if there is ever a "Apple" of the networking hardware segment it'd be cisco. Why?See, apple iPhones are overpriced, overdone, basically a status symbol, you don't need the newest one, even tough they say you do, it';s full of proprietary garbage and the only "good" iPhones are those released 3 - 4 generations before the newest one IF you can find it on ebay for a half-decent price. Otherwise, go buy a samsung, or, if you don't need all these features go get a redmi or one of samsung's budget phonesCisco is exactly the same. EXACTLY the same. I do NOT need you 2000$ 32 port enterprise grade swtich rack mountable Poe+++ xtreme 48V super security bullshit switch when i can go buy two 16 port switches off netgear for like... half the price, if that. (Just checked, apparently netgear has the Easy Smart PoE+ Switch (GS116EPP) which is basically the cisco switch but like, half of it, and it costs 320$.) So buying two of them not only gives you the same features, it does it for LESS than half the price. And if i absolutely NEED "enterprise grade switching and support" (whatever that is) i'd go buy a ubiquity switch. Are they any cheaper? Not by a whole much, but atleast they know their segment and don't make you feel the same sort of embarrassment off buy their switches like you'd get off of wasting 3000$ on a iPhone 17 pro plus max ultra 5G whatever else. Oh, also, they don't scrfew you over like cisco does upgrade wise. Want that feature that's already in your switch but need to unlock it? 500$ please. Like, DUDE I ALREADY PAID YOU 3000$ FOR YOUR SWITCH. Just... ew, not only that, but, like, admittedly, the only good cisco switch is a used one off ebay. From a couple years ago. Otherwise go buy ubiquity or netgear of whoever else. Also. I took the first year CCNA course, HALF of that, yeah HALF was learning how to use their batshit insane CLI. The other half was cramming stuff they didn't even explain properly or even BOTHER to explain easily, even. So now im playing catchup with the skills i shoulda learned. Meanwhile ubiquity, TP-link and so on all have perfectly fine UI's and don't force you into a garbage walled garden ecosystem EXACTLY LIKE APPLE DOES!!!1 And, it's the same status symbol thing. A company, yeah, coulda bought used cisco switches from 5 years ago, and they'd still proudly proclaim "WE USE CISCO". It's like me running around saying "I PAID 50000$ FOR A MACBOOK EVEN TOUGH I COULDA GOTTEN THE SAME PERFORMANCE FROM A ASUS". Anywho, rant over. Again, Ubiquity? They aren't that much cheaper too, i'd admit, (noit that im advocating for them, or for any mentioned company), however, they, atleast know their lane, have a decent UI, and most importantly: DO NOT SCREW YOU OVER, UPSELL, HAVE PROPRIETARY BS AND CHARGE YOU ABSURD MONEY FOR BASIC UPGRADES!. Yes their hardware is expensive, if not sometimes more than cisco, but once you bought it, that's it. You aren't paying them any more than that. Just like samsung. Ubiquity then is the samsung of networking. About as expensive? Sure. But atleast if you need the features you are getting a relatively better time.
