The BrosTrend S3 is an 8-port 2.5GbE switch that performed reasonably well. We were refreshing our Ultimate Cheap 2.5GbE Fanless Switch Mega Guide, and noticed a few models we had not tested before. We found this BrosTrend S3 8-port 2.5GbE unmanaged switch that was a top seller on Amazon, so we ordered one to try out. For $65 normally, and often $49 or less on sale, it is only slightly less expensive than something like the Gigaplus GP-S25-0802 8-port 2.5GbE and 2-port 10G switch. Still, we wanted to see why this little switch, from a brand we had not heard of, is so popular.
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BrosTrend S3 8-port 2.5GbE Switch Hardware Overview
Starting with the faceplate, we get eight 2.5GbE ports and a 12V 1A power input.
Moving to the rear and there is nothing.
The entire chassis feels cheap and is made of plastic. If you saw our recent 5-port BrosTrend 2.5GbE switch review, you are going to notice these look almost identical.
Both sides have vents to help airflow through the plastic chassis.
On top, we get the BrosTrend logo and more vents. We also get the status LEDs for power and the eight ports.
On the bottom, we get more venting and a label. We also get two mounting screw points. This is cheap enough that instead of rubber feet, we just get plastic feet. We can also point out that gripping green QC label.
Just for some sense of how similar these switches are, here is the 5-port 2.5GbE version. These are almost identical switch cases except for the extra ports and status LEDs.
Popping that bottom cover off, we can see a difference. The bottom cover has a metal plate along with thermal pads that make contact with the two squares found on the PCB. At this point, we were thinking this might be a two-chip solution.
Here is a closer shot of the bottom of the PCB.
Flipping the PCB over, we can see that we have a full set of eight status LEDs and ports, but otherwise a similar PCB to the previous version. We also get a much larger heatsink.
Inside, BrosTrend says it is a MaxLinear chip, not a Realtek chip. The heatsink is larger and soldered, but it appears to be a single chip just like the 5-port unit. It seems to be using a similar chip at a higher power envelope due to the three additional ports.
Next, let us see how it performs.
Would be nice if you could also test other switches with the similar chipset.
The power consumption makes them very attractive.
I have this switch, port 8 died within 2 weeks of use from overheating. At least, that’s what I think considering how hot the box was at the time of figuring it out.
Please do more testing to determine long-term use in not-ideal environments.
the BrosTrend S3 is popular because it’s cheap, silent, and reliable enough for most home users dipping into 2.5GbE. The Gigaplus model offers more future-proofing with 10GbE uplinks, but at a slightly higher cost.