The Ultimate Cheap Fanless 2.5GbE Switch Buyers Guide

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Ultimate 2.5GbE Switch Guide Web Cover
Ultimate 2.5GbE Switch Guide Web Cover

Today, we are embarking on a fun project. At STH, we have been pushing for and have started to see 2.5GbE become much more commonplace in devices. Those devices include PCs, WiFi APs, cable modems, routers, and more. One of the biggest challenges today is that getting 2.5GbE switches is too expensive, and there are not enough good options. As a result, we decided to buy every cheap 2.5GbE switch we could find on Amazon and a few on AliExpress and do a round-up. Now, we have the Ultimate Cheap 2.5GbE switch guide.

Ultimate Cheap 2.5GbE Switch Guide Overview and Video

Here is the video that goes along with this piece.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to have formal reviews of each unit in the round-up on STH. One of the biggest challenges with reviewing 15 switches (plus a bonus) for something like this is that by the time we had received all of the units, tested them, aggregated results, then recorded the video, new units have come out. We will add those to this guide as we go, so feel free to save it for future reference.

We are going to introduce a few main categories:

  • 5-port 2.5GbE Unmanaged Switches
  • 8-port 2.5GbE Unmanaged Switches
  • 10Gbase-T Capable 2.5GbE Switches
  • SFP+ 10GbE Capable 2.5GbE Switches
  • 8-port 2.5GbE and 1-port SFP+ 10GbE Switches
  • PoE Capable Switches
  • Inexpensive Managed 2.5GbE Switches with Fans

We are also going to note when we find switches in each category that are managed. At this point, most are unmanaged, but we had two in our first 15 already that are managed switches. The prices change, so we are using what we paid in Q1 2023 when we purchased the initial set of units.

5-port 2.5GbE Fanless Switches

Our Choice: QNAP QSW-1105-5T

QNAP QSW 1105 5T Front For Guide
QNAP QSW 1105 5T Front For Guide

Notes: Our pick here is the QNAP QSW-1105-5T. It has the best balance of initial cost, power consumption, and regulatory markings/ certifications. The Netgear MS105 and MS305 are virtually identical, except for the paint job and warranty.

8-port 2.5GbE Fanless Unmanaged Switches

Our Choice: Toss-up

TP Link TL SH1008 Ports Three Quarter
TP Link TL SH1008 Ports Three Quarter

Notes: The TRENDnet TEG-S380 is a better value than the TEG-S350 (5-port) often. There was only a $5 difference between the two switches when we recorded the video. The TP-Link TL-SH1008 we only found on AliExpress and lacks common NA/ EU regulatory markings. The TP-Link is the better price, but the TRENDnet is better if you are looking for regulatory markings and certifications.

TRENDnet TEG S380 Front
TRENDnet TEG S380 Front

10Gbase-T Capable Fanless 2.5GbE Switches

Our Choice: QNAP QSW-2104-2T-A

QNAP QSW 2104 2T A 4x 2.5GbE 2x 10Gbase T Switch Front
QNAP QSW 2104 2T A 4x 2.5GbE 2x 10Gbase T Switch Front

Notes: These two switches appear to be identical internally. QNAP has a more power-efficient AC adapter and is usually found for 20% less (or more) than the TRENDnet making it the easy recommendation.

SFP+ 10GbE Capable Fanless 2.5GbE Switches

Our Choice: Hasivo S600WP-5GT-2S+_SE

Hasivo S600WP 5GT 2S+ For Guide
Hasivo S600WP 5GT 2S+ For Guide

Notes: This is a funny one. The QNAP QSW-2104-2S-A is the TRENDnet TEG-S762 except with SFP+ instead of 10Gbase-T. For $130 and with regulatory markings, the QNAP is a solid value. The MokerLink 2G05210GSM and Hasivo S600WP-5GT-2S+_SE are the two managed switches and have very similar chassis and management interfaces. The Hasivo adds PoE/ PoE+ and is priced lower so that gets our recommendation. Still, some users have reported that the switches, on some firmware versions, can lose things like DHCP settings on reboot.

8x 2.5GbE and 1x SFP+ 10GbE Capable Fanless 2.5GbE Switches

Our Choice: Sodola 8x 2.5GbE and 1x SFP+

Sodola 8x 2.5GbE 1x 10GbE Switch Front
Sodola 8x 2.5GbE 1x 10GbE Switch Front

Note: We have an entire video talking about these, but have reviewed several more units since then.

The new 8x 2.5GbE and 1x SFP+ switches came out after we did the original guide. The Horaco is the least expensive, but it is also the only one we had an issue with and it took more than two weeks longer to arrive than the Amazon ones. Video for those four switches above. Now, some new offerings from companies like YuanLey and Davuaz are pushing prices down considerably to well under $100.

PoE Capable Fanless 2.5GbE Switches

Our Choice: Hasivo S1100P-8GT, Netgear MS108UP

Hasivo S1100P 8GT Atop TP Link Switches Priced Similarly
Hasivo S1100P 8GT Atop TP Link Switches Priced Similarly
  • Hasivo S1100P-8GT Review (AliExpress Affiliate Link)
    • 8x 2.5GbE
    • Unmanaged. PoE varies by port. It seems to mostly support PoE/PoE+ but we can get some ports to power PoE++. See review.
    • 6.5W idle, 1.7W per 2.5GbE Port
    • $123 when tested
  • Sodola SL-SGT108-P (Amazon Affiliate Link)
    • 8x 2.5GbE
    • Unmanaged. PoE varies by port. It seems to mostly support PoE/PoE+ but we can get some ports to power PoE++ similar to Hasivo.
    • 7.1W idle, 1.7W per 2.5GbE Port
    • $100 when tested
  • Hasivo S600-5GT Review (AliExpress Affiliate Link)
    • 5x 2.5GbE
    • Unmanaged. PoE varies by port. It seems to mostly support PoE/PoE+ but we can get some ports to power PoE++. See review.
    • 6.5W idle, 1.7W per 2.5GbE Port
    • $149 when tested
  • Netgear MS108UP Review (Amazon Affiliate Link)
    • 8x 2.5GbE
    • Unmanaged. 4x PoE+ and 4x PoE++. See review.
    • 6.8W idle, 1.4W per 2.5GbE Port
    • $239 when tested
  • Hasivo S600WP-4GT-1SX-1XGT-SE (AliExpress Affiliate Link)
    • 4x 2.5GbE, 1x 10Gbase-T, 1x SFP+
    • Smart Managed, Unmanaged Optional. 4x PoE
    • 2.3W Idle, 1W per 2.5GbE Port
    • $119 when tested

Notes: The Netgear MS108UP has four PoE++ ports and four PoE+ so this is perhaps the most capable PoE switch. The Hasivo S1100P-8GT is perhaps a better value than the 8-port non-PoE switches. The S600-5GT is a pass given its cost/ features.

Netgear MS108UP Front Angle 1
Netgear MS108UP Front Angle 1

Larger Fanless 2.5GbE Switches

Our Choice: TP-Link TL-SH1832

TP Link TL SH1832 Front 2
TP Link TL SH1832 Front 2

This is a larger switch, but it is also the lowest cost per port in our review.

Inexpensive Managed 2.5GbE Switches with Fans

Our Choice: MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S+IN

MikroTik CRS310 8G 2S IN Front
MikroTik CRS310 8G 2S IN Front
  • MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S+IN Review (Amazon Affiliate Link)
    • 8x 2.5GbE 2x SFP+ 10GbE
    • Managed. No PoE.
    • 10.5W idle, 1.0W per 2.5GbE port
    • $219 when tested
  • TP-Link TL-SG3210XHP-M2 (Amazon Affiliate Link)
    • 8x 2.5GbE
    • Managed. PoE+
    • 13.9W idle, 1.7W 10GBase-T SFP+ adapter
    • $409 when tested
  • MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S+IN Review 
    • 20x 2.5GbE, 4x Combo 10Gbase-T / SFP+ 10GbE, 2x QSFP+ 40GbE
    • Managed. No PoE.
    • 31W idle, 0.8W per 2.5GbE port
    • $999 MSRP when tested

Final Words

Hopefully, this guide helps folks narrow down which switch is the best in a given class. We are going to keep adding to this. Folks may notice that the video released on the same day as this Buyer’s Guide has one fewer switch, and we also now have two more switches that are not on the list above. Our plan is to make this a guide over time and then to have the reviews of the individual switches. Bookmark and share this as we are making a big resource here.

A quick note that we have seen with various lower-end switches over the years is that internal components can change over time. We are going to try keeping this fresh, but if you saw our Netgear Making Simple PoE Switches too Complex you will see the challenge.

38 COMMENTS

  1. I don’t see the QNAP QSW-2104-2T in the 10Gbase-T category. Is there a reason for that? I feel like that one is a very compelling option given the $150 price point, plus it probably uses the same controller as the TEG-S762.

  2. The QSW-2104-2T is identical to the QSW-2104-2S that was reviewed, except the SFP+ was swapped with 10GbaseT?

  3. Mike and Dory. That is the thought. The QSW-2104-2T is a switch we have for a future update. We also have 1-2 other switches that have arrived, but did not make the cut-off for publishing the buyer’s guide and video. We did not get it in time. Watch this space as we will keep updating as we do more reviews.

  4. The Trendnet TEG-3102WS with 8ports 2,5 Gbe and 2 SFP+ is interesting too at 259 $ it has been released in past january

  5. Was a bit disappointed by the “Larger Fanless 2.5GbE Switches” section. I’ve got my eye on the qnap QSW-M2116P-2T2S. Nice PoE (90 watts 10GBe PoE++ and 30 watt 2.5Gbe PoE+), 4 10Gbe ports, 16 2.5GBe ports, managed, and you can buy it in the USA without waiting for shipping from Alibaba or similar.

    Looks like just what I need to run some PoE cameras, 10G NAS, 10G desktop, and a small home lab.

  6. BillB and flo – Thank you for the recommendations. We will put those on the list to take a look at. We have ordered several more switches already today. The hope is that we add to this one over time.

  7. BillB – I have the M2116P. It’s very basic as far as web management goes, but does have a command line with more advanced options. QNAP is promising a 2.0 firmware update “soon” that exposes more.

    I use it basically unmanaged, but I’ve been very happen with it!

  8. QNAP QSW-2104-2S-A is the only decent entry in the entire list; the others are way too expensive for what they bring to the table.

  9. I have another on Amazon to add to your list: ALFA AGS05-2.5GL, 5-Port Unmanaged 2.5G Switch, 5 x 2.5GBASE-T Ports, Loop Detection and Fanless Design. Currently $104, but I grabbed one a few weeks back for $70. So far, it works exactly as it should. Alph Networks is known more for their wireless products, but happy with this switch

  10. I was looking to replace my 16 port 1gbe with something that had 10gb sfp as I’ve had two machines directly connected for years but didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I settled on the Zyxel XGS1010-12 because it had enough ports for my usage I could just swap the two. I figured should I need more 2.5gbe or 10gb sfp I could add more hardware with this. It has worked really well for me, but I’d love to see some testing on it or other similar devices.

  11. I would love to find a 2.5 Gig Managed Switch that has port mirroring for things like Corelight. With home internet speeds increasing, having a 2.5 gig connection is almost mandatory. Having the capability to send a copy of all traffic to a Zeek/Bro Sensor would be wonderful.

  12. I bought the QNAP QSW-1105-5T to use at my desk and for some reason I just couldn’t consistently get internet to my desktop through it. Have no idea why. WoL to my desktop would work just fine, but then when the computer booted up it would say no internet and pfsense wouldn’t see it on the network. Remove the switch and the computer works just fine again. Tried different patch cables and even ordered a second unit in case it was defective, same issue. If I kept restarting the switch and plugging the cables in in a different order eventually the computer would get onto the network, but it would break again the next time I restarted the computer.

    I ended up getting the MokerLink unit instead (which had an $8 coupon at the time) and it is working flawlessly so far.

  13. A little warning if you use vlans anywhere in your network, you want to have a switch that supports 802.1p. After buying the above TRENDnet TEG-S380 and found out my tagged vlans stopped working. So returned it and got the above netgear MS305 that does support 802.1p.

  14. A little surprised MicroTik isn’t on the list. I have several CRS305-1G-4S+IN and they all work great.

  15. I just aquired a zyxel XGS1210-12 which has been around a little while but is 8gig ports 2 x 2.5 and 2×10. it has management up to a point but seemingly what passed for management these days doesn’t get you counters that you can export via snmp/prometheus or some other mechanism.

    It does support link aggregation
    up to 32 tagged or untaged vlans
    igmp snooping
    loop detection and blocking
    802.1p priotity queing

    which makes it kind of wonderful and terrible at the same time.

    It looks mechanicially very similar to the haviso.

    I am definitely curious the extent to which these low cost devices have or can be coaxed into having some manageability features with respect to remote monitoring or observability.

  16. I figured out what’s wrong with the DHCP settings on the S600WP: The page’s javascript checks whether the value of the ipv6 fields — which are messily commented out in the HTML — are valid strings. So it tries to check if undefined.length == 0.

    Looks like somebody tried to chop ipv6 support out of the firmware, but did it wrong in such a way that it broke ipv4, too.

    I was able to get it to at least *try* to save the values by using the Chrome dev tools to inspect other parts of the table, then find the commented-out part and uncomment it.

    They need to fix that in their firmware: either re-add the ipv6 support, or remove it properly!

  17. I found more problems with the S600WP’s firmware:
    * SSH doesn’t work, it complains about invalid username even if the username is correct. If you supply a command for ssh to run (ssh admin@s600wp /bin/sh), it acts like you’re using telnet (“press any key” and then a username prompt), then asks for the password (showing it in plain text), then goes right back to the username prompt.
    * Speaking of telnet, telnet is the only way to reliably enable ipv4 DHCP and ipv6 SLAAC and/or DHCP.
    * The remote syslog web page is broken too, had to use Telnet to set that.

  18. I have a big problem with the firmware of the S600WP after reboot all settings get lost. I contacted the seller, and they sent me a new firmware but it didn’t work. I’m thinking of asking for a refund

  19. Any plans to test TRENDnet TPE-TG380 Unmanaged 2.5G PoE+ Switch? It has 8 Ports, Fanless and 100W PoE Budget. But some people complain that it’s getting too hot.

  20. Could you please add this one on the suggestion list (couldn’t find it in search):

    QSW-IM1200-8C
    – 8p 10GbE SFP+/RJ45 Combo Ports
    – 4x 10GbE SFP+
    – Fanless

    Any other have experience with this one?

  21. So many switches and yet so little manageable ones…
    I have a few VLANs at home and I would like a small manged 2.5Gb/10Gb switch but it seems that there are only exotic models…

  22. Why isn’t the “Insane 48-Port 2.5GbE 2x 25GbE 2x 10GbE Managed Chinese e-Sports Cafe and Hotel Switch” listed here? I’d love to see more info on that switch and sourcing.

  23. There is now a managed version of the Horaco 8×2.5+1xSFP+ switch for about the same price. It arrived today from AliExpress.

  24. @Patrick – The QNAP QSW-2104-2S-A and the similar Broadcom BCM53162XMB1 switches are actually managed switches and run Robo-OS. Broadcom has published the source code robo2-sdk on GitHub, so it should be pretty straightforward. The manufacturers only disable the web interface after xx seconds, but you can change this.

    Obviously this isn’t for everybody, but for me those cheap managed switches have bad web implementations anyway.

  25. Does anyone know of a budget-friendly, non-China product with 2.5G, PoE+, and fanless capabilities? I’m aware that Qnap(from Taiwan) and Netgear are not China brands; are there any others worth considering?

  26. Yeah, people reviewing/recommending network gear need to stop recommending insecure Chinese brand equipment. I cringed going through this list seeing all of them. The only mention should be a footnote telling people to whatever they do don’t buy or use the Chinese stuff no matter how good it looks.

  27. NICGIGA 8x 2.5GbE + 1x SFP+ Is £88 with a coupon automatically there to apply from your basket before checkout on Amazon UK today.

  28. Maybe the Grandstream GWN7700M belongs on this list. I haven’t used it but I’ve used one of their other switches so I’m curious.

  29. The Sodola was a big disappointment. It didn’t play well with my QNAP NAS. When plugged directly into the the switch or plugged into an old 3Com switch which was plugged into the Sodola, the NAS’s ethernet ports crashed after a few minutes. This did not happen without the Sodola in the mix.

    I wouldnt trust this or any of its rebranded siblings in my network. It gets returned today.

  30. not sure if these will fit in the cheap category but in my research for 2.5G switches I found these:
    * TP-LINK SG2210XMP-M2 (8-Port 2.5GBASE-T w/ POE+ and 2-Port 10GE SFP+, Smart Switch)
    * TP-LINK SG3210XHP-M2 (8-Port 2.5GBASE-T w/ POE+ and 2-Port 10GE SFP+, L2+ Managed Switch)
    * TP-LINK SG3218XP-M2 similar with SG3210XHP-M2 but adds 8x 2.5GBASE-T w/o POE

  31. @Steven has a good point, you plan to keep you existing hardware and later opgrade with managed switches and vlans.

  32. Generally, it seems as if many of the switches and chips in the SOHO class are a couple of years old? Are there any new chipsets from Realtech or others coming out this spring?
    I’m trying to find one for a condo, upgrading from 8x1Gb to 2.5/10 and at least a managed switch. I’d like 8X 2,5 and at least 2 or better 4x 10GbE TBase-T, as I rather not want to deal with fiber and clutter or the heat or price of adaptors. It should also support VLANs from another switch if it is unmanaged. Like tp-link tl-sx105.

  33. Wonderful article,
    I have a proposal tho: can you please add a table, so that we can directly compare the ‘interesting’ features? Idle Power, Additional power per 2.5Gb port used, additional power per 10G port used, (I’d add an “additional power for DAC cable used) etc.
    That would be VERY useful!
    Many thanks!

  34. It’s strange that those 2.5G only switches use more power in idle (~4W) than 2.5G switches with SFP+ (~1W).

    Also I wonder how much of the idle power consumption is caused by the power adapter itself – would be quite interesting to take multiple switches which had different results and measure them again while using the same power adapter.

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