Difference between Small Business switches and Catalyst

[bayates826]

I'm in the process of studying for my CCNA so I'm not well versed on the actual differences between Cisco models.  I'm trying to put together a home lab environment, but in the process of planning I've decided to put together a home network which I can use as well as study on.

This brings me to the topic of switches.  I work mainly with 3750x and 3560x switches and for my home network I need a gigabit switch which brings me to the 3750G-24TS which I can get off Amazon for a decent price, however, I would like a switch which has POE and I cannot find one which i can afford. When I look around some more I find the 200 series small business switches for far less and support POE as well as Gigabit Ethernet.  I know that the 200 series uses a different OS with a web-based GUI vs the CLI which the 3750 has and that it is supposed to be deployed in a small/medium sized office.  I am just wondering what the real difference is between these two lines.

I've looked up several pages on each series and all I really gain from it is that one should be deployed in an enterprise environment and the other on a smaller scale.  I know the 3750 would be better to study on for certification purposes, but I could just get a cheap 3550 for that purpose.  If I were to put one in my home set up I would like to configure things such as multiple vlans, access-lists, trunks, ether-channels, voice vlans, snmp, netflow, and remote management.  All of these I know too well the 3750 will do as well as layer-3 functions which I could "possibly" use.  If I were to get a 200 series switch would it still be able to meet my needs?  Will the features on the 3750 be useless to me at this level and just be a waste?  

I apologize if this is a dumb question.  I've been zoned into my configuration study and haven't dove into the actual real-world of Cisco enough to understand the real difference in feature sets or what makes one piece of equipment so much more expensive than another.  Thanks in advance.

[Leo Laohoo]

Depends on what you intend to use the switch for.  

If you want to use the PoE switch as part of your study, CCNA exams do NOT cover features of SMB switches.  

Depends on the specifications of the SMB switch, you need to look at what kind of network you want to set up.  If you just want a single VLAN, then SMB switch will do just fine.  

Catalyst switches are expensive in e-bay and there's good reason for it.  

[bayates826]

Basically I would use it for the center of my network and if it is an ios based switch I would study a bit on it using the free ports. I am asking because the price difference between the smb switch and the 3750 is quite large and it would be cheaper to get a smb switch and an older study-only catalyst switch if the smb would meet my home network needs.

I would prefer Poe for voips I plan to use and for home security cameras without the need for an additional passive Poe panel.  This has nothing to do with my study.

I want the ability to create and manage vlans to segregate my network between entertainment/gaming devices, phones, my security camera setup, and my smart home devices like the thermostat and lighting effects. 

The need for gigabit comes because I have a media server which multiple people stream movies from as well as a planned internet connection of 100mbps or more (depending on what is available).

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

I am asking because the price difference between the smb switch and the 3750 is quite large and it would be cheaper to get a smb switch and an older study-only catalyst switch if the smb would meet my home network needs.

Well study it carefully and you'll need to harness the fine art of "read between the lines".  When it comes to Cisco-branded products, it's generally "you get what you paid for".  Data Sheets of either product will be of little help because the Data Sheets are written specifically to "mislead" people.  Cisco Data Sheets are notorious for hiding some features not supported under voluminous amount of data.    Aside from Data Sheets, read the Release Notes and Configuration Notes as these last two will help you determine what features each of the products can/can't do.  

I would prefer Poe for voips I plan to use and for home security cameras without the need for an additional passive Poe panel.  

When you want PoE, make sure you determine the following: 

1.  How many concurrent powered ports can the switch power at 15.4w and/or 20.0w. 

2.  Can the switch support 15.4w and/or 20.0w? 

Normally, when you're dealing with PoE, I would strongly prefer the switch can support TDR.  

I want the ability to create and manage vlans to segregate my network between entertainment/gaming devices, phones, my security camera setup, and my smart home devices like the thermostat and lighting effects. 

You can either do router-on-a-stick or you can get a multi-layer switch.   Your choice.  Personally, I'd get a router but that's just me. 

The need for gigabit comes because I have a media server which multiple people stream movies from as well as a planned internet connection of 100mbps or more (depending on what is available).

What's wrong with a media server that will only run at 100 Mbps?  I mean, you're not a big hotel where you expect 20 or so guest to be using your media server.  

[bayates826]

I took a look at the configuration notes and command guides and it seems to be more of the information I have been looking for.  After going through those the SMB switch looks like it probably do everything I need.  Thanks for pointing me towards better documentation.

I'm still looking for the PoE specs.  I haven't had time to really look for everything, but I skimmed through and the info should be there.

I already planned on getting a router and I have one already selected so the layer3 function of the switch would be more or less to play around with.

I do big file transfers and HD streaming so I want to have the most speed possible.  I know it would work fine on 100Mbps, but I like knowing I've got the best speed possible. 

Thanks for the quick replies and helpful documentation.  I'll be looking deeper into the docs you mentioned to find out more.

[Leo Laohoo]

Thanks for taking the time to rate our posts.  :)