Best Switches – List of Recommended Switches with Review

The switches are a fundamental element in the home network and also in the professional network, they not only serve to have more wired ports to provide more connections to the devices, but they also allow us to provide power through their RJ-45 ports using the PoE standards (PoE, PoE + and PoE ++), also allow us to segment the local network into VLANs, and even perform link aggregation to have greater bandwidth and much more. There are a large number of switch models aimed at different users, some highly recommended brands for home and professional use are D-Link, NETGEAR, QNAP, Linksys and many others.

Switches

To choose a good switch, we must look at several very important aspects:

  • Ethernet ports : we have to look at the number of Ethernet ports, at what maximum speed are they capable of synchronizing (1Gbps, 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps or 10Gbps), if the ports allow the NBASE-T standard to synchronize at 2.5G and 5G, And it is also very important if the ports are PoE to power other devices through the twisted pair cable. Of course, it is also essential to know if you have SFP or SFP + ports for fiber optics.
  • Ethernet ports with PoE : in addition to knowing whether or not we need a switch with PoE ports, it is very important to know if we need a switch with the 802.3af (PoE) standard, 802.3at (PoE +) standard or the 802.3bt (PoE ++) standard, and it is that depending on the standard, we can provide more power (W) per port. Of course, it is very important that you look at the Power budget, that is, the maximum PoE power that a switch is capable of providing.
  • 10G uplink ports: a very important feature is that we have at least one or two 10Gbps ports, to interconnect the switches and not have a bottleneck in the trunk links.
  • Unmanageable switch : If you buy an unmanageable switch, you will not have any configuration options, but it is recommended that you buy one with IGMP Snooping so that the IPTV services work perfectly.
  • L2 Managed Switch : L2 Managed Switches incorporate all the necessary features to build a professional network with all the guarantees of security, segmentation and others. We must see if they support VLAN with the standard 802.1Q, VLAN per port, STP / RSTP / MSTP to avoid loops at the link layer level, if we have link aggregation (Link Aggregation), QoS, bandwidth limiter per port , and many other important features like Private VLAN.
  • L3 Managed Switch : There are advanced manageable switches that allow us to L3 features, network layer, such as creating static routes in IPv4 and IPv6, dynamic IGP routing with RIP, OSPF and even also BGP. In addition, we would also have access to protocols such as VRRP, advanced access control lists, and many L3 security measures.

On this page you have a compilation of the best switches that currently exist, you can enter each of the analyzes where you can see in detail what they are capable of.

D-Link DGS-3130-30TS

The best

  • Actual performance in all speed tests
  • 10GBASE-T and SFP + ports for uplinks
  • Many L2 configuration options
  • Many L3 configuration options
  • Outstanding value for money

Worst

  • Graphical user interface has an older design

OVERALL SCORE

9.6

If you are looking for an affordable L3 core switch, this D-Link DGS-3130-30TS is a great choice. It has all the L2 and L3 configuration options that we may need in small and medium business environments, and that is that we also have dynamic routing and VRRP in L3. The hardware features such as its 10G ports are also a very favorable point, and the price of only € 800 for a team that can act as the main L3 switch of the network nucleus is a success.


D-Link DGS-1250-28X

The best

  • 10Gbps SFP + ports for uplinks
  • L2 configuration options
  • L3 configuration options with inter-vlan routing
  • Performance in all speed tests
  • Ease of configuration in different scenarios
  • Unbeatable value for money, only 280 euros

Worst

  • Graphical user interface has an older design

OVERALL SCORE

9.6

If you need a manageable L2 + switch with all the typical L2 switch configuration options, which also incorporates certain L3 functionalities such as static routing, inter-vlan routing, and IPv6 compatibility, this model is ideal for you. As if this were not enough, it has 10Gbps SFP + ports for uplinks, and it only costs around 280 euros, a really competitive price considering that it has these four 10G ports for trunks.


D-Link DXS-1210-10TS

The best

  • Wired performance with different configurations
  • Advanced L2 features available
  • L3-Lite features available, including inter-vlan routing
  • Many advanced security options
  • Everything is managed with user interface or CLI

Worst

  • No MAC based VLAN
  • Fan very noisy even at low workload

OVERALL SCORE

9.5

If you are looking for one of the best switches with 10G ports, both 10GBASE-T and SPF +, this model is ideal for you. It has all the L2 configuration options, and also incorporates L3-Lite functionalities such as static routing or inter-vlan routing. The performance achieved by this team is excellent, and we also have a large number of configuration options related to network security. On the negative side, it is a bit noisy even though we don’t have a high workload.


Front zone of the QNAP Guardian QGD-1600P manageable switch

QNAP Guardian QGD-1600P

The best

  • Manageable switch hardware features
  • Possibility of expansion with PCIe
  • Actual performance in all tests performed
  • QSS operating system with many configuration options
  • Built-in QTS operating system with all the functions of a NAS
  • Ability to use pfSense, RouterOS and any virtualized OS

Worst

  • It has no native 10G port
  • Fan very noisy even at low workload

OVERALL SCORE

9.5

The best thing about this manageable QNAP switch is not its native L2 configuration options, but rather it incorporates the QTS operating system with all the configuration options of QNAP NAS. This QTS will allow us to virtualize operating systems easily, we can even use pfSense or router OS and turn this switch into a true router. The hardware of this equipment is high-end, although we miss 10G ports natively, and the performance we have obtained in tests has been outstanding.


D-Link DGS-105

The best

  • Simple hardware features, 5 Gigabit ports without PoE
  • Incorporates IGMP Snooping, totally necessary for IPTV services
  • Excellent value for money

Worst

  • Short power cord

OVERALL SCORE

9.5

If you need an unmanageable switch to expand the number of Gigabit Ethernet ports on your local network, and also, you are going to use IPTV services like Movistar, this switch has IGMP Snooping so that everything works perfectly and smoothly. For the price it has, it is highly recommended to buy this model or the DGS-108 (exactly the same but with 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports), to easily expand your home network.


NAS servers and 10G switch QNAP QSW-308-1C

QNAP QSW-308-1C

The best

  • Wired performance of Gigabit and 10G ports
  • Incorporation of a total of 3 10G ports
  • Passive cooling, it is totally silent
  • Outstanding value for money

Worst

  • It only has a 10GBASE-T port
  • The switch has no management options

OVERALL SCORE

9.2

This unmanageable switch but with 10G ports is a great option if you need to connect servers or computers and achieve speeds of up to 10Gbps. We have a total of 2 dedicated SFP + ports and a 10GBASE-T port only, so you may have to purchase a 10GBASE-T SFP + adapter to get the most out of it. This equipment is highly recommended if you do not need to have advanced settings on your local network, but simply need to pass data at ultra-fast speed.


NETGEAR GC110P detailed review of this switch

NETGEAR GC110P

The best

  • Manageable switch hardware features
  • Outstanding overall performance
  • Advanced L2 configuration options with very intuitive and current menu
  • NETGEAR Insight app to monitor and manage it from your smartphone

Worst

  • Price: this equipment costs around 180 euros

OVERALL SCORE

9

This manageable switch with all the Gigabit Ethernet and PoE ports will allow us to have basic management of the local network at the L2 level. The firmware is very intuitive and has the main features that all switches have, but we do not have too many advanced configuration options and we have to take it into account. The performance of this equipment is beyond question, and is seamlessly integrated into NETGEAR Insight for quick and easy management with your smartphone.


NETGEAR GS108LP

The best

  • Outstanding cabling performance
  • All ports are PoE and PoE +
  • PoE port prioritization based on connected port
  • Outstanding value for money

Worst

  • You have no management option

OVERALL SCORE

9

If you are looking for an unmanageable switch with all the Gigabit Ethernet ports for LAN and that are PoE or PoE +, this NETGEAR model is very good value for money. An important detail is that we will have PoE prioritization in the lower ports, but we do not have any advanced management options via the web.


Edimax GS-5416PLC

The best

  • Global performance in all aspects
  • Advanced L2 features available
  • Long-Range mode to carry signal up to 200 meters away
  • Remarkable value for money

Worst

  • You have no L3 option for inter-vlan routing
  • Fan does not adjust automatically, it is noisy.

OVERALL SCORE

8.9

If you are looking for a manageable L2 switch (only, no L3 configurations) with PoE and PoE + ports, that has a Long Range mode to carry the signal up to 200 meters, and that has a large number of advanced configuration options, this model It is ideal for you. The highlight of this model is the incorporation of a complete web-based configuration firmware with a friendly graphical user interface.


Edimax GS-5208PLG

The best

  • Actual performance in all speed tests
  • Hardware features including PoE / PoE +
  • Long-Range mode to carry signal up to 200 meters away
  • Many L2 configuration options
  • Remarkable value for money

Worst

  • Does not allow VLAN over MAC or asymmetric VLAN
  • Does not have Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP / RSTP or MSTP)
  • It doesn’t have basic options like Port Security

OVERALL SCORE

8.8

If you are looking for a manageable L2 switch (only, no L3 configurations) with PoE and PoE + ports, that has a Long Range mode to carry the signal up to 200 meters, and that has certain L2 configuration options (although not all as STP / RSTP / MSTP or Port Security), this model may be interesting for you. The highlight of this model is the incorporation of a web-based configuration firmware with a friendly graphical user interface.


Edimax XGS-5008

The best

  • Hardware features with 8 10G ports
  • Basic L2 management features available
  • Very intuitive user interface via web
  • Good value for money

Worst

  • Does not incorporate advanced L2 options that others do
  • Fan speed cannot be managed, although it is quiet

OVERALL SCORE

8.5

If you are looking for a switch with all the 10GBASE-T ports at 10Gbps, and you do not need too many advanced configuration options to get your money back, this model is very interesting for the price it has. The performance you will get will be great, although we miss somewhat advanced configuration options such as Spanning-Tree Protocol among others.


Edimax GS-5424G

The best

  • Global performance in all aspects
  • Advanced L2 features available
  • Long-Range mode to carry signal up to 200 meters in length
  • Outstanding value for money

Worst

  • You have no L3 option for inter-vlan routing

OVERALL SCORE

If you are looking for a manageable L2 switch (only, no L3 configurations), that has a Long Range mode to carry the signal up to 200 meters, and that has a large number of advanced configuration options, this model is ideal for you. The highlight of this model is the incorporation of a complete web-based configuration firmware with a friendly graphical user interface.