D-Link Backs xStack Switches With Lifetime Warranty

Networking

The Fountain Valley, Calif.-based vendor said the warranty covers the hardware on the xStack business-class network switches, including the power supply and fan. The xStack line comprises managed switches that feature Fast Ethernet, Gigabit, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) and wireless options.

D-Link said it will guarantee the warranty for the life of the switch regardless if it changes ownership. That means a D-Link customer could sell or give away an xStack switch to another end user and it would still be covered by the lifetime warranty, D-Link said. ProCurve's lifetime warranty offers similar coverage, while Netgear's covers the original owner of the switch.

"In today's economy, businesses and resellers are looking for value, and that includes the assurance that D-Link stands by its products for the long term," said D-Link President Steven Joe. "By adding a lifetime warranty on our xStack business-class switches, we're providing our customers with another significant level of value in addition to the performance and reliability they've come to expect from D-Link."

Along with the lifetime warranty, D-Link offers 24x7 product support on its Web site, which includes frequently asked questions and e-mail contacts. Additionally, D-Link offers several paid phone support packages and has teamed with Unisys for hardware maintenance service programs, including four-hour on-site response.

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The D-Link lifetime warranty covers xStack switches bought on or after March 30.

D-Link is the latest in a line of switch makers to offer a lifetime warranty on its gear.

Netgear offers a lifetime product warranty on its family of ProSafe gear, which includes switches, firewalls and wireless access points. Launched in May 2007, Netgear's warranty offers lifetime replacement coverage for hardware failure, including fans and internal power supplies, to original owners of the gear. As long as the owner can show original proof of purchase, Netgear will replace it if it breaks.

Before launching its lifetime warranty, Netgear offered a limited lifetime warranty on high-end managed switches, including Layer 2 Gigabit, Layer 3 Fast Ethernet and Layer 3 Gigabit Ethernet products. That warranty option capped out at three years after the product discontinuation. The current lifetime warranty removes that three-year cap and extends warranties on the ProSafe family, which before that carried warranties of two to five years.

HP ProCurve also has used its lifetime warranty as a focal point for its line of switches. ProCurve's lifetime warranty covers the original owners for as long as they own the product and also covers fans and power supplies. ProCurve said its switches also are covered if they are transferred between end users, as long as those end users are using the switch to operate a business. ProCurve's warranty features next business day advance replacement and software release notification. It also offers limited electronic and telephone support.