Netgear Unveils Layer 2 Smart Switch For SMB Market

The FS526T 24-port Smart Switch with Gigabit Ports features 24 10/100 Mbps ports and two 10/100/1000 Mbps copper Gigabit Ethernet ports. Available this month for a list price of $400, the smart switch is designed to deliver quality performance of 100 Mbps and Gigabit networking speeds, and provides many of the basic management features typically found in more expensive, fully managed switches, according to Netgear.

The FS526T offers switch management through a Web browser interface, enabling users to monitor switch performance, configure ports and set up trunks, virtual LANs and prioritization, according to Netgear, Santa Clara, Calif.

Peter Newton, product line manager at Netgear, said the switch fills a void for growing businesses that need high-speed Gigabit uplinks and management features such as Quality of Service (QoS) but can't afford a fully managed solution.

Smart Wizard Discovery Utility software is included with the new smart switch, which is also backed by a five-year warranty and 24x7 technical support, according to Netgear.