Hello Frederick,

If you're just looking for reviews I have two suggestions. The first is
http://www.tomshardware.com. The second is http://www.cnet.com. On the
second site you will see a "Reviews" tab at the top. Also, my favorite
online retailer is http://www.newegg.com. One of the things they do (like a
lot of online retailers these days) is request reviews of products they
sell. The first two links provide more professional reviews, whilst the ones
at Newegg are going to be user reviews. This should give you a fairly broad
base of information to help make the best decision on the type of equipment
you want to purchase.

One of the challenges you are going to face, especially with network
devices, is the distinction between consumer and enterprise level hardware.
In a situation like a school, where money is hard to come by for ANY
necessary equipment, consumer based products will work but they have a
tendency to be a little more... uh... quirky than the higher-end equipment.
That doesn't mean they're bad, it just means they may not have as much
features, the features they do have may be a little more restrictive as far
as configuration, and there is a bit higher failure rate. I wouldn't worry
too much on that last one as almost all manufacturers warranty their
equipment rather well, so worse case scenario is you would have to get a
replacement.

Some of the lower-end brands you will see out there are Linksys, D-Link,
Netgear, etc. My "personal" opinion is that Linksys is the best way to go
for this level of hardware. In my experience they seem to provide the most
features, flexibility, and reliability. I'm sure others on the list will
have different opinions. Your mileage may vary.

One last note on Newegg. They are the top rated online retailer for
computers and electronics. They are top-notch in my book and I have made
many purchases from them (one just this week, in fact). They have a huge
variety of products ranging from the bottom-end to high-end. I would be
interested in hearing other listers opinions on them if they've ever
purchased from their site before.

Cheers!
Kyle Elmblade
[log in to unmask]

On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 12:06 AM, Frederick Navarro <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> Our department chairman is asking for some suggestions from me on new
> network devices or infrastructures which could be useful in our school.
> However, I don't have a very significant exposure in this area (knowing the
> latest devices), so I would like to ask from all of you here who know any
> URL's for me to scan through and assess if their products would be
> beneficial to our students.  Thanks!!!
>
>
> Frederick
>
> P.S.  Currently we have LCD Projectors, computers, network switches and
> panel boards, and surveillance cameras.  Thanks again.
>
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