In my field, I honestly can't think of a scenario I wouldn't want to use an SG switch. Even if someone needed a simple desktop switch, I would advise they purchase a $150 8 port SG350 over spending $50 on a SOHO Netgear or similar switch. The flexibility of functionality offered by these switches in unmatched.
In our head office where there is a low dust environment, it best suits this use. But in a plant where there is a dusty environment, you may face in and outs and the Network team may be in a bit of a hurdle.
The web UI has taken a turn for the worse with the latest firmware on the SGx50 models -- the bifurcation between basic and advanced modes and the changes to the way VLANs are modified is a step backward in my opinion.
The power bricks on smaller models are enormous. I'm sure, however, keeping this circuitry external to the switch is what keeps my switches running year after year in hot environments.
Fans can be a bit loud on larger switches -- this is true of pretty much any 1U device though.
Overall, the product is great and we have configured it at our plant and head offices. It is a great product to use and can be configured with minimal efforts and minimal qualifications required. The network engineer doesn't;t need to be a specialized person but needs to be a well aware person so that he may configure it.
We have never used D-Link support services for our ethernet switches. We only looked for new firmware from their website, which was available for most of the models that are being used in our environment. Other than that, the official blogs and community pages of D-Link support were very helpful for small issues related to different features like NTP, stp, etc.
Cisco Ethernet Switches are top tier in the networking space. It makes it hard at times to compare them to other brands. When I have, however, used other brands I have found them to a mixed bag. I have used HP switches in the past and I feel like the interface is less polished and I have had high failure rates among those devices. It was hard to learn the interface and I felt as thought it was missing some higher level functions that were present out of the box with the Cisco switches.
For the use we have proposed for DE-Links (use in locations with difficult access, or for expanding the network inside rooms), its main advantage is its low price. It has a large part of the competitors' functionalities, of course, in a simpler way, but serving efficiently and at a lower price.
