Yes, you can use a switch and router from the same brand.
Yes, you can use a switch and router from the same brand.
Hey everyone, I'm looking to improve my home network setup. Right now I rely on my internet provider's router, which isn't doing well. I have an UNRAID server, a Raspberry Pi, a laptop, a PC, and mobile devices all connected. I plan to assign different devices to separate VLANs and enable routing between them. Looking ahead, I want to upgrade my server to support 10G speeds or add a new 10G server and connect it to my PC. My current router can't handle VLANs, so I need a better option. I also need a gateway and DHCP server for each VLAN—my existing switch isn't enough. Do I really need a new router with VLAN support? Since I'm starting from scratch, I should aim for a router that supports gigabit LAN and VLANs. A 10G router isn't in my budget right now. For my switch, I have three choices: 1) Use a basic L2 switch at 1G speed, letting the router handle inter-VLAN traffic but limited to 1G; 2) Get an L2+ switch with both 1G and 10G ports, manage static routes manually and route 10G between devices; or 3) Opt for an L3 switch with 1G/10G ports, set up dynamic routing there. I'm not sure which path is best. Also, should I use the same brand for both router and switch so everything runs under one interface? That might simplify things, especially if I want to manage everything with a single tool. Lastly, are the Ubiquiti EdgeMax switches/routers worth considering? Thanks for your advice, Matze!
around 500€($) but if its a very good option a little more. At the moment i have 1 Sever with 2 ports one traffic one management, 1 PC, 1 Pi, 1 Laptop (lan and Wlan) and other mobile stuff. Currently there is no 10G in my network and i currently can't saturate a 10G connection with only HDD. in the next 2-3 years im planning to get a full freenas server with hdds or ssds to be full speed. So if there are 10g ports on the switch two to four should be enoght for the next couple of years. No. So im up for every brand, which suits my needs best and is affordable. I have looked into EdgeMax, fs.com and cisco Switches and Routes since they are in my price range. Im aware that i need a acesspoint in some cases. the equipment should be rackmountable. Special features should be Natloopback ( reacking my sever from the network with my external ip address), VPN on the router, a decent firewall. since im starting with "good" networking the features i want will grow over time There are a few reasons: to make a guest wifi (but that is sometimes included in the router, but i dont know if its in an accses-point) and to seperate my server, my server management and my homenetwork (pc/laptop and stuff) from each other. My server is exposed to the internet. And i want to try stuff because of my computer sience studies.
You won't reach far with that if you're after real enterprise gear. A single low-end 24-port L2 switch from Cisco costs around 716 dollars if bought from the cheapest seller on Amazon, which is a 1Gbps model. You're currently using 5 gigabit ports and want to add four 10Gbps ports. A 12-port switch with four 10Gbps ports would be ideal. MikroTik is well known for affordable yet high-performance products, making it a likely choice: https://www.amazon.com/Mikrotik-CRS328-2...07C657P7Q/. It offers 24 gigabit ports, four SFP+ ports, PoE support, and can be mounted in a rack. It also supports routerOS, which should cover most of your needs like VLANs, ACLs, DHCP, etc. Please note I don’t have any experience with MikroTik myself—my background is mainly with Cisco equipment, which falls outside your budget. I’ve heard positive reviews about MikroTik, though. You mentioned Ubiquiti, but from what I understand, their products aren’t really suited for enterprise use (though some MikroTik models are). With your budget, you can’t even afford a good Ubiquiti switch with four 10Gbps ports. The cheapest option I found costs over 1000 dollars for the switch alone, or about 700 dollars for one with two 10Gbps ports. If you need firewall capabilities for security, keep that in mind.
It's really tough to meet my current budget needs. A L3 might be necessary, or is an L2+ switch sufficient? If I get a MikroTik switch, will I also need a router? Should I purchase a router from MikroTik or another brand? I found a switch on fs.com that only supports L2+, but it should handle what I need. With Ubiquity, I ended up choosing the only 1G option and upgraded to 10G for my server. What do you think about the RV260 router? Or your thoughts on Cisco in general? Maybe I shouldn't invest in 10G just yet and stick with 1G.
Based on your request, this should function as a Layer 2 device temporarily. The router’s routing capabilities aren’t supported by the switch chip in RouterOS v6, and even the CPU struggles with 1Gb/s. RouterOS v7’s beta now offers hardware offloaded routing for most CRS3xx switches, enabling wire-speed routing, though it’s still not immediately suitable for beginners. In theory, RouterOS v7 could handle all networking tasks on a single CRS3xx device—something possible with v6 but much slower. Therefore, I expect you’ll need a separate router. Your router and switch don’t have to be identical. Just because they’re from the same brand doesn’t guarantee matching interfaces or unified management. Some brands like Unifi provide this as a feature, offering similar menus and CLI behavior, though not always consistently. I wouldn’t rely on this approach unless it’s intentional, such as with Unifi. I haven’t used switches from fs.com before, but their guides appear standard and Cisco-like. Devices from the same company often share similar interfaces and command syntax, but that’s not guaranteed. Unless you’re deliberately choosing a specific brand, I wouldn’t base that decision on it. If you’re looking for a straightforward option, consider the Mikrotik hEX or Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X—they offer good value and are easier to configure. If you prefer something that minimizes trial and error, investing in a NetGate SG-1100 would be wise.
But when it comes to release and everything running smoothly is still uncertain, Mikrotik isn't the best choice; it's useful, but I believe you don't need a single platform for all your needs. Would you still like to go with Unifi? If I install the firewall switch, my router won't require high bandwidth since the switch handles routing. The router only offers DHCP, firewall, and internet access. PF-Sense seems like a reliable routing solution, and its hardware specs look promising as well.
Unifi works well for various scenarios but may not suit small setups with budget limits or the need for over 1Gb/s between VLANs. If your device uses static routing or better, your router can handle performance needs beyond your ISP without requiring top speed. Be aware that switches with only static routing and no ACLs won’t stop VLANs from interacting unless you route them through the router. You can separate networks like guest or IoT directly to the router and enforce firewall rules there to block unwanted communication.
I'm worried about that. Consumer models at 10Gbps are costly, and enterprise options are even pricier. Fortunately you noticed it. In this scenario it won't be fast enough. A key issue with the SG-1100 is its performance. The OP has a 1Gbps uplink which he likely still needs, plus he requires 10Gbps internally. The 1100 could halve that speed. I believe this makes Fortigate 100F the best choice. Otherwise he'll need a firewall supporting 10Gbps. I'm aware the Fortigate 100F can handle it and is known for affordable high-speed performance, though it was around $2500.
Thanks to @brwainer and @LAwLz for your feedback! I’m leaning toward the fs switch—it also works with ACLs, which is a plus. For the pf-sense unit, I’m not sure if the 3100 or the 1100 is better for future-proofing; I’m leaning toward the 1100 since my budget seems to favor lower costs now. My current plan is for downlink speeds around 200 or 400 Mbps, and 600Mbps down is still solid.