2.5G on a budget

[pupo_cro]

Is there anything new worth mentioning in 2.5G "on a budget" world  of switches?

 

LAwLz made list of 2.5G switches:

 

QNap QSW-1105-5T:

Five 2.5Gbps ports

 

ZyXEL XGS1010-12:

Eight 1Gbps ports

Two 2.5Gbps ports

Two 10Gbps ports (SFP+)

 

Netgear GS110MX:

Eight 1Gbps ports

Two 10Gbps ports (RJ-45)

 

Netgear SX10 (GS810EMX):

Eight 1Gbps ports

Two 10Gbps ports (RJ-45)

 

 

I see that TPLink introduced 5 and 8 port versions, with not so great price. 130$ for 5 port version.

 

 

TP-Link TL-SG105-M2:

Five 2.5Gbps ports

 

TP-Link TL-SG108-M2:

Eight 2.5Gbps ports

 

 

Netgear MS510TX:

Four 1Gbps ports

Two 2.5Gbps ports

Two 5Gbps ports

One 10Gbps port

One 10Gbps SFP+ port

 

 

 

DLink announced DMS-106XT (announced price is 299$. Worth mentioning but dont deserve to be on this list):

Five 2.5Gbps ports

One 10Gbps port

 

 

[LAwLz]

ZyXEL has launched the XGS1210-12. It's essentially the managed version of the ZyXEL XGS1010-12 (which is unmanaged).

 

The Netgear GS110EMX is a managed version of the GS110MX. Otherwise it's the same thing.

 

QNAP QSW-M2108-2C has eight 2.5Gbps ports and two 10Gbps ports (SFP and copper combo ports). It's 300 dollars on Amazon which is pretty damn good.

 

The Netgear MS510TXM is 460 USD and has four 2.5Gbps ports, four 10Gbps copper ports, and two SFP+ ports.

 

Those are all the "new" 2.5Gbps switches that I could find for less than 500 dollars that hasn't already been mentioned.

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 hour ago, LAwLz said:

The Netgear GS110EMX is a managed version of the GS110MX. Otherwise it's the same thing.

Frustratingly Netgear are not that clear about the differences between Smart-Managed Pro and Plus. 

 

For example the GS110EMX (Plus) doesn't support SNMP but the MS510TXP (Pro) does.

 

They must have realised this as their website categories do not call the Plus Switches Smart, even though you can clearly see that IS their name and they clearly are web managed.

[pupo_cro]

I dont know why vendors dont put at least one 1Gbps port on five port 2.5Gbps switches. If QNap QSW-1105-5T(or any other 5 port switch) had one 1Gbps port for downlink to 1gbps switch for slower devices (printers, tv, smart devices) it would be perfect "best buy" switch. Without it, users are forced to lose one high bandwith port for downlink to slower switch/router.

[Alex Atkin UK]

8 hours ago, pupo_cro said:

I dont know why vendors dont put at least one 1Gbps port on five port 2.5Gbps switches. If QNap QSW-1105-5T(or any other 5 port switch) had one 1Gbps port for downlink to 1gbps switch for slower devices (printers, tv, smart devices) it would be perfect "best buy" switch. Without it, users are forced to lose one high bandwith port for downlink to slower switch/router.

I find it more annoying that there are 10Gbit switches that run off PoE, where the PoE port is only Gigabit.  Surely PoE is usually coming from your primary switch, so THAT would be your uplink port and you'd want that 10Gbit too?

Its also really confusing how Netgear for example refer to 10 port switches as 8 ports when two are 10Gbit.  There's really no such thing as an uplink port these days (at least on these smart switches), its just another switch port (or two), so why act like they don't exist?  The only dedicated port is when they have a management port, even there it doesn't make much sense to not just let you define ANY port as the management port.

[LAwLz]

On 5/16/2021 at 6:58 AM, Alex Atkin UK said:

I find it more annoying that there are 10Gbit switches that run off PoE, where the PoE port is only Gigabit.  Surely PoE is usually coming from your primary switch, so THAT would be your uplink port and you'd want that 10Gbit too?

What do you mean?

Switches that gets all their power from PoE? 

 

On 5/16/2021 at 6:58 AM, Alex Atkin UK said:

Its also really confusing how Netgear for example refer to 10 port switches as 8 ports when two are 10Gbit.  There's really no such thing as an uplink port these days (at least on these smart switches), its just another switch port (or two), so why act like they don't exist?  The only dedicated port is when they have a management port, even there it doesn't make much sense to not just let you define ANY port as the management port.

That's the standard. 

The number of ports typically refers to the number of access ports, because that's what's important.

Want to connect 8 computers to a switch? Then buy an 8 port switch.

Want to connect 24 computers to a switch? Then buy a 24 port switch.

 

Make sense if you ask me. You still need to check what uplink ports it has because it needs to match the other switch you're connecting it to.

[Alex Atkin UK]

4 hours ago, LAwLz said:

What do you mean?

Switches that gets all their power from PoE? 

 

That's the standard. 

The number of ports typically refers to the number of access ports, because that's what's important.

Want to connect 8 computers to a switch? Then buy an 8 port switch.

Want to connect 24 computers to a switch? Then buy a 24 port switch.

 

Make sense if you ask me. You still need to check what uplink ports it has because it needs to match the other switch you're connecting it to.

Yes, I'm thinking specifically of the MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN which can be powered from PoE but would be utterly useless as that's only a 1G uplink port and my NAS is in the main switch.  It just seems an odd decision as it limits where you can use it.

But they aren't "uplink" ports as such, the only thing that makes them different to the other 8 ports is they do not have PoE output like the others do.  My NAS plugs in via DAC on the SFP+ port.  The 10G-BASE-T plugs into another switch, but even THAT switch has a second 10G port I plug my gaming PC into.  So classing them as something you cannot plug normal clients into make no sense.  They're 10 ports switches, no matter how you look at it.

[LAwLz]

47 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Yes, I'm thinking specifically of the MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN which can be powered from PoE but would be utterly useless as that's only a 1G uplink port and my NAS is in the main switch.  It just seems an odd decision as it limits where you can use it.

But they aren't "uplink" ports as such, the only thing that makes them different to the other 8 ports is they do not have PoE output like the others do.  My NAS plugs in via DAC on the SFP+ port.  The 10G-BASE-T plugs into another switch, but even THAT switch has a second 10G port I plug my gaming PC into.  So classing them as something you cannot plug normal clients into make no sense.  They're 10 ports switches, no matter how you look at it.

I know you can use them for whatever you want. It doesn't have to be used as an uplink.

However, your use of it is the exception rather than the norm. Those switches are primarily targeting the enterprise market where they will not use the SFP ports to connect clients. At least not most of the time. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean it is the primary purpose. 

 

If you want to be able to add 24 clients to a network and want to buy an enterprise switch, you look at the 24 port switches. Simple as that. Makes perfect sense in that scenario and that's the target market.

 

As for the MikroTik, I doubt they mean you to use the PoE port as the uplink. They have even labeled it "boot" so is clearly meant as a management port if anything. The fact that it can be used to power the switch to some capacity is a nice bonus, not the primary purpose if you ask me.

 

 

I am not sure how you're even complaining about this. It's a very minor inconvenience for you as a home user, and for businesses it's the standard that makes sense.

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 minute ago, LAwLz said:

I know you can use them for whatever you want. It doesn't have to be used as an uplink.

However, your use of it is the exception rather than the norm. Those switches are primarily targeting the enterprise market where they will not use the SFP ports to connect clients. At least not most of the time. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean it is the primary purpose. 

 

If you want to be able to add 24 clients to a network and want to buy an enterprise switch, you look at the 24 port switches. Simple as that. Makes perfect sense in that scenario and that's the target market.

 

As for the MikroTik, I doubt they mean you to use the PoE port as the uplink. They have even labeled it "boot" so is clearly meant as a management port if anything. The fact that it can be used to power the switch to some capacity is a nice bonus, not the primary purpose if you ask me.

 

 

I am not sure how you're even complaining about this. It's a very minor inconvenience for you as a home user, and for businesses it's the standard that makes sense.

Smart-managed is not exactly "enterprise grade" though is it.  The whole point is its more SOHO equipment.

The big selling point of these switches are their silence, not something enterprise grade equipment worries about.

It just feels a bit odd that they are making a switch with 4x1Gbit, 2x2.5Gbit, 2x5Gbit ports, all with PoE+ yet there isn't any equipment I'm aware of that is multi-gig and runs off PoE, its all 1Gbit.

[Lurick]

5 minutes ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Smart-managed is not exactly "enterprise grade" though is it.  The whole point is its more SOHO equipment.

The big selling point of these switches are their silence, not something enterprise grade equipment worries about.

It just feels a bit odd that they are making a switch with 4x1Gbit, 2x2.5Gbit, 2x5Gbit ports, all with PoE+ yet there isn't any equipment I'm aware of that is multi-gig and runs off PoE, its all 1Gbit.

Enterprise APs us mGig and PoE

[Alex Atkin UK]

13 hours ago, Lurick said:

Enterprise APs us mGig and PoE

I sure hope so, its what I plan to do when an affordable entry level enterprise WiFi 6e AP shows up.

[pupo_cro]

TRENDnet TEG-S350

 

TRENDnet TEG-S350 5-port 2.5GbE Switch Review - ServeTheHome