INTRODUCTION

   One of the many questions people ask us quite often is what's the most efficient way to setup a home or office network with several computers attached to it (some even want to throw some LAN events). Well like we already talked about in our last switch review since high-end modem/routers have a total of 4 RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports they should be more than enough for home use (sometimes even for office use) but if you're looking to connect even more then a Gigabit switch is the easiest way to do it. Now for home use even an unmanaged model should be sufficient (you can find models with 5/8/16/24 available ports) but for more demanding applications such as office use an smart or a managed model (smart switches lack some management capabilities and fine-tuning found in managed switches) could provide many useful tools/features not found in unmanaged models. Last time with us we had the unmanaged LGS124P 24-Port Business Gigabit PoE+ Switch by Linksys (which as expected from a business model packed quite a punch) so today we decided to take a look at their LGS326P 26-Port Smart Gigabit PoE+ Switch.

   The Linksys brand has pioneered wireless connectivity since its inception in 1988 with its leading innovation and engineering strategies, and best-in-class technology, design, and customer service. Linksys enables a connected lifestyle for people at home, at work and on the move, and with its award-winning products, simplifies home control, entertainment, security and Internet access through innovative features and a growing application and partner ecosystem. Linksys is part of Belkin International.

   The Linksys LGS326P is a smart switch (the end user can control many of its functions through a web GUI) that features a total of 24 RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 2 RJ45/SFP Gigabit combo ports adding to a total switching capacity of 52Gbps. All 24 RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports are PoE+ compatible (192W maximum output power) and fully support advanced functions including link aggregation (up to 4 groups of 8 ports per group), 802.1x RADIUS authentication, RMON (remote monitoring), port mirroring (packet analysis), port authentication/security, DHCP snooping, STP (spanning tree protocol), QoS (quality of service), SNMP (simple network management protocol), power save mode (802.3 EEE+ plus short reach with energy detect) and up to 128 active VLANs (802.1Q). On paper the Linksys LGS326P really looks like a beast so let's move forward to see exactly what you can expect from this Smart Business Gigabit Switch.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As with past models the LGS326P arrived inside a plain cardboard box that has the company name at the front along with a small blue sticker.

That sticker extends to the base of the box and contains product information such as the model name, available ports, serial number and barcode.

The switch is wrapped inside a plastic bag and is kept in place with the help of two foam spacers.

Aside the LGS326P and its power cord Linksys also bundles two rack mounts with their screws, 4 round rubber feet (if you decide not to place it inside a rack), instructions CD and the quick installation guide.

THE LGS326P

Measuring no less than 440mm in length, 200mm in depth and 44mm in height the LGS326P is identical to the LGS318P model which we had with us last year.

To showcase the size of the LGS326P we placed it right over the Netgear XS712T and the Linksys LGS124P switches.

Just like all the other Business class models we've received by Linksys at the far front left of the LGS324P we see a PoE+ Max status LED (indicates the amount of power delivered to devices - turns red when you exceed the max output), system LED and a reset button.

All 24 RJ45 Gigabit ports placed at the center of the switch are PoE+ compatible.

The two RJ45 / SFP Combo ports located on the far front right however do not support PoE+.

The LGS326P features two 40mm intake fans on the right side that spin up to 8200RPM.

Typically the only thing placed at the rear of the switch is the power port.

WEB INTERFACE PART 1

The first thing you will see once you access the web interface (same as in the LGS318P) is the system summary page which shows you which ports are being used, the firmware and hardware version, serial number and device uptime.

From the RMON drop-down menu you can access the statistics, logs, events and alarms of all ports.

The quick start tab acts like a setup wizard since it contains shortcuts to all the main settings.

Accessing the configuration tab allows you to name the device, adjust the time, setup SNMP (simple network management protocol), check logs, manage all ports, enable link aggregation, enable/disable green Ethernet, prioritize power distribution, monitor and restrict power delivery, setup VLANs (Voice VLAN supports several Telephony OUI right out of the box), configure spanning tree management, adjust IPv4/6/MAC addresses, setup multicast, enable/disable DNS and adjust DHCP snooping features.

WEB INTERFACE PART 2

From the configuration page you can also add/remove users, enable/disable RADIUS server, setup port authentication and security, use the traffic storm control feature and setup QoS (quality of service).

As expected you can reboot the switch, roll it back to its factory settings, upgrade the firmware, backup and restore all your settings and perform various diagnostics from within the Maintenance tab.

By clicking on the support tab you will be redirected to the online Linksys support page.

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Network switches are pretty much identical to routers so we’ll be using roughly the same testing methodology. So aside the usual networking benchmark by Passmark (v8.0) this time we will start our tests with the latest versions of ATTO (v3.05), Crystal Disk Mark (v5.1.2) something which we couldn’t do in the past since these versions have updated testing methodologies and thus are not compatible with the results we’ve gathered over the years. Also as you’ve already noticed we decided to replace the QCheck by Ixia with Crystal Disk Mark since we feel it’s a more complete choice. To test all network switches we are using two of our desktop systems outfitted with two Kingston HyperX Predator 480GB PCIe SSDs (these SSDs combined with two XT540-AT2 PCIe cards will enable us to also fully test 10GbE network switches) and two laptops to simulate load. Our systems are placed 15m away (connected with CAT7 cables) from the switch in hand and each test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average scores are recorded into our charts. Our systems have Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 installed with all the updates until the 12th of August 2017.

   Also just like with Modem/Routers we will also be recording power consumption is these reviews during all our tests and both the lowest and highest numbers will be available in our charts. Finally when testing network switches with built-in fans (like the XJ712T) we will also record noise levels using our high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 5-10cm away.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Linksys released the LGS326P back in 2015 and although it already counts well over 2 years in the market it still has nothing to be jealous of newer models. Its Gigabit performance is excellent, has enough ports to cover most small to medium sized businesses, build quality is top notch (as we’ve come to expect by Linksys products – no wonder they offer a limited lifetime warranty on their business models) and on top of all that it also offers a vast number of advanced features that even we could never hope to use in our lab (even our IT Pro feels these are way too “extensive”). There’s one downside however just like most other actively cooled switches and that’s its high noise levels (emanating from the two 40mm high speed fans) which render it a not so ideal choice for home use (unless of course you can place it inside a room where noise is of no concern). It would be great if Linksys released a firmware update allowing the end user to change the RPM of the fans (or even disable them altogether) but my guess is they will not purely for safety reasons (noone would like a switch like this to get damaged due to overheating). Unfortunately for unknown reasons Linksys has yet to release a 10GbE Business switch (we'll certainly test it out when they do) but for the vast majority of potential buyers out in the market currently Gigabit connectivity is a one way.

   We all know that business class products are more expensive compared to their “home” oriented counterparts but although Linksys gives a recommended price tag of USD499/499Euros for the LGS326P 26-Port Smart Gigabit PoE+ Switch you can currently get one for “just” USD394.99 inside the EU (Amazon.com) and for 377Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). True this isn’t what we’d call “affordable” and that goes double for home users but at the same time it’s not expensive considering the things you’re getting. At the end of the day you can still opt for a lower-spec model without PoE+ capability (if you don’t plan on using IP cameras and/or other compatible hardware why not save some money) and with fewer available Gigabit ports but if you require/need what the LGS326P offers then it’s a very solid solution which is also why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Excellent Performance
- 24 RJ45 & 2 RJ45/SFP Combo Ports
- 24 PoE+ Compatible Ports
- 192W Maximum PoE+ Power Output
- Available Settings / Features
- Power Consumption
- Limited Lifetime Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Somewhat Loud Fans (Especially At High Temperatures)