TP-Link Smart Switches vs Easy Smart Switches

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TP-Link Smart Switches vs Easy Smart Switches

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TP-Link Smart Switches vs Easy Smart Switches
TP-Link Smart Switches vs Easy Smart Switches
2018-03-15 06:59:44
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I am a homeowner looking to replace about a dozen or so switches throughout my home. My biggest concern is dependability and power savings. From what I have read and researched, both the Easy Switches and the Smart Switches meet these requirements. I have some need for QOS, but I'm not really using VLANs at this point but may in the future to segment webcam traffic. I do like the idea of using a single pane or interface to manage the switches, preferably not java or flash dependent. I do run multiple LAGs, and in one area I have seven lags on a single 24 port switch.

From the research I have done so far, both the Smart Switches and the Easy Smart Switches will meet my need. It does look like they use different management tools, so commingling them doesn't appear to be possible while managing them from the same interface. I am replacing some very old Cisco SLM2024 switches (use old version of Java, only accessible with IE in Windows XP), which provide great management but use too much electricity. I will also be replacing a number of managed and non-managed switches, Netgear FS and GS, D-Link, etc.

My question is, which of the two would serve me better? What are the major differences between the Smart and Easy lines? It looks like the Smart Switches are just slightly more advanced offering a couple of extra features. I would like to hear from someone who has experience with both or either.

I picked up a small 8-port Easy Switch and it seems to be pretty good from a performance and management perspective. I wish it offered the ability to label the individual ports in the config, but it doesn't. Do the Smart Switches offer this? Also, the 2 LAG maximum on the Easy line may be a problem for me. Does that apply to the 24 models as well?
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Re:TP-Link Smart Switches vs Easy Smart Switches
2018-03-15 21:08:49

thecodeman wrote


From the research I have done so far, both the Smart Switches and the Easy Smart Switches will meet my need. It does look like they use different management tools


What makes you think so? All Smart and Easy Smart switches have a web UI, which in case of Easy Smart switches is a subset of Smart switches.


What are the major differences between the Smart and Easy lines? It looks like the Smart Switches are just slightly more advanced offering a couple of extra features.


No, Easy Smart switches have only a small subset of functions compared to Smart switches, so Smart switches offer lot of advanced extra features. As a rule of thumb, Smart switches offer nearly all features of a typical L2 managed switch, while L2, L2+ and L3 managed switches have full-fledged features required by big companies, data-centers or ISPs typically. But borders are fluent even between different models of the same category, for example the T1500 Smart switch series offer a management VLAN, but no MAC-based VLAN, while T1600 models offer a MAC-based VLAN, but no management VLAN. OTOH, T1600 offers routing functions usually found in L2+ switches only.

Easy Smart switches have only a very limited subset of Smart switches, essentially basic VLANs (port-based, multi-tenant, 802.1Q), but no advanced VLAN features nor Inter-VLAN routing. They offer almost all QoS features available in other switches, but only IGMP snooping as a multicast feature, but for example no IGMP filtering. Additional features are network diagnostics functions (loop detect, port mirroring, traffic monitoring) and LAG features (but only limited static LAG with reduced number of hash algorithms, not LACP).


I picked up a small 8-port Easy Switch and it seems to be pretty good from a performance and management perspective. I wish it offered the ability to label the individual ports in the config, but it doesn't. Do the Smart Switches offer this?


Yes, at least in the T1600 series you can label ports (for T1500 series I don't know, but will test one soon).

Also, the 2 LAG maximum on the Easy line may be a problem for me. Does that apply to the 24 models as well?


AFAIK, there is only one 24-port model, it's TL-SG1024DE. According to its data sheet it supports 8 LAG groups, containing 4 ports per LAG group.
See https://static.tp-link.com/res/down/doc/TL-SG1016DE_TL-SG1024DE_Datasheet_2.0.pdf

In comparison, T1600G series offer up to 14 LAG groups, containing 8 ports per group.
See https://static.tp-link.com/res/down/doc/T1600G-28TS_V1_Datasheet.pdf for a complete list of other features.
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2018-03-19 20:18:45
Thanks for your very thorough reply. This is exactly the information I was looking for.
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Re:TP-Link Smart Switches vs Easy Smart Switches
2018-03-19 23:42:49
You are welcome. BTW, my T1500-10PS arrived today, it's the direct successor of TL-SG2210P. Like all other models of the former TL-SG2xxx series it's a smart switch with lot of useful features. I will test it as soon as I have some spare time.
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