigabit switch for home use. I already have a Netgear GS608, basic but which does the job.

For possible future 'dabbling' though (e.g. VLANs) I was thinking of the new switch being a bit smarter, as long as the price was reasonable.

I have looking at the Netgear GS108T, which retails around the £100 mark.
However I have spotted the HP ProCurve 1810G-8 for about £85. This seems a good price for what I understand is a 'proper', fully managed device...?

Try as I might I can't really find any reviews though.

Any comments from you boffins ?

Thanks in advance

Paul

 

[thiggins]

The ProCurves are generally well-regarded.

 

[Kiangs]

Thanks Tim.

Generally well-regarded... except this one it seems !!!

Well that might be overdoing it, found just one solitary 'review' on the net and unfortunately its not a good one... Initial thoughts on the ProCurve 1810G-8

See this page too

I was tempted by the price - Misco seem to have it a good deal cheaper than anywhere else - but time for a reality check and on balance I think its far too ambitious for anything I'm likely to be doing at home.

 

[thiggins]

Generally well-regarded... except this one it seems !!!

Look closely at the issues that the reviewer is complaining about. They are mainly issues involving large networks with many switches.

ProCurve's are well built and should serve you well in a small network.

 

[Kiangs]

Thanks again Tim,

True I guess, most of the discussion is well over my head though !

Guess this next question might have been better in a different thread, but I've also spotted the 3Com 3CDSG8 which is an even cheaper 8 port fully managed unit - once again though can find little information on it. Have you come across it ?

 

[thiggins]

Haven't seen or used 3Com products in a very long time.

 

[Kiangs]

Ah well, thanks anyway.

 

[bendsley]

HP is acquiring 3COM, so I would just stick with HP switches if you're looking to buy a new one.

I've never personally used an HP ProCurve switch, but I have heard good things about them and as one of the previous posters has said, "they are generally well regarded".

If it has all of the features you're looking for and you can find one for a good price, go for it.

 

[Kiangs]

Thanks again for the replies,

2 votes for the HP so far then !

I was still keen to find out more about the 3Com model, but can't find much out which I don't understand really - considering the price (cheapest managed 8 port I can see) I thought it would sell enough for there to be a few reviews out there, good or bad, but no.

I know that all switches mentioned will be more than sufficient for my needs so its little things that make the difference. The 3Coms rearward facing ports which would be handy in my setup, but then again it has only a 3 year warranty (compared to lifetime for HP / Netgear) so what does that indicate..?

 

[RamGuy]

I just replaced my HP ProCurve 1400-8G with the 1810G-8 simply because the 1400-8G seemed to lack iEEE802.3ad link aggregation (LACP)?

I do by no means really need a smart switch, I simply use the switch for providing my basement with gigabit network.

But in my desktop computer I have a Intel Pro/1000 ET Dual NIC and I want to run link aggregation to the switch, which for some reason isn't supported with the ProCurve 1400-8G, even when our HP contact person at work told me so.

So he simply gave me a 1810G-8 instead, so no worries there..


But I have some strange issues with the 1810G, and I have of course updated the firmware on it! I've never really used a smart switch before, so this is basicly my first go with one, I've tried to disable almost everything in it's software in order to get is as "dumb" as possible as that's what I really need, a device splitting our network to all devices downstairs, providing reliable gigabit connection.


For some reason when using the 1810G I can't access either our network printer or NAS? I've set our DVG-5802S upstairs as gateway and DHCP provider, so my computers get connected on the same IP-address as before with the 1400-8G, but still I can't ping nor connect to other devices? I can't even use our HP LaserJet 1022NW connected directly into the 1810G?`

I do get internet connection, I can indeed ping and access the gateway (DVG-5802S having the 192.168.0.1 IP) but that's pretty much it? It seems like all devices connected into the 1810G gets isolated from every other devices on our network?


And I can't seem to figure out any way to fix this issue, but then again I have no clues how to setup a smart switch.. Is there anyway to make the 1810G "dumb" as the 1400-8G?

 

[thiggins]

I would think a reset to factory defaults would do it.

You must have a very busy network to need link aggregation.
If you are trying to use it now and having the network problems you describe, I'd try disabling it and just running one uplink cable. Also make sure you aren't using any VLANs.

 

[ingeborgdot]

Is the 1810 more difficult to operate than the 1400?

 

[stevegarvey]

I put two of these into a relatively large school network at the start of the year. Overall I'm pretty happy with them.

Positives:
- Well built
- Silent
- Come with nice mounting options
- Lifetime warranty
- User interface is nice and clear
- Graphical representation of the switch on the "home" page is nifty
- Frequent firware updates

Performance seems to be completely fine - I haven't actually tested them outright but all seems well on the network.

Negatives:
- No built-in clock - problem when looking at logs
- Enabling NTP causes management interface to crash
- Management interface sometimes falls over (switch continues to work but is unmanageable). This seems to have been addressed in a recent firmware update. I've applied the latest update (P.1.17) but unfortunately the school is now empty (Summer Holidays) so it's really too soon to tell if that's made a difference.

Hope this helps... At times I was a little frustrated with these switches and the bigger 1810G-24 model but I've never really used a smart switch that doesn't give some trouble and, on-balance, these are pretty good.

 

[Qbix]

...

For some reason when using the 1810G I can't access either our network printer or NAS? I've set our DVG-5802S upstairs as gateway and DHCP provider, so my computers get connected on the same IP-address as before with the 1400-8G, but still I can't ping nor connect to other devices? I can't even use our HP LaserJet 1022NW connected directly into the 1810G?`

....

Hello RamGuy and others here,

I do have the same problem with my HP ProCurve 1810G-8 switch, it won't connect the NAS (Synology DS-209). So did you manage to find out what solves these problem?

If I connect the NAS for the first time to one of the eight ports the LED's of the switch and the LAN LED on the NAS are on. But like 5 minutes or so? both LEDs go out, if I take the connector out and back in they won't lit op any more.

Thanks for the help

 

[ginopilotino]

Try forcing port to gigabit

 

[MrFixit]

Slightly OT, but I have the 1810G-24. Its the same switch except for having 24 ports rather than 8

Overall I have been very impressed (Firmware P.1.17) - it has been rock solid (~2 months). The web accessed "Smart" features can be easily "dumbed down" by setting to default config - although I do use LACP (for the NAS).

The only tricky bit seems to be setting up the IP of the device. I have set this as a Fixed IP which is then reserved (for DHCP) on my router (Netgear UTM5).

The only negative I see is the Daylight Saving Time option which requires you to put in the dates / times / offset for the current year (there is a Recurring option, but that seems to expect the same dates for each year). That seems to be a bit of a pain.