A managed switch gives you more useful options than a “dumb” switch, so you get more control over your network. For example, you can work with VLANs, set traffic priorities such as voip, or bundle ports for extra bandwidth – useful for an nas. Is your network ready for such an upgrade? We have turned eight managed switches for you inside out and catch up with you.
Do you have too few network ports or do you want more options for your network? With a managed switch you catch two birds with one stone. But the offer is large and the technical terms are flying around you. That is why we were looking for relatively simple and affordable (up to around 120 euros) managed switches for the home or a small business network. They offer five to sixteen gigabit Ethernet ports (and sometimes a lost fiber optic port), a handy web interface and many extras. You may not need all of them now, but maybe later!
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This is how we tested switches
You usually put a switch somewhere out of sight and do not necessarily have to look nice. In this test we pay more attention to the quality of the housing and mounting options. For all models, we updated the firmware on first use, which is almost always recommended. This is because sometimes options are added or security holes are closed. Furthermore, it is especially important that they support the options that you are looking for as a home user or small business, with a user-friendly web interface to set everything up. Many managed switches are full of business tricks that you probably do not need quickly and which we therefore consider as a bonus. The possibility to work with virtual lans or VLANs is perhaps one of the best reasons to purchase such a switch. We therefore pay extra attention to this. For the test we use a router with both a LAN port and a trunk port with three VLANs on it. The router handles the traffic between VLANs and towards the internet. We connect a few PCs to the various subnets on the switch. In addition, we use an access point that can handle multiple VLANs, for which we use a trunk port with the desired VLANs. Some of the tested switches have been on sale for years, but we are usually a few hardware revisions and firmware versions further. You could therefore state that they are at least fairly future-proof.
We handle the mutual traffic with a router and firewall rules.
Step to multi-gigabit?
You come across them more often: switches that stow at 10 gigabit per second. This is usually done via one or more fiber optic ports of the sfp + type, but it can also be done directly via a normal Ethernet port. In this test, one switch, the D-Link model, uses fiber optics, but these are SFP ports. The added value in this case is not in the speed (which is equal to gigabit Ethernet at sfp), but the much greater distance that you can bridge. You could use it at home, for example, to connect two switches, which is also an important application with sfp +, but the investment in modules and cables does not really outweigh the use of ordinary copper wire cables.
The ability to use VLANs is one of the best reasons to purchase a switch.
Working with VLANs
The possibility to use VLANs is of course an added value of managed switches. With VLANs, we usually refer to 802.1q, with the switch based on VLAN ID (a label on the traffic) determining which port the traffic belongs to. A managed switch naturally offers more useful features. For example QoS (quality of service) with which you prioritize traffic per port or based on 802.1p. Furthermore, you can often bundle ports thanks to static or dynamic link aggregation. The latter is also called lacp (link aggregation control protocol) and resolves problems such as incorrect cabling itself. Such bundling is useful between two switches, but can also be used, for example, towards the NAS or server with multiple network ports. It usually does not give you double transfer speed but more bandwidth: two users can transfer files at full speed, as long as the rest of the nas can keep up with that of course. With many models you can use IGMP Spoofing to improve multicast traffic such as a TV signal. Switches can also protect your network against excessive traffic (such as broadcast, multicast or unicast). And with port mirroring you can mirror traffic to another port, for example to monitor network traffic.
Management of your switch
You must of course also be able to set all those nice features. Managed switches have a web interface for this. Many managed switches nowadays take over the ip configuration via dhcp, which is very practical. There are also switches that are set to a fixed IP address and that causes multiple problems. You may already have a PC in your network at that IP address. In addition, you cannot use more than one at the same time, since all those switches are on the same IP address. Finally, you must make the network configuration of your management PC “suitable” to get into it. What helps is that you can detect some switches in your network via software and provide a suitable IP configuration.
You can easily locate the D-Link switch via software.
Power over Ethernet
One of the most important trends in recent years is the supply of peripherals with Power over Ethernet (PoE). The power then goes over the network cable itself, ideal for access points, for example. Many switches are available with or without power-over-ethernet. It drives up the price, depending on the desired power. The most important standards are 802.3af that can deliver 15 watts per port and 802.3at that can deliver up to 30 watts. Incidentally, a so-called injector is supplied with many PoE-capable network devices: a power supply that you can connect just before the network cable and then loop through to the switch. With such an injector it doesn’t really matter if the switch itself offers PoE. When testing the GS1200-5HP with PoE, we will further discuss this utility and its usefulness.
With PoE, for example, you can supply access points with power.
D-Link DGS-1210-10
In the DGS-1210 series, D-Link offers gigabit switches with 8, 16, 24 or 48 ports, and models with PoE are also available. We view the DGS-1210-10 without PoE. There is also a P version with PoE that is a few tens of more expensive. It is a sturdy switch that is even larger than some 16-port models but with the advantage of a built-in power supply. In addition to eight RJ45 ports, you will also find two SFP ports for a fiber optic connection. You configure them like the other ports. With the D-Link Network Assistant (DNA) software (also available for Windows), you can easily trace the switch in your network and you can, for example, activate dhcp, because that is not the case by default. Fixing the correct firmware was a quest, but the installation gave no problems. The web interface works comfortably, but those with little network experience prefer to go straight to their goal, such as the VLAN configuration, which furthermore provides few (extra) challenges. It is the most complete switch in this test, although most extras are especially interesting in a business environment, or of course for learning. It is very important that you save configuration changes, because the switch returns to those saved settings after a restart. If something goes wrong there is fortunately a reset button that – with a sense of timing – resets the device to factory settings.
D-Link DGS-1210-10 (Best tested)
Price: €90
Website: https://eu.dlink.com/nl/nl
Score: 80
Pros
- Built-in power supply
- Many extra options
Cons
- Quite large and heavy
- Less accessible for beginners
Netgear GS108Ev3
The Netgear GS108PEv3 is one of the cheapest in the test and hardly more expensive than some unmanaged models. The solid case offers almost all the features that you expect from a “smart” switch. We have skipped the configuration tool for Windows. You can actually set everything smoothly via the structured web interface. We did encounter some problems in the Chromium browser, but by switching to Chrome they were solved immediately. The settings usually change themselves, although setting VLANs is not very user-friendly. You must first add the VLANs individually and then configure the ports for each VLAN in a separate screen, the overview of which is far away. It could be better, but once you have set it up properly, you may not have to worry about it. The switch is the only one of the models tested that does not offer link aggregation, for that you have to look at the 16 or 24 port models. In a home situation you will not miss it so quickly, at most perhaps if you have a lot of traffic from different devices to a nas or server, which then also have two network ports.
Netgear GS108Ev3
Price: €40
Website: www.netgear.nl
Score: 70
Pros
- Affordable
- Solid housing
Negatives
- No link aggregation
- Set up VLANs unclear
TP-Link TL-SG108E
The TL-SG108E is an inexpensive and compact switch that closely resembles the Netgear model. There are various hardware versions that differ little. It is important that the switch has a web interface for management since version 2.0. And the 4.0 we received is set to dhcp by default, which makes commissioning easier. Also handy: the configuration is now retained after a firmware upgrade. A reset is also easy: keep the reset button pressed for ten seconds while you connect the power. As with most inexpensive managed switches, access to the web interface is not as well shielded, for example by putting it on a separate VLAN, so that you have to choose at least a strong password. The configuration of VLANs is basic but well-arranged. Link aggregation is also of the party, but only static. And with two groups with up to four ports per group, your switch is immediately full. Make sure that IGMP Snooping is switched on as standard. If there is no multicast traffic, such as IP television or streams via AirPlay and Chromecast, you should turn it off. All in all a nice no-nonsense switch. For the enthusiast there is also the TL-SG108PE with four 802.af PoE ports and a budget of 55 watts, to be distributed over the first four ports.
TP-Link TL-SG108E (Editorial tip)
Price: €35
Website: www.tp-link.com/nl/
Score: 80
Pros
- Affordable
- Solid housing
Negatives
- Only static link aggregation
TP-Link TL-SG1016DE
Occasionally you will need just a few more network ports. Especially in the meter cupboard, where you will connect most network devices and often the connections to other places in the house come together. The TL-SG1016DE then seems an attractive option. It is the cheapest managed gigabit 16-port switch on the market. In appearance it is almost a copy of the popular unmanaged TL-SG1016D. From 16 ports you can see fans in switches more often, but they can do without and therefore remain quiet and cool. The housing is also solid, with hooks to screw it into the meter cupboard, for example, although you will need almost half a meter in width. A power supply is already built in. There are virtually no functional differences with the TL-SG108E so you buy it mainly for the extra gates. The biggest loss, if you still have the gates, is lacp for dynamic link aggregation (static is possible). Whoever wants to get started with PoE in addition to network devices can consider the TL-SG1016PE. It supports both PoE and PoE + and with a considerable capacity of 110 watts. It also makes it almost twice as expensive.
TP-Link TL-SG1016DE
Price: €80
Website: www.tp-link.com/nl/
Score: 80
Pros
- Many network ports
- Power is built in
- Affordable
Negatives
- Functionally somewhat limited
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch 8
Ubiquiti has an entire ecosystem of network devices that work well together. You can manage and monitor them centrally from the extensive UniFi Controller software. We installed the software on a server, but there are more options. You only need the software for configuration, not during use. In terms of network terminology, the manufacturer sometimes deviates from the usual, but it is usually easier to use. And standards are followed, so you can simply combine everything with other network equipment. You actually do the configuration of VLANs separately from the switch by adding them separately as a network. You can then assign them to the network ports if you browse to the UniFi switch that is already automatically found in the network. You also immediately see which devices are connected to the switch and at what speed. The management software may be a bit overkill if you stick to an 8-port switch as tested here, but it definitely has added value if you expand with, for example, a UniFi access point. It can broadcast a unique ssid per VLAN (with a maximum of four). Regarding hardware there is nothing to complain about. The housing is solid and completely quiet, at best a little warm but that gives no problems. The power consumption is modest: we measure 5.6 watts with four active devices. In addition to the US-8 tested here with PoE transit, there is also the 8-60W with “real” PoE: 4 ports for 60 watts. That version is hardly more expensive, so that is an attractive alternative if you think you can use those extras.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch 8
Price : €100
Website: www.ui.com
Score: 80
Pros
- Extensive management software
- Fits nicely in ecosystem
Negatives
- Pricey
DrayTek VigorSwitch G1080
The G1080 looks like two drops of water on the 8-port models of TP-Link and Netgear and also offers the same features, with a few extras. For example, it supports (only) dynamic link aggregation (lacp), with only one group with two ports. Although the switch according to the manual has a fixed IP address, it fortunately gets connected via dhcp after connecting. So we can immediately browse through the user-friendly settings menu. Setting up VLANs in particular is easy and well-arranged: with help of colors you can immediately read the setting of all ports. What may also come in handy is the table with mac addresses of the connected network devices. New firmware is easy to find on the Dutch DrayTek website. The upgrade from version 1.04.05 to 1.04.07 went smoothly and even brought a nice new feature: the ability to isolate ports. You actually ensure that the devices on those ports can no longer communicate with each other, which you notice, for example, from a blocked ping between the devices. It is therefore also referred to as a private lan. In short, quite a few nice extras that can be worth the extra price for a few.
DrayTek VigorSwitch G1080
Price: €55
Website: www.draytek.nl
Score: 80
Pros
- Dynamic link aggregation
- Gate insulation possible
- Clear VLAN configuration
Negatives
- Relatively expensive
ZyXEL GS1200-5
The GS1200 from ZyXEL is a typical entry-level model and, in terms of price, is slightly above the Netgear model, calculated from the 8-port model. We tested the 5-port version, but it is further on price equal to the GS1200-8. For the test, we were just short of one gate. But if you do upgrade your entire network with VLANs, there are plenty of places where this is usually more than enough. For example, on the television, where you can easily hide it in, for example, the television furniture thanks to the compact housing. The sturdy metal housing can take a beating and can also be attached to the wall. The switch has a brother with, among others, PoE, which we discuss below. Small minus point of the switches: no dhcp is set by default. The web interface can be found at 192.168.1.3 and that is typically an address that you may already be using. To get in, you give your PC an IP address of, for example, 192.168.1.4 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0, after which you can access the router in your network. After this, you can still set the address allocation to dhcp.
ZyXEL GS1200-5
Price: €30
Website: www.zyxel.com
Score: 70
Pros
- Very compact housing
- Solidly executed
- Affordable
Negatives
- No dhcp
ZyXEL GS1200-5HP v2
The GS1200-5HP v2 is similar to the GS1200-5 above with the addition of PoE. The box is about one and a half times wider and heavier and is supplied with much stronger power supply (with separate on / off switch), needed to be able to feed network devices directly from the switch. Both PoE (802.3af) and PoE + (802.3at) are supported. It is therefore one of the most cost-effective switches with support for both PoE standards. With PoE 15 watts per port is possible, with PoE + that is 30 watts. The actual consumption is especially important. You have a total “budget” of 60 watts that you can divide into four ports in this case. You can see which ports these are on the front under the connections. The 8-port GS1200-8HP also has the same budget and the same number of PoE-capable ports. In principle, it is not inconvenient that PoE is active for all ports by default, because power demand is negotiated, but we prefer to disable it ourselves if it is not used. Then to the power consumption. If we connect an access point, the switch configuration page neatly indicates its consumption (3.2 watts) and remaining budget (56.8 watts) for other devices. We see the consumption of the switch itself increase from 3.1 watts without an access point, to 8.9 watts with an access point. If you do not use PoE, the GS1200-5 is slightly more economical (2.2 watts).
ZyXEL GS1200-5HP v2
Price: €70
Website: www.zyxel.nl
Score: 80
Pros
- Affordable option with PoE and PoE +
- Handy consumption display
- Cool and completely silent despite PoE
Negatives
- Relatively large housing
- Heavy power adapter
Conclusion
When choosing a switch, the options are actually paramount. In terms of performance, you will not measure any significant differences, as long as there is no “kink” in the cable. Many of the switches tested offer virtually the same options and also have a virtually identical housing. They are all completely silent and use little power. With a few options you have to pay attention. For example link aggregation, which is not always supported and sometimes only static or only dynamic. For most people, the ability to work with VLANs will be the greatest added value, and fortunately with all models. Setting up is easiest on the DrayTek and ZyXEL switches. Ubiquiti also makes it easy for you, but then you first have to delve into the almost inevitable management software. If the price has to be the deciding factor, then we will tip the TP-Link TL-SG108E. The D-Link model is a good option if you are looking for extra options now or in the long term. A built-in power supply is also quite practical. But the price is a lot higher and the added value of SFP ports is somewhat limited, unless you want to connect your fiber optic internet directly, for example. If you want to get started with PoE, the ZyXEL GS1200-5HP v2 is an attractively priced switch with both PoE and PoE +. Or you can immediately choose the more complete (not tested by us) 8-port GS1900-8HP.