Best used eBay L3 switch to get?

[maverlopaz]

So I’m looking to stand up my own router/firewall at home for my lab, and I also want to get a get a Cisco L3 switch since I’m currently working on CCNA and it would be really practical for me to get some more hands-on experience with physical hardware besides just using packet tracer and other virtualized platforms all the time (and I kind of just like hardware in general).

I’m looking to see what would be the most practical layer three switch that would meet these requirements:

still able to update iOS/stay current or very very recently EOL.

L3 Capabilities to route between my VLANS I want to set up.

-Something with 12 ports or more.

preferably something that is fanlesss or has a quiet fan.

-Something that is around the $150 price range on eBay.

Thank you.

[balaji.bandi]

Look for 3750 or 3850 switch.

[Martin L]

if u can get c3850 switch, it would be nice and ok for hands-on practice; if u cannot get 3850 for 150; then c3750 Gig should be ok

very old 4- or 8-port switches were fanlesss; fans in switches are quieter then in routers; 

Regards, ML
**Please Rate All Helpful Responses ** 

[Joseph W. Doherty]

Price range around $150 and current or very, very recent EoL might be a hard combo.

Possibly the 3560-CX-12?  Still a currently sold (I believe) L3 switch, and eBay seems to have some  in the $150 ballpark.

If you consider older switches, don't overlook some other stablemates of the 3K switches, i.e. 3570s have corresponding 3560s and 3850s have 3650s.  There's also a 3560C series too.

With the older (last gen) 3560s and 3750s went EoL about 3 years ago.  The 3650s and 3850s are still supported, but EoS.

For any the switches, take note of what IOS features are supported, i.e. LAN Base vs. IP Base, IP Services.  Also, some may require active licensing subscription for usage.  (Legally, none can be used without a current license, but generally, hardware vendors don't pursue license violations for personal learning use - which is fine if the device doesn't limit its usage without such a license.)

I can appreciate you wanting some hands-on experience, but with a basic, low level L3 switch, there's not much to practice with at a hardware level.

[Torbjørn]

I would recommend a C3650 like  @Joseph W. Doherty suggested above. They're within your price range, and the fans aren't too bad at low loads.

Hardware is fun! But if your budget is limited I would recommend investing in a virtualised lab instead. The excitement of hardware tends to fade quite quickly once you touch it every day. You will get a lot more use of a Dell R730(or similar) running VMware and CML in the long term.

[Karsten Iwen]

As already mentioned, I also would go for a device from the 3560CX series. Having no fan is a big plus in a lab. And even with the 8-port model you can test plenty of stuff. For typical Lab-tasks I would not asume to need more than 8 ports. If this is the L3-“core”, end devices are connected to other switches which connect to the 3560CX. I use two of them to connect various APs in my Lab.

[ccieexpert]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325429523326?itmmeta=01J39P12MJANV56E1Y8W9YZ3Z5&hash=item4bc51c737e:g:8yoAAOSwynJmUKoY&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0C%2BkNBURFUkXcYpqCTzxpr9P7LehEhQBsV%2F2LmJRgA8tUXIaaWDe3zhBxmeu0aC4CU%2BrXTVZtV4xOcIX59p2DboPfQfFwUHsPpDkBR4EEorZQHL...

3850 under 150 with POE.. i like POE to test POE stuff..

[johnlloyd_13]

hi,

i use cisco 3560C-8PC-S (8 port) in my lab.

i got these for a cheap price and it's quiet/fanless.

i'd suggest get 2 as a start then just add another if you got the budget and want to do more complex lab scenarios.

if you got friends in the IT/network field, just borrow/loan or ask for a couple of switches. they're often just lying around collecting dust