Dell PowerConnect Switches are the main switches we use for our users.
Office Systems Analyst at Suffolk County Government
A cost-efficient solution that provides good technical support but is difficult to configure
Pros and Cons
- "The solution’s technical support is good."
- "The IOS software that is used on the switches could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution’s technical support is good.
What needs improvement?
The IOS software that is used on the switches could be improved. The solution is a little cumbersome to configure and get them up in the environment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerConnect Switches for six years.
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the solution a six out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
The solution’s technical support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've previously used Cisco switches. I switched to Dell PowerConnect Switches because it was less expensive and more cost-efficient.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup was a little complex. Two people were involved in the solution’s deployment.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a return on investment with Dell PowerConnect Switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is less expensive and more cost-efficient.
What other advice do I have?
Users will take a little time to configure the solution and get things up and running. However, the solution is pretty stable once it's up and running.
Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

L1 System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A reliable and affordable tool that provides good features and technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The product is reliable."
- "The network features are not good."
What is most valuable?
The product has a low cost. The product is reliable.
What needs improvement?
The network features are not good.
For how long have I used the solution?
My organization has a partnership with Dell.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool’s stability is good. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have multiple customers. Each customer has around 100 users.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The solution is not popular in the market. Cisco and other brands are more popular. The customers often choose Cisco. Cisco is known for its good network features.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. The tool doesn’t provide a GUI. Other products provide GUI. The time taken for deployment depends on the configuration and how the servers and nodes are connected.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product has a low price for the features it provides. The price is comparable to other brands like HPE. The solution is worth the money.
What other advice do I have?
It is a good solution with good features. Overall, I rate the tool a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Jt. Managing Director & CTO at Simple Tree
It is a stable solution, but it does not have any extraordinary features
Pros and Cons
- "The setup is straightforward. It takes minimum time for deployment."
- "The solution's ROI for generic networking is not extraordinary."
What is most valuable?
They do not have any extraordinary features.
What needs improvement?
The switches are generic. There are no significant differences between the product and competitors. The commands may be different, but functionalities are the same. But, as Cisco dominates the network, Cisco-centric things might need to be present in Dell products. One area that needs improvement is their routing protocol approach or command, which gets a little complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I rate it as a six out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution has 300-400 users in our company.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used solutions from Cisco, HP, Telstra, etc.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward. It takes minimum time for deployment. Although the following policy configuration takes a little time, that doesn't hamper the business.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution with the help of a general networking resource.
What was our ROI?
The solution's ROI for generic networking is not extraordinary. As long as the price is reasonable, it is fine.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing of the solution depends on what comes with the model. There's no add-on license apart from it. There could be one for the very high-end supply.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend others use the solution to some extent. I suggest they prioritize solutions from HP over it. I rate it between six and seven.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Chief Technology Officer / Chief Information Security Officer at Lorton Data, Inc.
Extremely reliable, plug and play setup, with high return on investment
Pros and Cons
- "There is high reliability since we have used them for close to twenty years and only had possibly one failure."
- "The one issue you face in the industry there is always some planned obsolescence in these switches."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is we connect people to them.
What is most valuable?
They are easy to work with and very reliable.
What needs improvement?
The one issue you face in the industry there is always some planned obsolescence in these switches.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Dell PowerConnect Switches for the past ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There is high reliability since we have used them for close to twenty years and only had possibly one failure.
How are customer service and support?
We do not stress out our systems and so there is very little need for extra maintenance.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy you just turn them on and plug them in.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The initial cost was high but since they have lasted for over ten or twenty years they are worth it.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Dell PowerConnect Switches a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Technical Consultant at KPN IT Solutions - Trusted Services
Well-priced and stable solution
Pros and Cons
- "PowerConnect Switches' stability is satisfactory."
- "Dell is sometimes slow to provide updates to firmware."
What needs improvement?
Dell is sometimes slow to provide updates to firmware. In the future, I would like PowerConnect Switches to be more secure and more manageable in web-based environments.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using PowerConnect Switches since before 2018.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
PowerConnect Switches' stability is satisfactory.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
PowerConnect Switches are priced well.
What other advice do I have?
I would give PowerConnect Switches a rating of eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
IT Consultant & Administrator at ETCOM
Good support, highly descriptive documentation, and useful power over Ethernet
Pros and Cons
- "Dell PowerConnect Switches are very easy to configure with the GUI. Dell supports the solution even though it has been discontinued."
- "The CLI for Dell PowerConnect Switches is sometimes confusing, especially with the LAN, but for the GUI it is simple."
What is our primary use case?
Dell PowerConnect Switches is used as the backbone for my network, which is a high-performance computing network.
What is most valuable?
Dell PowerConnect Switches are very easy to configure with the GUI. Dell supports the solution even though it has been discontinued.
Dell has done a good job in the PowerConnect series and the one I have Power over Ethernet. If I have a remote device that needs power, I can perform the switch without having to stretch for cables.
What needs improvement?
The CLI for Dell PowerConnect Switches is sometimes confusing, especially with the LAN, but for the GUI it is simple.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerConnect Switches for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Dell PowerConnect Switches is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell PowerConnect Switches can scale very well.
How are customer service and support?
I didn't have any problem with the technical support. Dell PowerConnect Switches manuals are very descriptive. It's more descriptive than any other manual that I've seen.
How was the initial setup?
When doing the implementation I don't stack Dell PowerConnect Switches up because my systems are dispersed from each other. However, they are very nice for stacking, though the cables are sometimes short. If you want to stack them up in the same rack, some of the cables might be short.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you want to purchase a new Dell PowerConnect Switch, you will pay up to $1,600, but I bought them used. I bought the four Dell PowerConnect Switches that I used for $1,000.
If you consider the density of the switch, which has 48 ports with Power over Ethernet, the overall cost is low.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Dell PowerConnect Switches a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
System Administrator at a media company with 51-200 employees
Multitasking tool undermined by difficult configuration
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is its ability to multitask."
- "An area for improvement would be that it's very hard to configure if you're not familiar with the UI or CLI of the product. The UI itself could also be improved."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use cases of this solution are for wireless, routing, and filtering. For example, we use one as an edge router for our DMZ, so people from outside can reach several DMZs from our enterprise organization.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is its ability to multitask.
What needs improvement?
An area for improvement would be that it's very hard to configure if you're not familiar with the UI or CLI of the product. The UI itself could also be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for ten to twelve years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of this product is ok.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is fairly scalable, though it is limited by the size of your CPU.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support tends to give conflicting advice on how to configure the product.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Cisco ACI and Cisco Wireless but switched because of their pricing.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very complex.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented this solution myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This product is fairly cheap compared to its competitors, and there are no additional costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Cisco, Meraki, Ruckus, and SonicWall.
What other advice do I have?
This is a very good product, and it can be used lightly, but you have to understand how it works before implementing it. I would give this product a score of seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Senior Executive at Pharmaniaga
Unreliable and error prone, but they can be configured in a multi-vendor environment
Pros and Cons
- "We have these switches installed in an environment with hardware from many other vendors, and so far, so good."
- "Their hardware is not reliable, it's faulty."
What is our primary use case?
We use these switches in our pharmaceutical company, which has been running for more than twenty years, since 1984.
What is most valuable?
We have these switches installed in an environment with hardware from many other vendors, and so far, so good.
What needs improvement?
Their hardware is not reliable, it's faulty. After three years of use, something goes wrong with the switches and they need replacing.
It's prone to be faulty. We expect it when we deploy them out of the box. We expect that this will be corrected and they will be more reliable in the near future. Our hope is that it would be close to the stability of Cisco and Nortel.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerConnect Switches for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In our experience, the hardware in Dell switches is not stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have deployed more than 150 mixed brand switches in our office.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use a mixture of brands. Lately, we have purchased Dell products.
Cisco and Nortel are very stable. We have been using some switches for more than ten years. When they do have issues, we just restart and everything comes back to normal.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
After trying Dell switches, we will be looking to explore other options.
What other advice do I have?
I have been a senior executive for more than 15 years.
I would rate Dell PowerConnect Switches a five out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Buyer's Guide
Download our free Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2025
Popular Comparisons
NETGEAR Switches
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Arista Networks Platform
HPE ProCurve
ExtremeSwitching
Dell PowerSwitch N-Series
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Compatibility between Dell PowerConnect 6224 and Cisco SG500x (L3 switches)
- When evaluating LAN Switching, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
- Compatibility between Dell PowerConnect 6224 and Cisco SG500x (L3 switches)
- What are your recommended Layer 2 and Layer 3 network switches if the main consideration is performance?
- Does anyone have statistics on how often a fire occurs in a computer room?
- What LAN switching solution do you recommend?
- Managed vs Unmanaged Switches: What should a business take into account when choosing?
- Does FiberHome S6800 switch support bi-directional SFP modules and how to enable them?
- Can someone please help me with Fiberhome 40G S6800 Switches?
- Why is LAN Switching important for companies?