Grandstream GWN7831 28Ports Layer 3 Aggregation Managed Switch

The Grandstream GWN7831 is a twenty-eight-port Layer 3 aggregation switch dominated by fibre: twenty Gigabit SFP ports, four 10-Gigabit SFP+ ports and four Gigabit copper ports, with up to 128 Gbps of switching capacity.

Twenty Gigabit fibre ports is a specific shape of network: a campus, a school estate, a hospital or an industrial site where fibre already runs to each building or cabinet and the job is to bring all of it back to one place. The four 10-Gigabit SFP+ ports then carry the aggregate onward to the core.

The optics will be a serious line item. Twenty-four fibre ports fully populated means twenty-four modules on this switch and another twenty-four at the far ends — which on many projects costs more than the switch itself. Count the links you will actually light, not the ports, and buy modules in matched pairs.

Key features

• 20 × Gigabit SFP ports — aggregate a large amount of existing 1G fibre plant
• 4 × 10-Gigabit SFP+ ports — the high-speed path to the core
• 4 × Gigabit copper ports — for management or local devices
• Up to 128 Gbps switching capacity — headroom across every port
• Layer 3 routing in hardware — routing at the distribution layer
• Advanced VLANs and QoS — traffic segmentation and prioritisation
• IGMP and MLD snooping — multicast does not flood the network
• Security features — ARP inspection, IP source guard, DHCP snooping, port security
• GWN.Cloud and GWN Manager — free cloud and on-premise management

Works with

• Grandstream GWN7830 — the smaller 12-port aggregation model
• Grandstream GWN7832 — twelve 10-Gigabit SFP+ ports, all fibre
• Grandstream GWN7816 — a 48-port access switch to aggregate
• Grandstream GWN7816P — the PoE version of that access switch
• SFP and SFP+ modules — not included; buy in pairs and match both ends
• All network switches

Frequently asked questions

Why so few copper ports?

Because an aggregation switch connects other switches, and on a site of this size it does that over fibre. The four copper ports are for management or a local device, not for users.

Are modules included?

No, and this is the biggest budget item on a switch like this. Twenty-four fibre ports fully lit is forty-eight modules across both ends. Count the links you will actually use.

Can I mix Gigabit and 10-Gigabit fibre?

Yes — that is the point of the port layout. Existing 1G runs go into the SFP ports, and the SFP+ ports carry the aggregate onward at 10 Gigabit.

Can it be the core switch?

On many sites, yes. With Layer 3 routing and 128 Gbps of capacity it can act as both distribution and core.

How is it different from the GWN7832?

Speed mix. The GWN7832 is twelve 10-Gigabit SFP+ ports. The GWN7831 has far more ports but most are Gigabit — it is for aggregating a lot of existing 1G fibre rather than for a 10G backbone.

Is there a CLI?

Yes, as well as the web interface — which matters at this layer, where configuration is usually templated rather than clicked.

Designing a campus distribution layer? Call 0333 242 1314 or email sales@clisecure.com and we will work out the fibre count and the optics with you.