When a company upgrades its network, the old switches, routers, firewalls and access points usually end up in boxes in a comms room. Some of that equipment still has real resale value; some of it is networking scrap worth only its materials. This guide explains how to tell the difference, what to prepare, and how to sell it in Dubai.
By Proto Link IT Solutions · 22 October 2026 · 5 minute read
As a rule, equipment that is still sold or supported by the manufacturer, or only recently replaced, sells best. Optics are easy to forget: a drawer of SFP modules can be worth more than the switches they came out of.
Networking scrap is equipment with little or no resale value as a working unit: very old switches and routers (Fast Ethernet, early Gigabit models), unmanaged desktop switches, consumer routers, units with failed power supplies, and damaged equipment. It still contains recoverable materials and parts, and it should be recycled rather than thrown away.
You do not have to sort this yourself. Send the full list, including the old gear, and a buyer will separate what resells from what goes for recycling. Clearing a comms room in one collection is usually easier than selling the good items and leaving the rest behind.
Licences are usually tied to the original owner and do not transfer with the hardware, so the price is for the equipment itself.
Network clear-outs often come with servers, storage, UPS units and racks. Include them in the list. Servers and server RAM in particular carry good value at the moment; see our pages on selling used servers and selling used server RAM. For everything else, our main IT scrap and recycling page explains what we take.
Yes. Faulty switches, routers and firewalls still have value for parts. Tell us which units work and which do not.
It is best practice, because configurations can contain network details and passwords. If you cannot do it before collection, tell us and we reset them and confirm.
Yes, branded and compatible optics, from single modules to boxes of them.
Yes, anywhere in Dubai and the UAE. Tell us about access rules and gate passes when you send the list.
Send model numbers and quantities, or photos of the labels, on WhatsApp +971 56 696 1736 or email sales@proto-link.ae.
Message us on WhatsApp with what you have, the quantities and photos of the labels, and we will come back with a price.