Ubiquiti Flex Mini Question

[TheRevTastic]

Are the Flex Mini's able to be used as a standalone switch without any other Unifi products or a controller? My current switch is 1 gig only and I have a 2 gig connection through ATT Fiber (possibly looking to upgrade to 5 gig soon) and would like to actually get all of the speed to my gaming rig and work station. 

I do plan on actually having an entirely Ubiquiti setup in the near future (cameras, door access, etc) but right now am just in need of a switch. 

[Falcon1986]

2 hours ago, TheRevTastic said:

My current switch is 1 gig only and I have a 2 gig connection through ATT Fiber (possibly looking to upgrade to 5 gig soon) and would like to actually get all of the speed to my gaming rig and work station.

If you have these plans in mind, get a multi-gig switch to start.

2 hours ago, TheRevTastic said:

I do plan on actually having an entirely Ubiquiti setup in the near future (cameras, door access, etc) but right now am just in need of a switch. 

I'm not sure what you're hoping the Flex Mini can do in this case, especially if upgrading to a multi-gig internet connection. It doesn't have PoE output. Unless you just need it for its managed switch features in which case...

3 hours ago, TheRevTastic said:

Are the Flex Mini's able to be used as a standalone switch

You need the controller even if it's to initially set it up then you can use it however you want.

[Bdavis]

Yes, any of their switches will work without a controller. You really only need the controller if you want to configure advanced settings like vlans and port isolation.

[Bdavis]

The flex mini is a gigabit switch and won't improve your speeds. You want either a 10gb switch like the flex-xg, or a 2.5 gb switch like the 8 enterprise POE.

 

Does your router have a connection that's faster than gigabit? Tell us more about your setup, budget, and what you want to achieve.

[TheRevTastic]

4 hours ago, Bdavis said:

The flex mini is a gigabit switch and won't improve your speeds. You want either a 10gb switch like the flex-xg, or a 2.5 gb switch like the 8 enterprise POE.

 

Does your router have a connection that's faster than gigabit? Tell us more about your setup, budget, and what you want to achieve.

Currently using the provided gateway from AT&T which is the BGW320-500 and one of the ports supports up to 5gbps which is the one I have wired to my office (only have the 2 gig plan).

Basically just trying to get the speed from my wall (2000mbps, usually over for some reason at 2.3 down and up) to two of my machines while the others would be fine with just 1000mbps. Budget would preferably be under $150 USD since after reading your reply I haven't been able to find a cheap(ish) one.

[seanondemand]

38 minutes ago, TheRevTastic said:

Currently using the provided gateway from AT&T which is the BGW320-500 and one of the ports supports up to 5gbps which is the one I have wired to my office (only have the 2 gig plan).

Basically just trying to get the speed from my wall (2000mbps, usually over for some reason at 2.3 down and up) to two of my machines while the others would be fine with just 1000mbps. Budget would preferably be under $150 USD since after reading your reply I haven't been able to find a cheap(ish) one.

Behold

[Bdavis]

A cheap 2.5 gb switch like the TP-Link one posted above is your best bet for a cheap option. You will need 2.5 gb nics for your PC also.

 

 Your router has a SFP+ port so you could also try a mikrotik sfp+ switch (CRS305-1G-4S+IN for example).

 

Do you already have a device hooked up to the 5 gb port on your BGW320-500? You might be able to run two devices without a switch using the 5gb and sfp+ ports.

[TheRevTastic]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:53 AM, Bdavis said:

A cheap 2.5 gb switch like the TP-Link one posted above is your best bet for a cheap option. You will need 2.5 gb nics for your PC also.

 

 Your router has a SFP+ port so you could also try a mikrotik sfp+ switch (CRS305-1G-4S+IN for example).

 

Do you already have a device hooked up to the 5 gb port on your BGW320-500? You might be able to run two devices without a switch using the 5gb and sfp+ ports.

Not a device specifically, the wiring for the 5 gb port runs through our attic and into my office into a wall plate (not rj45, but one of those big boys that I can't recall the name of that has a rj45 connection on the other side like a normal port) which as of right now I have a Netgear 1 gig switch hooked into that feeds into my gaming rig, work laptop, and mac studio (and rPi once I decide to clear some time to get that set back up with pihole and a personal vpn). The sfp+ port is what's being used to connect the gateway to the att fiber connection.

[Bdavis]

If you plan on going for an all ubiquiti setup, I would buy the flex-xg for your office. At $300 it's actually pretty affordable for a 10 gig switch. It will work just like a unmanaged switch out of the box. You only need the controller if you want to set up advanced features like port isolation and vlans.

 

If you have the access you could pull more Ethernet runs to your office and have one central networking location.

 

I have an all ubiquiti setup and it's awesome to manage all the network devices from one UI. I've been happy with their cameras as well.