No one other than Ubiquity offers 5-10 gigabit entry-level enterprise switches.
No one other than Ubiquity offers 5-10 gigabit entry-level enterprise switches.
I've been working with Aruba switches and AP before, now I'm moving to a 5 gigabit setup. I checked if anyone other than Mikrotik or Ubiquity offers 5/10Gb entry-level enterprise gear, but didn't find any. Is this accurate? Or am I overlooking something? I need a solution higher than the 10Gb flex from Ubiquity, but with a switch that supports only 24 ports—making the USW-48 seem impractical.
I can locate Netgear, Aruba, Cisco, Dells, Huawei, HP, Ubiquity and D-link in nearby shops. Also, I see 10Gb switches are generally more affordable than 5Gb ones. The Ubiquity XG24 appears to be a solid option at around 1230 EUR. Netgear products start from approximately 2000 EUR in Europe.
Because 10Gbit switches have been around for a long time in business environments, N-BASE-T is still emerging. Right now, most modern switches offer 2.5Gbit and 5Gbit speeds on their 10Gbit ports, but 2.5Gbit remains more affordable and practical since it supports older cabling. If you aim for 5Gbit, switching to 10Gbit makes sense because NICs are similarly costly and you might still need upgraded cables. Additionally, 10Gbit supports SFP+ options, enabling fiber or DAC connections that consume less power and generate less heat.
The problem lies with the structure: connections stop at 5Gbit speed.
I see the value in adding multiple gigabits if you're worried about cabling limitations. You may encounter options ranging from 10Gbps to 2.5Gbps, even though you assume they should all support 5Gbps. It really depends on whether the cable was designed well, hasn't worn out or gotten damaged, and isn't running close to power lines which could cause interference. Since true 5Gbps isn't common yet, and those capable models are expensive—often more than you can afford compared to Intel 10Gbps cards—opting for multi-gig seems smarter. The issue with older 10Gbps switches is they're cheaper but less efficient, though some Intel 10Gbps NICs have been updated to handle it. I’m not aware of any switches that can support it without extra cost.