The TP-Link TL-SG105S-M2 appears to be a popular switch. A few weeks ago, we were looking for fanless 2.5GbE switches on Amazon, and this one popped up as a #1 seller at $49.99. As this is being written, it costs considerably more. Still, with five 2.5GbE ports, we wanted to see how this one performed, and how it compares to others, so we can add it to our The Ultimate Cheap Fanless 2.5GbE Switch Buyers Guide. Let us get into it.
We purchased this unit from Amazon. Here is an Amazon affiliate link.
TP-Link TL-SG105S-M2 Hardware Overview
The switch is small.
The main feature is a series of five 2.5GbE ports.
The chassis is made of metal, which is an upgrade over the BrosTrend S2 5-port 2.5GbE Switch we reviewed recently.
On both sides, we have vents.
Some of these low-cost switches have only front ports, this TP-Link is different.
A non-standard feature in this class is a Kensington lock port. A lock can cost quite a bit compared to the cost of the switch, but perhaps this is there to prevent the network going down.
Then there is a 9V 0.6A power input.
On top, we have big and bold branding.
On the bottom, we have one of the better labels in the industry.
Opening the switch up, we see a fairly simple layout.
Inside, we have the Realtek switch chip. One neat thing is that this has a different interior design from previous versions. We have a 2023 thread in the forums showing an earlier US version and more.
Here is the 5th port with the Realtek DSP for the 5th port. On the MaxLinear 5-port switches, we do not need this extra chip.
Next, let us power the switch on and see how it works.
Are you sure about the dimensions? It doesn’t look more than 2U tall.