cheap gigabit switch for small business

my friend's business is currently borrowing my Adtran 1224R and is very happy with it. it's configured with a few VLANs to segment customers, internal traffic and public wifi. port 1 is a "trunk" port to the router, a chunky Linux box with iptables+NAT. they push a lot of traffic over the LAN (data backups) and really need gigabit. besides, I'd like my Adtran back :P

my goal is to find a cheap(ish) switch that can function as a drop-in replacement. it looks like VLAN trunking is actually part of the 802.1q spec, so anything with VLAN support should cover the current trunk-to-router setup. it's nice to have both a web interface and SSH, but I can configure it either way if needed.

things like the Netgear GS724T have caught my eye, but it seems like none of the hardware in the $300-500 range have really solid reviews. I'm concerned that "cheaper" hardware might not work for a network full of power users.

does anyone have a recommendation for the Netgear GS724T or a switch that will meet my needs?

From serverfault neoice

• When going cheap, you're going to have to make some sacrifices. SSH is not going to be easy to find in a cheaper switch. Most of the low end switches are web managed. I've had pretty good luck with the Dell Powerconnect 2800 series of switches. I think the interface is easy enough to use. They are all gigabit switches. They have a nice security setting (you setup the switch the way you want it, then physically place it in a security mode so it is no longer configurable unless you have physical access).

  My two big complaints about the 2800s are this:
  1. The web configuration is sluggish when the switch is handling a decent load
  2. The web configuration is only accessible on vlan 1. There is no way to change this.

  neoice : another thread on serverfault pointed me towards the Dell Powerconnect 52/53/54xx series. I can get a refurb 5224 in my price range. it looks like most of the Dell's have telnet, but not SSH, which is fine by me. it beats web-only. and the VLAN1 thing is irritating, but not a deal-breaker. it looks like the worst thing about the 2824 is it's not rack-width!

  Brian Knoblauch : Not so happy with the Dell switches. Not sure what the backplane is, but they seem to stumble at loads that HP/Cisco switches handle just fine. We probably are more abusive on switches than most places though.
  From Jason Berg

• The question has been asked before in various variations. You will find a few answers here

  A short summary of what cheap switches you might want to look at:

  • D-Link DGS-1224T
  • Netgear GS724TS
  • HP ProCurve 1800-24G
  • Linksys SLM2024

  None of them is likely to disappoint (or surprise) you a lot. They are cheap, simple, switches. We have several of the D-Link DGS-1224T.

  Brian Knoblauch : I've become a good fan of the whole HP ProCurve line of products. I'd rate them comparable to Cisco in performance, but at a more reasonable price.
  From pehrs