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Polling Interval

Rack list

The hardware our guides point to, grouped by the job it does

Every product that appears in a Rack list on this site, in one place. Each group says what the gear is for and links the guides that explain it. The picks come from specifications, manufacturer documentation and published reviews; none of them were sent to us, and nothing here is ranked by commission.

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Managed switches that answer SNMP

Switches you can poll: interface counters, errors and PoE draw over SNMP v2c or v3. These are the ones to buy if the switch is part of what you monitor.

switches-snmp

  • TP-Link Omada TL-SG2008 smart switch8 x 1 GbESNMP v1/v2c/v3VLANs, LACPfanlessThe non-PoE sibling: VLANs, LACP and SNMP in a small fanless box.Amazon ›
  • TP-Link Omada TL-SG2008P smart PoE switch8 x 1 GbE4 x PoE+SNMP v1/v2c/v3Omada managedA smart switch that speaks SNMP, so the monitor can graph every port it powers.Amazon ›
  • MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN4 x SFP+ 10G1 x 1 GbESNMPRouterOS / SwOSFour SFP+ cages for 10 Gbit uplinks between a NAS, a server and the core.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Read next: How to choose a managed switch for a home lab · VLANs at home: separating IoT, guests and servers · Polling: pollers, intervals and timeouts · SNMP counter to bit rate calculator

Unmanaged and easy-smart switches

Fine for adding ports or powering a few devices, but none of these answer SNMP, so watch them from the device they connect to.

switches-other

  • NETGEAR 8-port gigabit unmanaged switch8 x 1 GbEunmanagedfanlessmetal caseA plain, fanless switch for adding ports where nothing needs managing.Amazon ›
  • TP-Link 5-port unmanaged PoE+ switch5 x 1 GbE4 x PoE+65 W budgetunmanagedThe simplest way to power two or three PoE devices from one cable run.Amazon ›
  • TP-Link 5-port Easy Smart PoE switch, 120 W5 x 1 GbE4 x PoE+120 W budgetVLANsA small managed PoE switch with room in the budget for PoE+ access points.Amazon ›
  • TP-Link 8-port gigabit Easy Smart switch8 x 1 GbE802.1Q VLANsport mirroringno SNMPA first managed switch for VLANs and port mirroring on a desk or shelf.Amazon ›
  • NETGEAR 8-port gigabit Plus (Easy Smart) switch8 x 1 GbEVLANsQoSno SNMPThe NETGEAR take on a small web-managed switch for a home lab.Amazon ›
  • TP-Link 8-port Easy Smart PoE switch8 x 1 GbE4 x PoEVLANsno SNMPFour PoE ports plus four plain ports, with VLANs, for a small closet.Amazon ›
  • NETGEAR 8-port PoE Plus switch8 x 1 GbEPoE/PoE+ portsVLANsno SNMPWeb-managed switch that can also power access points and cameras.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Read next: How to choose a managed switch for a home lab · VLANs at home: separating IoT, guests and servers · PoE calculator

Monitoring hosts

A small, always-on box for the poller, the graphs and the alert sender: a Raspberry Pi 5 for a light stack, an N100 mini PC when a database comes along.

hosts

  • Raspberry Pi 5 board, 8 GB8 GB RAMPCIe lanegigabit Ethernetboard onlyThe board on its own, for builders who already have a case and power supply.Amazon ›
  • CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 starter kitPi 5 includedcase + coolerpower supply128 GB cardA complete kit with case, cooling, power supply and storage in one box.Amazon ›
  • Geekworm X1001 NVMe board for Raspberry Pi 5PCIe to M.2NVMe (M key)2230 to 2280Pi 5 onlyMoves the Pi's storage off the microSD card onto an NVMe SSD.Amazon ›
  • SunFounder Pironman 5 case for Raspberry Pi 5NVMe slottower coolerOLED statusPi 5A tower-cooled case with an NVMe slot, for a Pi that runs around the clock.Amazon ›
  • Beelink Mini S12 Pro (Intel N100)Intel N10016 GB RAM500 GB SSDgigabit EthernetA quiet, low-power box with room for a full monitoring stack in containers.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Read next: Monitoring a home lab from a Raspberry Pi: a weekend build · Installing: sizing and first steps

Storage that takes constant writes

Monitoring writes all day. Endurance cards for a Pi that must stay on microSD, an NVMe drive for anything with a time-series database.

storage

  • SanDisk High Endurance microSD, 128 GB128 GBmicroSDXChigh enduranceadapter includedA card made for constant writes, for a Pi that must stay on an SD card.Amazon ›
  • Samsung PRO Endurance microSD, 128 GB128 GBmicroSDXCendurance ratedadapter includedAnother endurance-rated card for logging and time-series writes on a Pi.Amazon ›
  • Samsung 990 PRO NVMe SSD, 1 TB1 TBM.2 2280PCIe 4.0 NVMeA fast, well-reviewed NVMe drive for a mini PC or a Pi 5 on an NVMe board.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Read next: Monitoring a home lab from a Raspberry Pi: a weekend build

UPS units with a USB data port

Every one of these reports to NUT over USB, so the monitoring box can see the outage and shut things down in order. Size them with the UPS runtime calculator.

ups

  • APC Back-UPS 600 (BE600M1)600 VA / 330 W7 outletsUSB data portdesktopEnough to ride out short cuts for a router, modem and small switch.Amazon ›
  • APC Back-UPS 850 (BE850G2)850 VA / 450 W9 outletsUSB chargingdesktopA step up for a router, switch and a mini PC or two.Amazon ›
  • CyberPower EC850LCD Ecologic UPS850 VA / 510 W12 outletsLCD panelUSBA mid-size desktop UPS with a screen that shows load and runtime.Amazon ›
  • CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD sine-wave UPS1500 VA / 1000 Wpure sine waveLCD panelUSBRoom for a small rack, with a USB port that NUT reads as a standard HID UPS.Amazon ›
  • APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 (BR1500MS2)1500 VA / 900 Wpure sine waveLCD panelUSBPure sine wave and longer runtime for a NAS plus network gear.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Read next: UPS monitoring with NUT: clean shutdowns for a home rack · UPS runtime calculator

Rack, patching and cabling

An open frame, a patch panel and short labelled cables make the difference between a closet you can work in and one you avoid.

rack-cabling

  • ECHOGEAR 15U open-frame rack15Uopen frame19 in railsDIY assemblyAn open four-post frame for a basement or closet lab, easy to cable from any side.Amazon ›
  • Cable Matters 24-port keystone patch panel1U24 keystone portscable management barA 1U keystone panel with a cable bar for a small rack.Amazon ›
  • TRENDnet 24-port blank keystone panel1U24 blank keystone portsAn empty 1U panel to fill with whatever keystone jacks you need.Amazon ›
  • GEARit Cat6 patch cables, 10 ft, 10-packCat610 ft10-packsnaglessA stock of identical patch cables for a rack or a desk full of gear.Amazon ›
  • VELCRO Brand reusable cable ties, 6 in6 inreusable100 packHook-and-loop ties that come undone when a cable has to move.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Field tools

The small kit that saves a site visit: a tester that finds the bad pair, a crimper, a console cable for the switch that lost its address, and a label maker.

field-tools

  • Klein Tools Scout Pro 3 cable tester kitwiremaplengthtoneremote includedMaps, tests and finds cable runs, with a remote for the far end.Amazon ›
  • Klein Tools LAN Scout Jr cable testerRJ45 wiremappass/failpocket sizebatteryA pocket tester for checking a patch cable or a wall jack quickly.Amazon ›
  • Klein Tools VDV226-110 ratcheting crimperRJ45 / RJ11 / RJ12ratchetingcutter + stripperCrimps, cuts and strips standard RJ45 and RJ11/12 plugs.Amazon ›
  • USB to RJ45 console cableUSB-A to RJ45serial consoleCisco-style pinoutThe cable for reaching a switch or router console from a laptop.Amazon ›
  • USB-C to RJ45 console cableUSB-C to RJ45serial console6 ftThe same console cable for laptops with only USB-C ports.Amazon ›
  • Brother P-touch PT-D210 label makerTZe tapeslaminated labelsbundle with 4 tapesLabels for patch cables, ports and rack units, in laminated tape.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Sensors and Wi-Fi

A thermometer for the closet (heat kills switches and batteries) and a PoE-powered access point that the controller can report on.

sensors-wifi

  • Govee Wi-Fi thermometer and hygrometer (H5179)temperaturehumidityWi-Fiapp alertsA no-wiring way to get closet temperature and humidity alerts on a phone.Amazon ›
  • TP-Link Omada EAP650 Wi-Fi 6 access pointWi-Fi 6 (AX3000)PoE+ poweredceiling mountOmada managedA ceiling access point powered over PoE+, managed from the Omada controller.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Read next: What to monitor: a catalog of check types

Books

The reading behind the alerting and on-call advice, plus the two certification guides most network careers start from.

books

  • TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 12nd editionprotocolsAddison-WesleyThe reference for how the protocols behave on the wire, packet by packet.Amazon ›
  • Site Reliability Engineering (the Google SRE book)O'ReillySREalerting and on-callThe book that put error budgets, toil and on-call design into everyday language.Amazon ›
  • The Site Reliability WorkbookO'ReillySLOsworked examplesThe practical companion: worked SLOs, alerting on burn rate, and case studies.Amazon ›
  • CompTIA Network+ Study Guide (N10-009, Sybex)Network+ N10-009study guideThe study guide most people start Network+ with, covering every exam objective.Amazon ›
  • CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide LibraryCCNA 200-301two volumesCisco PressThe two-volume official guide for the CCNA exam.Amazon ›

Chosen from specifications and published reviews, not bench-tested by us.

Partner stores

Shops we have an affiliate relationship with through CJ, for the things Amazon is not the best place for.

  • EcoFlow: Portable power stations that keep a small rack or a closet running through longer outages than a desktop UPS covers. Try EcoFlow ›
  • BLUETTI: Battery power stations for outages longer than a desktop UPS can carry. Try BLUETTI ›
  • UGREEN NAS: Small NAS boxes for lab backups, config archives and long graph history. Try UGREEN NAS ›
  • UGREEN: USB-C Ethernet adapters, hubs and chargers for a laptop that lives on the console cable. Try UGREEN ›
  • Parallels Desktop: Runs Windows on a Mac, for the network tools and vendor utilities that only ship for Windows. Try Parallels ›
  • NordVPN: A VPN for admin work from hotel or coffee-shop Wi-Fi when the lab is not reachable any other way. Try NordVPN ›
  • Abt Electronics: A US electronics retailer with routers, mesh Wi-Fi and UPS units. Try Abt ›