TP-Link 5 Port Gigabit PoE Switch | 4 Port PoE 56W | 802.3af Compliant Shielded Ports | Traffic Optimization | Plug and Play | Sturdy Metal (TL-SG1005P)

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Of course, you needn’t have a connection that fast to get use out of one of the recent 2.5 GbE network switches. File transfers, home media servers, and high-capacity, high-bandwidth NAS setups can all stand to benefit from a high-bandwidth switch, and as they come out, we’ll try to put our hands to the latest and greatest to let you know how they fare. That brings us, today, to the TP-Link TL-SG105-M2: a super fast unmanaged 5-port, 2.5 GbE switch that, while bigger than your average 5-port gigabit switches, should still fit into just about anyone’s setup - and budget, for that matter. Aruba 6300M 12p Class 8 PoE and 36p Class 6 PoE HPE Smart Rate 1G/2.5G/5G and 2p 50G and 2p 10G Switch (R8S91A) Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. EMC FCC (47 CFR Part 15, Subpart B),CE-EMC (EN 55032: 2015+A11: 2020, EN IEC 61000-3-2: 2019, EN 61000-3-3: 2013+A1: 2019, EN 50130-4: 2011+A1: 2014, EN 55035: 2017+A11: 2020),IC (ICES-003: Issue 7:2020),RCM (AS/NZS CISPR 32: 2015)

High-performance 880 Gbps system switching capacity, 660 MPPS of system throughput, and redundant, hot swappable power supplies and fans. Speed and power for users and IoT Number of Ports: You can get anywhere from four all the way up to 48 or more Ethernet ports. Some also have USB ports. Power Needs: Most won't need it, but certain devices can get power over Ethernet if your switch supports it. Managed or Unmanaged: If you just need to get wired internet access to a few devices, then you’ll want an unmanaged network switch, which we recommend for most users. This doesn’t mean the switch has no features -- unmanaged switches can often do plenty of fancy things, from traffic prioritizing QoS to loop detection. But a wireless connection introduces several variables. Protocol compatibility, interference, signal-obliterating wall materials, or even poorly-designed radios and antennas can slow a speedy gigabit connection to a comparative crawl. For much more on this, see our how-to choose a gaming router feature.

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The one notable omission from this network switch is loop detection, which prevents your network being slowed to a crawl or disabled entirely by looped network traffic. This can be a very important troubleshooting tool in a complicated network, with visual indicators on a switch that tell you which Ethernet ports to investigate for issues. When it comes to 8-port network switches for the home or small office network, it’s hard to beat the TP-Link TL-SG108. It’s compact, has a fanless metal enclosure, plus dimmer-and-less-distracting LEDs than some of its competitors (Don’t worry; there are still two per port, each informative based on color and/or blinking pattern). The TL-SG108 also features traffic-prioritizing QoS, full duplex flow control, auto-negotiating ports for choosing transfer speed up to a gigabit, and simple, plug-and-play setup. This best network switch performed at rough parity with other 8-port switches we tested and ran cool. The switch did well in testing, putting up numbers slightly better than the QNAP on its 2.5 Gb ports, while its gigabit ports performed very well. Under heavy traffic, we saw no performance loss, which is to be expected given its total bandwidth of 66 Gbps. The ZyXel was the second-hottest of the switches tested, peaking at 100 degrees Fahrenheit under load - which is definitely going to be warm to the touch, but not concerningly so. Just make sure the box has a bit of ventilation. Convenient built-in wire speed 10/25/50GbE uplinks, high-density SFP+, and choice of HPE Smart Rate multi-gig with 90W PoE on every port. Scalable growth made simple

Safety UL (UL 60950-1); CB (IEC 60950-1:2005 + Am 1:2009 + Am 2:2013); CE-LVD (EN 60950-1:2005 + Am 1:2009 + Am 2:2013) Two field-replaceable, hot-swappable fan trays (included), no empty slot. Supports JL761A Pwr2Prt Fan Tray only Discontinued products The following compatible products have been discontinued. Audio system devices In between 8-and-16-port switches, you have some funky units like this ZyXel XGS1010-12. It’s billed on the box as a desktop switch with 8 gigabit ports and four bonus ports in the form of two 2.5 GbE and two 10 GbE SFT+ uplink ports. The latter fiber Internet customers would recognize as the data port on a fiber ONT (Optical Network Terminator -- think of it like a Fiber modem for customers without last-mile copper).After what seems like an eternity, network devices are finally beginning to embrace faster-than-gigabit connections. From routers to modems, computers to NAS, big data pipelines are starting to enter the mainstream. And that’s a good thing, particularly as we now use more data than ever before. It’s even possible to get a 2 Gbps connection now if you live in one of the cities where Google is now offering the service.

Conversely, a good wired connection can cut out these and other shortcomings of an over-the-air signal, while providing faster speeds and a reliable, stable connection. But with most mainstream routers only offering just four Ethernet ports -- or sometimes fewer -- the best network switches step in to fill the gap, giving you more ports to plug your wired devices into. Not only that, they can also spread out some of the load on your network, freeing your router up to carry out its primary mission of getting internet service to all the wireless devices on your network that need it.

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Operating temperature: 32°F to 113°F (0°C to 45°C) up to 5,000 ft. Derate -1 degree C for every 1,000 ft from 5,000 ft to 10,000 ft Safety UL (UL 60950-1),CB (AMD1:2009, AMD2:2013, IEC 62368-1: 2014 (Second Edition), CE-LVD (EN 62368-1: 2014+A11: 2017) This switch supplants our previous choice for best 5-port switch, the QNAP QSW 1105-5T, for a few reasons. First, the TP-Link just has a bigger pipe for data, pushing a consistent 2.34 Gbps where the QNAP, in our testing, only barely got over 2 Gbps in real world use. It also has a slightly more space-friendly form factor. And perhaps most importantly, where the QNAP’s warranty ends at 2 years, the TP-Link TL-SG105-M2 falls in the company’s business class of switches, giving it a generous limited lifetime warranty. Lastly, the TL-SG105-M2 sports QoS - a feature typical of most unmanaged switches that is conspicuously absent on the QSW 1105-5T.