Lowest price for a 2.5G switch with standard Ethernet, excluding SFP modules.
Lowest price for a 2.5G switch with standard Ethernet, excluding SFP modules.
I'm searching for a switch supporting 2.5G connectivity. It should ideally run at 10G overall, but must reliably process 2.5G traffic—especially since your home network operates at that speed. A hybrid setup would work too, where certain ports handle 1G while others support 2.5G+. The QNAP QSW-1105-5T is the only model I found that fits your budget when factoring in total hardware costs. Could you check if there are other options, perhaps used or from manufacturers outside the US? I'm open to considering cheaper alternatives if you know their models.
The switch was just recently made available, and it seems most of the reviews I came across didn’t highlight very low prices.
Amazon is scheduled to ship the QNAP switch to me shortly. While browsing Amazon, I noticed the "Zyxel Multi-Gig 12-Port Unmanaged Switch..." listing. As suggested by its name, it offers 8 ports at gigabit speed, two 2.5G ports, and two 10G SFP+ ports for £130—compared to £108 for a 5-port 2.5G model. It doesn’t seem more affordable, but it could offer greater versatility in certain scenarios. I required more than two 2.5G ports without needing fiber, so the Zyxel wouldn’t suit my needs.
https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Ethernet-...B075Q66RKF That has been the cheapest i have been able to find. They is a 5 port version as well.
I've seen this before... sadly. Initially, I assumed reviews would highlight competitors once it launches, but right now there aren't any. That's why I checked the used market, though finding anything was tough. Thanks for the tips. More ports offer some adaptability, even if we're considering future upgrades. At the moment, my priority is getting the most affordable option because I'll need two switches with 2.5G support. I'm struggling to route cables to my PC due to a mistake I made long ago—this has been a real pain ever since.
I generally avoid multi-gig unmanaged switches because they caused major performance problems when mixing speeds on my smart-managed switch. For example, I had to turn on flow control to make Gigabit connections work with Multi-gig links properly.
Hm...That's interesting topic worth of investigation, especially since only two machines in the network will be on 2.5G and the rest will be 1G. Thanks for the tip! I'll search for some info regarding this and also I'll write to QNAP to check what they have to say.
It's definitely a chance it could be specific to my switches or how I'm using the network. I don't know for sure. Just remember this if you choose that path and performance isn't what you expected.
Based on the specifications, it seems a pause frame is likely enabled by default when required. You can reach out to QNAP via their contact form for further clarification.
They confirmed there could be minor delays when using a full buffer, though they noted such issues are rare in typical home setups. Communication speed differences between devices are irrelevant.