With today’s ever-increasing reliance on data insights, technology defines nearly every aspect of our lives. Businesses cannot afford to ignore this fact, especially if they rely on advanced technologies to stay competitive. Putting together an efficient local area network (LAN) can take time. IT professionals understand the importance of weighing features, device compatibilities, security, and cost. To meet these needs, we’ve created the highly affordable PLANET GS-2210 Web Smart Ethernet Switch Series that cater to small and medium enterprise networking needs without sacrificing quality.

What’s a Web Smart Switch?

A network switch is one of the most critical components in an enterprise network, as it facilitates seamless communication between all network devices. There are three types of switches: unmanaged, managed, and web smart. While most understand the difference between unmanaged and managed switches, that third category, the web smart switch, might not be as familiar.

A web smart Ethernet switch, simply called a smart switch, offers a more straightforward configuration process (though with fewer features) than a fully-fledged managed Ethernet switch. Typically, web smart is a big step up from plug-and-play unmanaged switches, as smart switches offer configuration features that enable small businesses/organizations to set up their LAN more easily. These features include quality of service (QoS), network segmentation, and access control lists (ACLs), among other optimizations that we’ll examine in greater depth later in the article. These features are available on the GS-2210 Series Web Smart Ethernet Switches. The GS-2210s provide a network management system accessible through a simple web browser, unlike managed switches that require CLI.

GS-2210 NMSViewerPro app

Understanding Network Management System

A network management system, or NMS, enables network administrators to manage each network’s components individually while also performing network management functions that impact the entire enterprise network. The NMS helps network engineers monitor performance, detect new devices in the network, receive alert notifications, and perform other critical network metrics analysis and settings changes.

The Highly Affordable GS-2210 Web Smart Ethernet Switches

The PLANET GS-2210 Series features five different models, each tailored to meet a variety of networking needs, depending on the size of the network and the functionalities required.

GS-2210-8T2S

GS-2210-8T2S 8-Port 10/100/1000T + 2-Port 1000X SFP Web Smart Ethernet Switch

With its 8 Ethernet ports and two additional Gigabit SFP slots, this model is the perfect choice for smaller businesses looking for network management capabilities with a low budget. It features 20Gbps non-blocking switch fabric, a throughput of 14.88 Mbps, and a low power consumption of 16.4 watts.

GS-2210-16T2S

GS-2210-16T2S 16-Port 10/100/1000T + 2-Port 1000X SFP Web Smart Ethernet Switch

This model is excellent for small businesses with a slightly bigger network. The 16-port + 2 Gigabit SFP slots, 36Gbps non-blocking switch fabric, 26.78 Mpps, and low power consumption (12.7W) offer small enterprises a cost-effective solution.

GS-2210-24T2S

GS-2210-24T2S 24-Port 10/100/1000T + 2-Port 1000X SFP Web Smart Ethernet Switch

The GS-2210-24T2S is the go-to smart Ethernet switch for mid-size organizations that may not be ready to migrate to a fully managed network, such as academic institutions. With its advanced management capabilities, this 24-port smart switch has a 36.68 Mpps throughput and a switching fabric of 52 Gbps (non-blocking).

GS-2210-8P2S

GS-2210-8P2S 8-Port 10/100/1000 T 802.3at PoE + 2-Port 1000X SFP Web Smart Ethernet Switch

Besides being a smart switch, the GS-2210-8P2S offers 8 PoE ports and a total PoE power budget of 120W. This model is ideal for small businesses and enterprises that want to leverage the advantages of PoE without incurring huge costs. It allows you to send power and data to your wireless APs, VoIP phones, and IP cameras without additional power sources.

GS-2210-24P2S

GS-2210-24P2S 24-Port 10/100/1000 T 802.3at PoE + 2-Port 1000X SFP Web Smart Ethernet Switch

Offering more than double the PoE power budget and three times the number of ports of the GS-2210-8P2S, the GS-2210-24P2S is the ultimate cost-effective and efficient solution for mid-size enterprise networks wanting to power PDs using Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology. This Smart Ethernet PoE switch works great in any location, including transportation hubs and public buildings.

PLANET GS-2210 Series Features

The PLANET GS-2210 Series Smart Ethernet Switches are unique, thanks to the many features included:

  • In-built NMS: Makes network management efficient through link aggregation, QoS, network segmentation (VLANs), and other configurations.
  • UNI-NMS: A feature available only in PLANET products, UNI-NMS allows administrators to manage the network remotely 24/7/365 from anywhere, reducing the need for additional IT staffing.
  • Robust Layer 2 Features: All the GS-2210 Series switches support layer 2 configurations, which allow you to set port speed, port aggregation, bandwidth control, VLANs, and IGMP snooping.
  • ONVIF Video Support: This innovative feature makes video IP surveillance efficient by offering smart device detection, real-time monitoring with IP address links, and camera online/offline status.

GS-2210-Series UNI-NMS

The GS-2210 Series Smart Switches also offer unmatched flexibility and long-distance extension, thanks to the two Gigabit SFP slots available in all the switches.

Why Choose POE Capable Web Smart Ethernet Switch?

Power over Ethernet is a ground-breaking technology that allows both power and data transmission to be sent through the same Ethernet cable, eliminating the need to install additional power sources when adding powered devices (PDs) to your enterprise network. Besides the features covered above that cut across all the GS-2210 series, a PoE Web Smart Switch (e.g., GS-2210-8P2S or GS-2210-24P2S) offers additional functionalities, including:

  • Intelligent PD Alive Check: This enables real-time monitoring of the PD status, with the PoE web smart switch automatically responding when it detects that a PD has stopped working so it can attempt to bring it online again.
  • Scheduled Power Recycling: This fantastic feature automatically reboots connected PDs once every week (or as often as desired), preventing PD crashes due to buffer overflow.
  • Energy Savings Schedule: You can set up your PoE smart web switch to turn off ports at specific intervals to save energy when certain PDs are not in use. For example, switching off wireless APs and IP Phones during non-business hours. Besides cutting energy budgets, this feature adds an additional layer of security.
  • PoE Priority: Network administrators can designate some PoE ports as high-priority, allowing critical PDs connected to these ports to continue running even during PoE power interference.

PD Alive Check

PoE-compliant smart switches also offer  PoE power limiting features and real-time PoE usage monitoring through a web management interface.

Key Takeaway

In a world where technology has the potential to set you apart from the competition and make things efficient and cost-effective, choosing the right network equipment is a must. Web Smart Switch is an excellent option for small and mid-sized businesses and organizations that want to maintain efficiency and minimize risk factors associated with unmanaged switches. This product line is an ideal solution for companies with limited budgets and staff who may not be able to install and manage a fully-fledged managed switch network.