Some companies think the name they stamp on something gives them the ability to price things outrageous. Cisco is a company like that. Their products really aren't that great and they could care less about their customers. Everything to them is $$$$. They will nickel and dime somebody to death. Sonicwall is similar but not as bad.
I hated it when Cisco bought out Meraki equipment. Meraki equipment was great and reasonably priced until Cisco bought them out, then the outrageous behavior Cisco is known for polluted Meraki.
What really matters with a switch is how much data it is capable of moving in gbps and latency. Then of course # of ports, MTBF, and warranty. A lot of people need advanced features like VLAN, QOS capabilities, trunking and more. And we can't forget PoE (Power over Ethernet) for things like security cameras and WiFi Access Points/mesh boxes. Most network switches are not long-term products regardless of their cost because things change so much and they just don't build them to last anymore like a decade or two ago.
I personally look at the power consumption also. I want an efficient switch that uses less power and generates less heat yet still has respectable transfer rates. When you start getting odd behavior like intermittent network outages it is more than likely a failing port which just cascades into more and more ports failing or dropped packets.
For most home uses it's really hard to beat TPLink smart switches. It is a business switch actually but costs a lot less than other brands. Trendnet makes decent switches too for a reasonable price. Business stuff is a whole different ball game and then we are talking a lot more money and a need for a rack, patch panels , PDU's (Power Distribution Units) and such. Most home users don't need all that.
makonetworks.com
