Rankings
The Netgear GS308E is an entry-level managed 8-port Gigabit switch that combines fanless silent operation with essential features like VLAN and QoS. Its main trade-offs are the absence of PoE and higher-speed uplinks. It is best suited for small office/home office environments that need basic management without PoE.
The MikroTik CRS326-24G-2S+RM delivers 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports, two 10 GbE SFP+ uplinks, and passive cooling with a low 24 W power envelope. Lack of PoE output and limited storage may be constraints for some deployments. It is well-suited for enterprises seeking a dense, energy-efficient core or aggregation switch.
The MikroTik CRS328-24P-4S+RM is a 1U rackmount switch delivering 24 PoE-enabled Gigabit ports and four 10 Gbps SFP+ uplinks, ideal for dense power-over-Ethernet deployments. Its drawbacks include the lack of a fanless design and higher power consumption under full PoE load. Best suited for enterprises and SMBs that need extensive PoE and flexible OS options.
A fanless 8-port 2.5 GbE switch with a 10 Gb SFP+ uplink that offers web-based management featuring VLAN, QoS, IGMP snooping and LACP. It does not provide PoE and lacks detailed power and reliability specs, which may concern enterprise users. Ideal for homelab enthusiasts and small offices needing advanced features in a silent, compact package.
The TRENDnet TEG-3102WS is a 10-port multi-Gigabit web-smart switch delivering 80 Gbps of non-blocking capacity, fanless operation, and support for VLAN, QoS, and IGMP snooping. Its absence of PoE, higher power draw, and limited routing capabilities constrain its use in more demanding enterprise environments. Best suited for SMBs or prosumers requiring multi-Gigabit uplinks and basic Layer 3 features.
The D-Link DGS-1100-05V2 is a 5-port gigabit smart-managed switch offering robust L2 features such as VLAN, QoS, and IGMP snooping. Its compact fanless design and lifetime warranty come at the cost of limited port count and no PoE support. Ideal for small office or home office environments needing basic traffic management.
The TP-Link TL-SG108E is an 8-port Easy Smart Switch delivering 16 Gbps non-blocking throughput, fanless metal design, and basic smart features like QoS, VLAN, and IGMP snooping. It lacks PoE, SFP, and advanced Layer-3 routing, and VLAN support is limited to 32 active VLANs. Ideal for small offices seeking affordable managed functionality.
The CSS326-24G-2S+RM is a 1U rackmount Layer-2 switch offering 24 GbE ports, two 10 Gbps SFP+ cages and a 52 Gbps non-blocking fabric, targeting dense edge deployments. It trades off advanced routing, limited memory and lack of PoE-out for simplicity and low power use. Suited for ISPs or data-center edge where basic L2 switching and high port density are required.
| Attribute | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 128 Gbpsbest | 52 Gbps | 80 Gbps | 52 Gbps | — | — | |
— | 11.9 Mpps | 95.2 Mppsbest | 77.4 Mpps | 59.52 Mpps | 77.37 Mpps | — | — | |
8 | 8 | 28best | 26 | 10 | 26 | 9 | 5 | |
1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps | 10 Gbpsbest | 2.5 Gbps | 1 Gbps | |
— | — | 450 Wbest | — | — | — | — | — | |
| ↓ lower better | 3.7 W | 3.68 Wbest | 44 W | 19 W | 152.3 W | 24 W | — | — |
64best | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| ↓ lower better | 0.5 kg | 0.508 kg | 4.54 kg | 0.91 kg | 0.664 kg | 0.907 kg | 0.4 kg | 0.227 kgbest |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Performance(2) | ||||||||
Switching Capacity (Gbps) | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 128 Gbps | 52 Gbps | 80 Gbps | 52 Gbps | — | — |
Forwarding Rate (Mpps) | — | 11.9 Mpps | 95.2 Mpps | 77.4 Mpps | 59.52 Mpps | 77.37 Mpps | — | — |
Ports(2) | ||||||||
Number of Ports | 8 | 8 | 28 | 26 | 10 | 26 | 9 | 5 |
Port Speed (Gbps) | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps | 10 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps | 1 Gbps |
Power(1) | ||||||||
Maximum Power Consumption (W) | 3.7 W | 3.68 W | 44 W | 19 W | 152.3 W | 24 W | — | — |
Network(1) | ||||||||
VLAN Support | 64 | true | true | true | true | true | true | true |
Design(3) | ||||||||
Mounting Options | Desktop, Wall, Rack | Desktop;Wall | Rack mount 1U | 1U rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount | Magnetic, Rubber | Desktop, Wall-mount |
Weight (kg) | 0.5 kg | 0.508 kg | 4.54046 kg | 0.91 kg | 0.664 kg | 0.907 kg | 0.4 kg | 0.2268 kg |
Dimensions (HxWxD) (mm) | 158x101x29 mm | 25 mm × 101 mm × 158 mm mm | 44x443x300 mm | 44 x 144 x 443 mm | 27 x 104 x 240 mm mm | 44x144x443 mm | 24.9x90.9x160 mm mm | 3.25 x 1.1 x 4.0 inches mm |
General(2) | ||||||||
Operating Temperature (°C) | 0-40 °C | — | -20 to 60 °C | -40 to 70 °C | 0-40 °C | — | — | — |
Warranty (years) | 5 years | 5 years | — | — | — | — | 1 years | — |
Reliability(1) | ||||||||
MTBF (hours) | 1600000 hours | — | 200000 hours | 200000 hours | 893944 hours | 200000 hours | — | — |
Features(1) | ||||||||
LED Indicators | false | true | — | — | true | — | — | — |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers and editors describe the GS308E as an entry-level managed 8-port Gigabit Ethernet switch aimed at small office and home office environments. It offers a fanless, silent design, non-blocking architecture, and essential managed features such as VLAN and QoS while consuming very low power.
Pros: Extremely low power consumption (3.7W maximum) ideal for always-on deployments.; Silent fanless design eliminates acoustic noise, suitable for noise-sensitive environments.; Compact form factor (158 × 101 × 29 mm) fits space-constrained installations.; Non-blocking switching architecture provides full wire-speed performance for all ports.; Affordable entry-level managed switch with VLAN and QoS support for small networks.; Cons: No Power over Ethernet (PoE) support limits use with PoE devices such as IP cameras or phones.; Lacks 10 Gbps ports, restricting future high-speed connectivity upgrades.; Only 4K MAC address table entries, fewer than some competitors offering 8K.; Modest 192 kB buffer size compared to higher-end models may affect burst traffic handling.; Not stackable, preventing easy expansion of multiple switches into a single logical unit.; VLAN support limited to 64 (or 32 in some regions), which may be insufficient for larger segmented networks.
Professional reviewers and editors view the TL-SG108E as a solid, affordable step up from unmanaged switches, emphasizing its 16 Gbps non-blocking throughput, effective QoS with multiple queues, and useful L2 tools such as IGMP snooping, port mirroring and cable diagnostics. They also commend its silent, fanless, energy-efficient design and the value it provides for small-office environments, while noting the trade-offs of limited VLAN count, lack of PoE/SFP and absence of advanced Layer 3 features.
Everyday users generally praise the TL-SG108E for its plug-and-play simplicity, silent operation, fast Gigabit performance and compact metal design. The most common complaints revolve around the external power adapter, missing PoE and the basic level of management features.
Professional reviewers and editors emphasize the CSS326-24G-2S+RM as a high-performance, low-power, 1U switch that excels in wire-speed Layer 2 switching and offers flexible 10 Gbps uplinks, but they also point out its limited RAM, modest flash storage, and the basic nature of SwOS compared to the more feature-rich RouterOS found in CRS alternatives.
Professional reviewers, such as Tom's Hardware, recommend the DGS-1100-05V2 as a solid choice for users who need more control than an unmanaged switch, praising its easy-to-use web interface, VLAN support, QoS, and silent, energy-efficient design.
