What are my options in replacing the noisy fan in my Linksys Cisco SRW2008P managed GigE switch?
- by Fred Sobotka
My first managed GigE switch, the Linksys SRW2008, was a dream, until it started randomly chattering on various ports. That started while I was on the road all the time, which made it take forever to diagnose, but that's a different problem. When I finally determined that the switch was bad, it was still covered by warranty by Linksys/Cisco, so I opened an RMA ticket and returned it.
Unfortunately, Linksys/Cisco "upgraded" my replacement switch to a SRW2008P, which has Power over Ethernet features I never planned on using. That by itself wasn't so bad, but it's my guess that the inclusion of PoE functions in this model required a tiny, super-loud internal fan to keep everything cool. This wasn't something I wanted or asked for, but, now that I am stuck with it, I am investigating options for replacing that little internal fan with something far quieter. For example, if I attach a larger fan to the outsite of the chassis, I think it could push enough air to replace the stock fan that is currently there. Any advice on carrying this out? I have no interest in melting my switch due to insufficient ventilation.