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Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued) vs. Sierra Wireless AirLink Cellular Routers and Gateways

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ADell PowerConnect were a series of managed and unmanaged ethernet switches for data centers, discontinued by Dell. They have been superseded by the PowerSwitch line of switches, from Dell.N/A

    AirLink Cellular Routers and Gateways

    Score10 out of 10
    N/ASierra Wireless headquartered in Richmond offers the AirLink series of cellular routers and gateways supporting vehicle networking, ruggedized series, and Ethernet routers.N/A
    Pricing
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)AirLink Cellular Routers and Gateways
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)AirLink Cellular Routers and Gateways
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Best Alternatives
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)AirLink Cellular Routers and Gateways
    Small Businesses
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    Medium-sized Companies
    RUCKUS Ethernet Switches
    Score10 out of 10
    Cisco Routers
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Ethernet Switches
    Score9.1 out of 10
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    Score9 out of 10
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    User Ratings
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)AirLink Cellular Routers and Gateways
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (14 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)AirLink Cellular Routers and Gateways
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    We work in the electric industry. These should not be used in a high-heat environment. We like to keep the temperature of the room in the low 60's so they are not suited for our Substation locations due to extreme heat and cold. However, they perform great in a server room.
    Incentivized
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    Sierra Wireless
    If you only need 10 devices, there are other solutions that will fit and may be cheaper. For deployments of hundreds of devices, the management capabilities of the product are well worth the cost. In addition, for sites that run on low power (e.g. solar), the devices are fantastic, with idle power <1W for some devices.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • Reliable.
    • Excellent hardware support from Dell including 4 hour parts/replacement.
    • Excellent technical support from Dell on software, troubleshooting, and configuration.
    • More affordable than its main enterprise competitors.
    • Easy to use CLI.
    Incentivized
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    Sierra Wireless
    • Cellular band coverage
    • Managability
    • Software updates
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • Precarious graphical (GUI) mode, needing to be updated for more efficient technologies such as HTML5
    • Short support time, given how much these devices support in terms of use. I have owned the devices for years, but no longer have a warranty
    Incentivized
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    Sierra Wireless
    • Configuration changes require a reboot
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    The Dell PowerConnect switch is a great switch in certain use cases. It really works well when training users to set up their own vlans in a technology class. We have a lot of different scenarios happening at this company, with 8 different buildings and multiple different affiliate entities. For some of the departments, the budget is the most crucial element. That is where the Dell PowerConnect switches are a really great option.
    Incentivized
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    Sierra Wireless
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    Dell ProSupport is outstanding. Dell ProDeploy is likewise outstanding. I prefer them even over traditional Cisco support. I've had repeated cases where Dell immediately addressed or fixed an issue with US-based support, including firmware hotfixes. Not even Cisco can boast that.
    Incentivized
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    Sierra Wireless
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    I selected Dell mainly due to previous experience using them in a business environment. I've never had a unit fail on me and when my budget for equipment like network switches has been less than a training class on how to use those switches, it's incredible to be able to find quality equipment at the price point Dell offers and even more so when their enterprise support has been as excellent as I have been accustomed to dealing with. In all honesty, even if I had a larger budget, I would have bought these same switches since they were exactly what I needed to suit my needs. We looked into HPE/Aruba network switches, and while they would have performed everything we needed and more, they were almost four times the cost of these Dell network switches. That's a hard sell when it comes to planning a tight budget.
    Incentivized
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    Sierra Wireless
    The manageability and power requirements of the Sierra Wireless modems is great. The cost of alternative solutions may be lower, but the Sierra Wireless solution has saved the company from many issues over the past 10 years.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • Reports are easily created and very useful.
    • Quick creation of different network connections.
    • Excellent and secure channels for multiple data management.
    • Great data visualization options offered by Dell PowerConnect Switches.
    Incentivized
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    Sierra Wireless
    • These devices have allowed us to replace copper circuits without the high costs of a satellite solution
    • The low operating costs have allowed us to deploy cell to improve resiliency at many sites
    • The serial port allows us to replace modem access at sites where copper circuits have become very expensive.
    Incentivized
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