As 2.5Gbps unmanaged switches, the Netgear MS108UP and TRENDnet TPE-TG350 are very similar regarding network speeds and plug-n-playability. If you’ve been wondering, and maybe even annoyed, by the fact Netgear’s Wi-Fi 6 and 6E access points generally don’t include a power adapter, the MS108UP 8-port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Ultra60 PoE++ Ethernet Plus Switch would be a clear answer.

All you have to do is plug it into power (that’s if you can find space for the power adapter) and into your network using one of its ports, and you’re ready. One of the other major features is that this is a fan-less design. No fan means the primary moving part in a switch is not present making it both silent as well as likely increasing the reliability of the switch. I think many of our readers have a Netgear fanless switch stashed away somewhere that is running yet has been forgotten. Now you can use it as any regular Multi-Gig switch — all PoE switches can host non-PoE devices like any traditional non-PoE switch — or you can use it also to deliver power to up to seven PoE devices. The actual number will vary depending on what PoE devices you use. Management is perhaps a positive here. This is a managed switch but is a “Plus” managed switch, not an Insight managed switch. Insight is great, but the cost of Insight for lower-end devices is too much for many home/ SMB users that rarely configure networks. This is not a high-end switch by any means only supporting features like 64 VLANs. Final Words To put things in perspective, this power adapter is the second largest I’ve seen in my life after the Tesla Mobile Connector.

Final Words

With the eight ports, four are 30W PoE+ and four are 60W PoE++. Netgear’s term for the latter is “Ultra60”. Among the eight ports there is a combined 230W PoE budget. That means that not every PoE++ port can be used at its full 60W, not even including the PoE+ ports. The total port capacity would need to be 30W x 4-ports + 60W x 4-ports = 360W to make every port run at full capacity. As a result, there is quite a bit of PoE spec overprovisioning or PoE oversubscription in this switch. Netgear MS108EUP Rear

The Netgear MS108EUP is an 8-port 2.5GbE switch that can also operate at lower speeds like 1GbE. Still, given the pricing, we suspect most will be buying this for its 2.5GbE speeds. Netgear MS108EUP Front From the description, the Netgear MS108UP is a standard unmanaged switch. It’s a rectangular box with all its ports on the front end. But looking closer, it has a few things to call its own. A few oddities The TRENDnet TPE-TG350’s power adapter is about the same size as that of a laptop computer and I was already irked by its bulkiness during the testing. The Netgear’s is about three times the size and weight, possibly even more. At CES 2022, there is a small release that many of our readers will be interested in, the Netgear MS108EUP 2.5GbE PoE+/ POE++ switch. If you are deploying WiFi 6 or WiFi 6E access points these days, you are very likely to find 2.5GbE network ports as uplinks. While WiFi has gotten faster, it also uses more power, especially with multiple radios. As a result, we often have readers comment about needing 2.5GbE PoE+ or PoE++ switches. You can read about the key differences of PoE vs PoE+ vs PoE++ switches via a STH guide. That is where the MS108EUP comes in. Netgear MS108EUP 8-port Switch Brings 2.5GbE and 60W PoE All other PoE switches I’ve worked with, including the TRENDnet TPE-TG350, come with at least one non-PoE port for the uplink. While not dedicating any port as the uplink (hence non-PoE) doesn’t hurt, it boggles the mind. So, it kinda hurts. Netgear MS108UP vs TRENDnet TPE-TG350: Hardware specificationsIt’s unmanaged, so there’s no need to worry about setting it up. There’s no app or web user interface to fiddle with. Here’s another picture to show just how ridiculously massive the Netgear MS108UP’s power adapter is.

That’s because, in reality, you will need to use one of those ports to work as the uplink that connects the switch to an existing network, namely another switch or a router. And that port doesn’t need to support PoE — the idea is not applicable. Netgear MS108UP vs TRENDnet TPE TG350: Note the former’s gigantic power adapter and the Uplink port (purple) of the latter. But the Netgear MS108UP is also the very first PoE++ (802bt) switch I’ve tested, and this standard might require this type of extreme power draw, hence the extreme physical size of the equipment. I intensively used the Netgear MS108UP for a couple of days with a few Wi-Fi access points, and it performed well. This latest 8-port Multi-Gig switch is designed to be the power source for those devices. And it’ll work with any PoE device from any company.

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Specifically, the power adapter is gigantic. It’s almost as large and — at 2.1 lbs (970 g) without the power cord — heavier than the switch itself. And the PoE switch is also interesting in its network ports. All eight ports feature PoE, four PoE+, and four PoE++. There’s nothing wrong with that other than the fact it’s redundant. Having no fan, the Netgear MS108UP was completely silent even during heavy load. But it did run a bit warm — I could rest my hand on it infinitely without getting too uncomfortable. Still, like all network devices, it’s recommended that you use it in an open and cool environment. PoE switches’ hardware specifications: Netgear MS108UP vs TRENDnet TPE-TG350 Netgear MS108UP: Detail photos The Netgear MS108UP includes a huge power adapter and a CAT6A cable.

On top of that, the switch has a PoE power budget of 230W, meaning it can handle only three full max-demand PoE++ simultaneously. However, if you use PoE devices, chances are they can all draw power from this switch at the same time. Netgear MS108UP: Solid performance, runs warmMS108EUP vs MS108UP: There’s an almost identical MS108EUP version, first announced in January 2022, that’s a managed switch. Generally, the MS108UP is a lot more convenient for most use cases. That’s because the switch has only four PoE++ ports, suitable for high-demand devices, such as the WAX630E Wi-Fi 6E access points. The rest of the ports can only handle PoE+ clients, such as the WAX214. Here’s the Netgear MS108UP hosting a WAX630E (PoE++) and a WAX214 (PoE+) Wi-FI access points. The switch’s network throughput was as fast as expected from its 2.5Gbps Multi-Gig grade. In fact, it was the fastest 2.5Gbps switch I’ve tested by a small margin (within the margin of error). Here’s the Netgear MS108UP 8 port Multi-Gigabit 2.5G Ultra60 PoE++ Ethernet Plus Switch’s performance compared with others.