Netgear MS108UP Review 8-port PoE+ and PoE++ 2.5GbE Switch

Netgear MS108UP Performance

In terms of performance, the Netgear MS108UP performed about what we would expect.

While we do not know the switch chip, this looks like other Realtek RTL8371 8x 2.5GbE switches we have tested like the Hasivo 2.5GbE PoE and TRENDnet TEG-S380 8-port 2.5GbE switches.

Netgear MS108UP PoE Testing

In terms of testing, we used three different test tools to validate the ports. First, we used our TRENDnet Inline PoE Tester TC-NTP1. Here we can see that the 60W ports are indeed 60W PoE++

The 30W ports are also PoE+ as described. Note that the top line voltage is the same at 55.2V on both sets of ports.

We also tested this using a Platinum Tools TPS200C tester. The voltage was slightly different, but we see the PoE++ 60W on four ports.

Again, 30W PoE+ on the second set of ports.

We hooked up the Fluke MicroScanner PoE to the switch and we can see that we were getting 51W to the device and the 60W ports were showing as PoE++ class 6 as we would expect.

The 30W ports were providing half of that showing 25.5W and class 4 PoE+.

We also powered a number of devices with the switch including the WAX610 APs and pulled a total of just over 200W over PoE without an issue.

Power Consumption

While the switch has a 230W PoE budget, the switch itself is very low power. We noted around 6.6-6.8W at idle with no ports active and under 18W with all ports connected at 2.5GbE speeds and not using PoE capabilities. That keeps us within spec for the power brick that comes with the switch.

That power brick is enormous. With a 230W PoE power budget, that is about a 1.57:1 oversubscription ratio on the ports. Most PoE devices are not using their maximum rating 24×7, but it is worth noting that you cannot run all eight ports at their maximum simultaneously.

Final Words

At around $399, this is certainly not an inexpensive switch by any means. Indeed, it is roughly $280 more than lower-cost non-PoE switches. It is also about $250 more than the Ultimate Cheap 2.5GbE PoE Unmanaged Switch (which has PoE++/PoE+ but a lower power budget.) The plus side is that this switch comes with Netgear’s lifetime warranty and it is from a relatively large SMB network equipment provider, not a smaller manufacturer.

Although the power brick size is almost comical, somewhat like the Intel NUC 11 Pro Review Tiger Canyon NUC11TNKi5 we reviewed, it is large to provide a lot of power to the unit.

If you just want the cheapest PoE+/ PoE++ 2.5GbE switch out there, this is not the right answer. At the same time, Netgear is a well-known brand providing a warranty and a large PoE budget with the MS108UP so that is certainly worth a premium.