Tenda SE108 Management
This is an unmanaged switch, so we do not get a management interface.
Tenda SE108 Performance
These units were purchased and tested just as we were getting our new test suite online, but we were using the older iperf3 test suite that aligns with dozens of cheap fanless switch reviews we have done previously.
The performance aligned with the BrosTrend S3 so it is exactly what we would expect.
Tenda SE108 Power Consumption and Noise
The switch itself was silent as we would expect with a fanless switch. On the power side, we get a 12V 1A power adapter.
The switch used 1W at idle.
The switch used 2.0W with a 2.5GbE link connected.
Again, these are small figures, but the BrosTrend was 1.3W idle and 1.6W with a single port lit up. It might just be a power supply variance and these are small figures. The switch, however, is also silent since there are no internal fans.
Final Words
Overall, the Tenda SE108 is almost identical to the BrosTrend S3. To be frank, these feel like cheap plastic switches. That is exactly what they are. Still, using the new MaxLinear 2.5GbE chipset means we get lower power consumption and solid performance, so that is good.
While we do not love the construction of this switch, it is hard to argue that it worked reasonably well. To us, we might purchase the Tenda over the BrosTrend if it was cheaper on that day.
Where to Buy
Here is an Amazon Affiliate link to the Tenda SE108, and another Affiliate link to the BrosTrend S3.
I’d be curious what the peak power consumption was, with all ports lit up and traffic flowing. 1.3 + 8 * 0.3 = 3.7W? more?
I’d also be interested to see somewhat more precise measurements on the DC side of the power supply, since the wall warts that come with these products are… suspect.
Not something that would need to be done for every model, but maybe one per chipset for these common chips when they’re all just using the reference design.
I agree.
It would also be very interesting to know the power consumption of each of the switches using a laboratory power supply. That way we would know the real consumption of each of the chipsets discarding the quality of the power supply provided.
I also think it would be very interesting if they tested the behavior of unmanaged switches with frames with VLAN tags. Some switches block these frames while others let them pass through transparently and unaltered.
For the power consumption measurements, it would be relevant what kind of “Energy Efficient Ethernet” was active. Basically: Does the switch offer it, at which speeds and was it successfully negotiated.
The per port power consumption hugely differs depending on this.
And I agree with the previous posters – measuring at the DC side is also relevant.
I noticed: When fully activating EEE and supplying the switch with a high quality 5v power supply, the advantages of the MaxLinear platform are gone.
Nothing in these switches needs 12V – it just makes it more inefficient when converting down from 12V.
It’s just a normal switch branded has tenda . Next and. Netis does the same thing
I am still skeptical as I dont have good experience with tenda. I didnt find them reliable, although very reasonable pricing but still would consider netgear or even tplink.