Huawei Ethernet Switches Reviews

We use the solution in-house. The network we have is not a very large one and we have in the vicinity of 300 terminals. So, it is used with IP telephony. 

We also use the solution for all the classic interactions between the terminals and memories, which is how these switches are classically used. This is different than the cases that we study and we tell our clients what to do since we are an engineering consultancy. So, we work with the government building for more than 3,000 access points. This would involve hospitals with 2,000 or more access points in respect of medical energy. We are currently working on towers building and are endeavoring to move into a passive optical local area network.

The switches will be replaced by splitters. This is a completely optical device by which the switch is at the office or the room end. I foresee this as the future, in which the entire layer of switches will disappear. I don't know if you are up to speed on the current trends, but these concern passive optical local area networks in which all the intelligent switching is in the main room with the big OLTs. In this case we are splitting an optical, meaning the fiber will go to the room or even to the device, not to the office. This will depend on whether the device has an optical interface.

So, we are making strides and advising our customers, which is not easy. 

The solution did improve our organization. For example, we had an application, which is a building beam for building information modeling. This involved tremendous number crunching and many files involving the building engineering structure. We were suffering from latency from the network speed and had to make servers especially for this application. These servers are virtualized. Of course, the speed of the switches allowed us to have a stable installation especially for this application. We are talking about a major application, involving a software collaborative work such as Autodesk Revit. 

We are now discovering these and are at ease with this new installation. We now feel at ease when it comes to working on this.

The price should be lowered as concerns flash backup. This would enable us to get rid of all of the mechanical, hard disks, as we currently have a mixture of flash and classic hard disks. I feel that technology is progressing fast enough and I believe that in the near future, within the next 12 months, we'll be able to add all flash backup systems to our solution. As for the switches, I think they will be all right for some time to come. If the network were to  improve sufficiently, we would be able to make more use of the cloud, even as concerns the telephone. However, this is not the case at present. 

It is difficult for me to point to other areas needing improvement as we have been using the technology for a relatively short period, only around five months, and I am trying to digest what we have. My network engineers would be in a better position to address this issue. Also while our installation is not that large, we are working on huge projects. These are new to Morocco, consisting of two or three years, which is not that much. 

This said, we would like to see additional backup solutions, since we have several degrees of backup. For the moment, the final one involves magnetic tapes, which is an IBM solution. We would like to take the thread of these magnetic tapes and have Huawei help us with strategic backup. One of the reasons we backup our system is for fear of ransomware, but we are required to backup everything by the end of each day or at the close of each week. It would be nice to see other solutions which would allow this, as I am not satisfied with the current one involving the use of magnetic tape. 

I am not certain that using the cloud is a solution for the time being in Morocco. We are looking with Huawei at the possibility of using hardware. This is a point of concern. 

Moreover, we would like to see more security applications. We have network security, such as Fortinet and Fortigate, but we would like to see Huawei come out with its own solution. Maybe this already exists but, if so, it is not yet very well known. 

We are satisfied with the switches and, in our approximately six months experience, have not encountered problems. We have not had stoppages or buffer memory. What I would like to see is a complete solution in which the network security is integrated with the switching as well. This way, we could have a single source for the network and not need to rely on Fortinet and Fortigate. 

As far as wifi access is concerned, we do have a system, I believe called HP Aruba, but it is old. It would be nice to see this integrated. We are not looking to change things in the short term, but to undertake a six to ten month overhaul involving the wifi and integration of 5G and IOT into our network. 

We have been using Huawei Ethernet Switches for around five or six months. It's a new experience for us. 

So far, so good when it comes to stability. In the six months which have transpired since using the solution we have yet to encounter any problems. With Alcatel we encountered several problems over the same period. These were solved with internal memory of switches. With Dell we had to restart it to clean the buffers. Since we started using Huawei Ethernet Switches we have not even had occasion to call support. This is in contrast to our experience with Alcatel, although I must point out that they solved our issues rapidly. 

The support is there and I did not have any problems with it. They intervene very quickly when the backup is there. They answer all questions and the online help line is efficient. It's very good. Huawei also has hundreds of engineers, including Chinese and Moroccan. So, it is well established, which is not the case with others. We have been working for many years with big telephone and communication companies and recently, about three years ago, they got involved in business applications. They have a policy, which is not in place from the beginning. They started to attack the business applications. They had the switches on the floor. I am talking about the Datacom, big structures. They then extended it with a great team. I believe they have involvement in 5G in Morocco, which will be operational by the end of the year, perhaps sooner. They are well established in this country.

There was a need for us to upgrade our network to one gigabit and to enable fiber channel capabilities. We contemplated all the options available in Morocco, meaning Alcatel, HP, Huawei and several others, all of the ones utilizing Oracle. In the past we made use of Avaya, as we are an engineering consultancy, meaning we deal with big offices and hospitals. So, we know about these things.

We considered all the capabilities of these switches, as well as the price and performance. We came to the realization that Huawei provides much better performance for the same price, even when taking into account very aggressive commercial policies. The prices were lower by 20 or 30 percent with more powerful features. Very importantly, we were able to to take out a five-year guarantee, with a four-year extension option. We are talking only about switches, not servers. In contrast, the other solutions only offered one to two years tops. 

The deployment took some time and I would have liked it to be faster. It took a couple of weeks or so. 

When it came to the initial setup I had my engineers do all the work. It took us a couple of months to decide on the configuration and to choose the switches.

This said, I would have to consult with our network engineers to properly address the initial installation. It is they who provided me with three detailed reports about the solution and its capacity. 

I do know that we conducted meetings with HP, Huawei and Alcatel. While I don't know what the future of switching holds for the latter I can say that Alcatel is alright. With this company we had some installation done of high end products for a hotel. 

The price is the best, 20 percent cheaper than apple to apple and with an extended warranty. 

You should know that we also contemplated the Cisco Suite, but found it to be excessively expensive. It is simply overpriced. Even as Cisco is very established in Morocco, big telecom companies are going the route of Huawei and Nokia. Cisco provides its own passive optical solution. We are contemplating the solutions offered by IBM, Nokia, Cisco and Huawei and our focus is on big installations campus-wise and on big hotels. We are trying to introduce the passive optical technologies, with all the advantages they offer. 

We are dealing with all these things in our office. We now have ease when it comes to back-up. We have a very fast spotted system with hard disk storage of 36 terabytes, meaning it is a mixed hybrid which combines flash disks and classic CDs. I am talking about the interface. The old 32 terabyte flash is extremely expensive. We are a mid-sized company, not very big. So our approach is to have this hybrid flash storage system, which allows us considerable speed but with a reasonable price.

As mentioned, our solution is a hybrid. We have certain applications in the cloud, such as office 365. We have other applications, such as engineering software. We also have it in private cloud. For the time being we have a mixed solution as we cannot, at present, put everything in the cloud. In Morocco, the internet connection speed is good but it can be better, since we have huge files with which we must work interactively. 

So, sometimes we work on-site and then the file will be stored in the cloud, but all the number crunching is used in working stations on the site, not PCs.

Internally there are around 70 users making use of the solution in our organization and externally around 40 engineers and technicians who are connected to our network country-wide. We even have our mailing system in-house. We use an English-based electronic document, such as PDF, which we have in the cloud. For the moment, our solution is a hybrid between the scientific and office application. 

We are using the solution daily and it comprises our entire network, all our work. If it stops we lose money. We use it all the time. Of course, we have the standby generator and all the redundancy of static uninterruptible power supplies, since a single hour of stoppage would equal thousands of euros lost. We are very careful about that. We have one or two configured switches so we can just plug it in and continue to work. We have yet to encounter this problem. 

My advice to others who are considering implementing the solution is to negotiate aggressively. Huawei is very good at negotiating, but it is important for the consumer to know the nuts and bolts of the proposal and to derive from it the maximum. Someone with technical knowledge can get many more concessions from Huawei than one without. 

I rate Huawei Ethernet Switches as an eight out of ten, as nothing is perfect. This is because the deployment took some time and I would have liked it to be faster. 

Our clients are using Huawei Ethernet Switches to power their cameras, and ethernet-powered devices. Additionally, the solution is connected to workstations, other endpoints, and wireless access points.

Huawei Ethernet Switches has helped my organization to secure many LAN projects.

The most valuable features of Huawei Ethernet Switches are high reliability, ease of deployment, and manageability.

Huawei Switch can make further advancements as the current CLI lacks coherence as we have in Cisco CLI. 

Additionally, the available online documentation and training for the solution could improve.

I have been using Huawei Ethernet Switches for approximately five years.

It is very stable.

The solution is very scalable.

The support I have received from Huawei Ethernet Switches is better than Cisco.

I rate the support from Huawei Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten.

Positive

Cisco Catalyst Switches. Most cases because of client's budget.

In-house implementation.

Huawei Ethernet Switches are cheaper than other competitors.

None

My advice to others is I would recommend this solution. However, if budget is not a concern then I would recommend Cisco, they are the best.

I rate Huawei Ethernet Switches a seven out of ten.

The most valuable feature of the solution is its network monitoring system. 

Huawei Ethernet Switches should improve its user interface. 

I have been working with the solution for six months. 

I would rate the tool's stability an eight out of ten. 

I would rate Huawei Ethernet Switches' scalability a seven out of ten. My company has 1200 users for the product and we use it 24/7. 

We have a contract for maintenance and support. 

The tool's price is affordable and I would rate it a five out of ten. The prices are fixed with no additional cost involved. 

We evaluated HPE products. We bought Huawei because the ETA of HPE was very difficult. 

I would rate the tool an eight out of ten. Try the solution and if it doesn't work out for you, you can switch to another product. 

We use the product to provide access and edge connectivity to customers.

The tool’s pricing is reasonable. It has a high throughput capacity.

I would like the tool to improve its operational efficiency, speed, security features, and functionalities.

I have been using the solution for ten years.

he solution is stable but there is scope for improvement for its stability.

The solution is scalable and I would rate it an eight out of ten.

The tool’s support is good but it could be faster. They need to include more English-speaking support staff since most of the time support is given by Chinese team members.

Neutral

The tool’s setup is straightforward. The deployment takes around seven working days to complete. Before deploying the solution, you need to know the specification of the Switch.

The product’s implementation can be done in-house.

I would rate the tool a seven out of ten. You need around 10-30 maintenance staff to manage the tool.

The solution is deployed on-premises.

We find the technological features most valuable.

Our company uses this product in a country with an unstable power supply, so it would be nice to see improvements in the device's durability regarding power shortages in the product's next release.

I have been using this solution for ten years.

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable.

Our experience with customer service and support has been relatively okay.

The initial setup is straightforward.

The pricing for this solution can be lower in comparison to its competitors.

We are currently evaluating Mellanox and Aruba.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. The solution is good, but the durability of the device can be improved, and the new release can include zero-touch provisions and features. I advise people to use this solution because it's very conducive to tropical environments and can withstand very hot weather conditions.

We use the solution for user servers and websites within our company. 

This solution causes us problems. If you import a different software version, parameters are changed, and the configuration resets so you have to set it all up again. 

The solution is easy to set up. 

I didn't like the Huawei Switches because of the different versions resetting the configuration issue. Huawei doesn't support Layer 3 modes while TOE and ARP have some issues.

We have been implementing the solution for around a year. 

The solution is almost stable. 

I would say this solution is not as scalable as other options like Juniper. We have over 1000 users in our company. 

We have faced issues with the solution that sometimes required support, and we haven't had any problems with the support we received. 

Positive

The initial setup of the solution was easy, it took 20 to 25 minutes.  

I would rate this solution a five out of ten.

We use the product for Layer Three and Layer Two distribution and access.

We've used the solution for a long time. They last quite a while.

I already had a background with Cisco, so getting used to their system was a little bit complex. The way you configure a VLAN in an access port or in a VLAN to be allowed in the trunk was totally different. They have a concept there with hybrid VLAN, and it kind of made things complex for me.

We had a few issues with integration.

In the company, we're using Huawei wireless and the wireless controller, and those switches are the ones that made the transition between the clients and the WiFi server, and we had a few problems.

Some switches in our network are end-of-life. They shouldn't be there anymore. They're too old. They have already improved lots of things, however, the mistakes here will fall on our laps as we are using end-of-life devices, and they don't give support anymore for that.

We've used the solution for five years or more. 

It wasn't that stable at all. We had lots of issues due to the definitions, or due to the way they set up VLANs or the types of VLANs. We gave room for Layer Two Mac addresses. We had always the need to go there and reboot that switch or unplug a cord or LAN cable from there.

We didn't just scale it. We only had seven switches. They worked well, however, we had lots of issues with flooding.

We didn't use technical support. I wouldn't be able to rate their services. 

I've used Cisco in the past.

The initial setup was complex. I'd rate it two out of five in terms of ease of setup. It was a bit difficult.

We handled the initial setup in-house. We didn't have any outside technicians or consultants.

There aren't any licensing costs. It's a one-off payment at the beginning and then you can use them for as long as you like. If you want to expand or use another service, you do need to pay for that, however. 

I'm not sure if the company has a business relationship with Huawei. We might have in the past. I'm not sure if that is still the case. 

I'd advise potential new users to first get the concepts right before implementing them. 

I'd rate the solution a four out of ten. It wasn't good, but it wasn't terrible. 

We primarily use the solution for access and distribution switches.

The functionality is great. The functionality is basically the same as Cisco. However, with Cisco, some protocols are standard proprietary on the Cisco side. Also, with Huawei, some protocols are proprietary. 

The pricing is much lower than, for example, Cisco.

It works quite well in general.

We haven't had anything to complain about yet.

The documentation needs to be better. When you run into issues, it's hard to figure out what might be wrong by referencing it.

We deployed the solution five months ago.

For the time being, the stability is very good. Much like RUCKUS, which we deployed five months ago, we need time to really evaluate its stability. It's still quite new. 

We have about 120 Huawei switches. We also have 200 Cisco switches, so we have a lot. 

Our users might use one or the other as they are interspersed throughout the organization. I can't give an exact number of users at any given time as they are mixed with Cisco. These devices basically work as one.

We haven't dealt with technical support yet. I can't speak to how helpful they would be.

We also use Cisco switches and firewalls as well. We use Ruckus as well. They are mainly for wireless access.

The initial setup is not like Cisco. If I had a problem with Cisco devices, I can look at the documentation and come up with a solution. I will find anything on the global site. However, with Huawei, it is difficult to find or interpret any fixes in the documentation, in the manuals. Cisco is better in that sense. Huawei is less clear when it comes to documenting everything.

There is a bit of maintenance required with the product.

We did have a company come and help us implement the switches. They also helped us with our Cisco solutions.

The pricing is reasonable. In comparison to Cisco, it's good.

That said, I can't speak to exact pricing as that is handled by the finance team.

We are customers and end-users. 

The solution has been pretty solid so far. I'd rate it nine out of ten simple due to the fact that we have not run into any problems. 

I'd advise those considering using Huawei that Huawei and the Cisco switches are the same. They only really differ in some manual configurations. It is good to try them out. While everything, of course, has its pros and cons, Huawei is a decent product.