Sodola SL-SWTG3C12F Management
To say that we we had a few quizzical looks when we saw the login page would be an understatement. We were expecting an ultra simple management interface. We are not going to go into the Cisco-like CLI interface on this switch since in the sub $200 market, it feels like this is going to be web managed by most folks.

We got to the dashboard and this was what we saw. Something you do not see in the screenshots is that this is a relatively responsive web interface.

Creating and assigning VLANs is easy but it is different versus other switches. Still, something to keep in mind is just how many options are in the left hand side. On some sub $200 “managed” switches, you get VLANs, maybe a few QoS features and not a ton more. There is a lot here.

We get decent QoS settings as well as STP and more.

The ACLs are not just IPv4 or MAC, there are even IPv6 options.

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Sodola SL-SWTG3C12F Performance
In terms of performance, this was a bit interesting.

We actually saw slightly lower performance on this versus some of the other switches we have reviewed like the MikroTik CRS312-4C+8XG-RM. We are well over 8Gbps per port, but also a few hundred mpbs below what we would normally expect. This is still a big upgrade over a 5GbE port, but it is not quite what we see from often more expensive switches.
Sodola SL-SWTG3C12F Power Consumption and Noise
The switch used around 10.6W which is not too bad, but it is also a bit more than the lower port count switches. If you are only planning to use 3-5 ports, then this might be a bit more than you would need.

With the 10Gbase-T to SFP+ adapter we were up 2W which is quite a bit.

Now, the challenge with this switch is that it is loud. 42dba on a 10.6W idle switch is not a great result. We left this switch on for 24 hours and it did not get quieter. It really feels like with a better cooling solution, this would be in a different class of a switch since it could work not just in an equipment closet.
Final Words
Perhaps there are a number of ways to look at this switch. If you want to take a negative view, then the loud fan, and slightly below-par performance would be talking points. If you were more optimistic, then perhaps the fact that this has a better management solution than you might initially think means that this is in a higher tier of device.

Really though, we need to put this switch in its place. It often has post-discount pricing of $199 or less, making it a realtively affordable device at under $17 per port. Is the Sodola SL-SWTG3C12F perfect? No. Is it a great effort at the price point? Certainly. Maybe that is the real takeaway.
Where to Buy
We purchased this unit on Amazon, where you can check the current price. (Affiliate link.)
For comparison, Sodola’s fanless 8-port SFP+ switch (SL-SWTGW2C8F) is also web managed, but has fewer options in the UI.
Specifically: Discovery, DHCP, Routing, ACL are not present in the 8-port switch. Also, the lack of fans could be a problem if you plan on plugging in more than one or two 10GBase-T modules.
So no SNMP support? In my book, “web managed” barely qualifies as “managed”.
And that pathetically small power supply. GEEZ. One can only imagine how noisy it’s power rails are to that single switching board. Even some of the cheepest Chinese-made PC power supplies have better filtering & even output regulation.
This switch definitely supports SNMP, the overall management is a bit quirky but is low power, supports LLDP MSTP even basic routing and GVRP if you want to use it as your layer 3 router. All at wire speed. The LACP configuration is a bit “odd” but it works. I’ve had one for about a year and so far so good. My only concern is the future of firmware updates and if it’s uploading data to come CCP mothership ;)
That should read some CCP mothership. Also the built in power supply is quite nice. I’ve become very anti-external power supply. They just pile up.
@CTO This switch can do basic layer 3 routing at wire speed?? That’s a heck of a good deal if true, no other device in this price range can even come close to that. Most can’t even manage 1Gbps routing as it’s done in software and the CPU only has a 1Gb link to the switch chip, not that the CPU is even powerful enough to do it anyway.
Yes, the L3 capability is all integrated into the RTL9313
Sorry for cross-posting here, but I see my comment regularly disappear on the roundup page:
Would you please, please add a table to the “Ultimate 10gbe switch” article, summarizing the idle, per used port, per sfp adapter etc power usage of these switches? The way this article currently is, it has lots of data but in a really poorly usable way.
Also, it would be useful to test the 12V switches using a single, high quality power supply, in order to test the switch power draw and not the power supply efficiency. Thanks!