TP-LINK TL-SG108PE 8-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE

Pros: + 802.3af compliant + 4 PoE ports + 8 10/100/1000Mbps ports + Ideal for homes and small businesses - great for the price + Networking monitoring + VLAN + Traffic prioritization + QoS

Cons: - TP-Link still doesn't create random default username and passwords for their devices. Good practice, regardless if telnet and remote administration settings turned off by default.

Overall Review: Managed switches are great, even if you don't need all the features available. Build quality appears and feels great, as one would expect from a "business class" switch. Having PoE capability is always a nice addition to any switch. I have 2 PoE wireless access points connected. In all, I'm utilizing 5 of the 8 ports (2 PoE). The TL-SG108PE gets warm, but not as hot as my Ubiquiti EdgeRouter PoE. It does mention this in the included instructions, but like my Ubiquiti EdgeRouter, in order to connect, you must manually set a static IP on the host computer to the same subnet (192.168.0.x) as the switch to be able to connect to it via the web interface; minus the default dedicated LAN IP the switch is set to (192.168.0.1). If using a Windows OS (depending on OS version, your path may be different), go to Control Panel -> Networking and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center -> Change Adapter Settings. Right-click on your active adapter (e.g. choose your Wi-Fi adapter if you are using Wi-Fi) and select Properties. In the list, select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)", then click Properties. In the next dialogue, check the radio button to "Use the following IP address". Add the following: IP Address: 192.168.0.100 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 Default gateway: 192.168.0.1 Click OK. In web browser, type in the IP address of the switch: "192.168.0.1" (this assumes that the connecting device is wired to the switch). The default username and password is admin/admin. The interface is usable and organized, not fancy like Linksys'. As for any network device, highly recommend changing the default username/password.

Pros: The inclusion of Port Mirroring and cable test functions makes this switch perfect for taking in an IT kit. Many small businesses use unmanaged switches making it harder for troubleshooting intermittent issues. I've used this switch to replace the hub I'd carry with me to run a packet-sniffer for identifying the source of random broadcast storms. It's been a valuable tool thus far! STP is included although it is called "Loop Prevention" in the GUI. The Cable Test feature identified an open at 56' on a Cat5e run. I verified the accuracy with a professional cable tester. The tester reported the same issue at the same distance.

Cons: There are no PoE settings in GUI. With troubleshooting a wifi issue (such as a locked up AP), a normal step is to reboot the AP. Typically, a PoE switch has the option to disable power to a port or even set a specific power output per port. Disabling the port on the TL-SG108PE only resulted in data being terminated to my PoE AP while the AP continued to broadcast an SSID. Missing these options means having to manually disconnect the ethernet cable feeding the AP and limits remote troubleshooting.

Overall Review: This switch is limited to a combined 55 watts over the PoE ports. If this amount is exceeded, the switch will automatically kill power to port 4. Most PoE devices don't use more than 12 watts. The exceptions will be high power APs such as the new 4x4:4 802.11ac Wave 2 APs. I will continue to use this switch for on-site trouble calls but wouldn't recommend it for those needy locations with PoE based devices due to the inability to reboot a PoE based device remotely.

Pros: 1. It works for what I need it to – 8 ports with 2 using POE for an access point and a camera. Maybe I will add two more cameras. 2. Quality – It is solid, with steel construction that I never see in a device in this tier. 3. Features vs. Price – I am not even using all the features and I am still happy. 4. Heat Dissipation – It operates with very little heat which leads me to believe it will last a long time. 5. I really like the LEDs on TP-Link switches. I can't count how many times I found a mis-pinned cable just by looking at them.

Cons: 1. The power port. It is located on the opposite side from the Ethernet ports. This may work well in a rack, where the power is inserted from the back and the Ethernet ports can be accessed from the front. It doesn’t work in my configuration. This is not a deal-breaker or worth dropping an egg, but I think buyers should be aware. For me, personally, I would rather deal with it than take a chance with another brand. 2. While the metal housing is great for dissipating heat and the unit runs cool, I would prefer a few more vents on the top for air flow.

Overall Review: I use all 8 ports on this switch with two ports supplying POE. One for an access point and one for a camera. No issues for a month in operation. All devices have had 100% uptime thanks to the switch being powered by a UPS. We live in Florida and lose power for a few minutes close to ten times a year. I am considering adding two or even more cameras because it is much easier to just run an Ethernet cable than also a power a cable, not to mention putting the cameras on separate UPSs. POE makes this more palatable and at the price of this switch, I am ready. More on heat: I have had several (like 20) TP-Link switches over the last ten years or so. I have one setup that has two 8-port switches and they both ran a little hot. One ended up having a few ports fail. I placed the other one on a steel plate for extra dissipation and it is still working today. I replaced the broken one with a newer TP-Link switch that doesn’t generate as much heat. The unit under review does not heat up much even with two POE ports drawing power. Good heat dissipation = lower operating temps = longer life. Except for a few lightning surges, I have never had an electronic device fail that operated cool (or warmish) to the touch. On the flipside, almost every electronic device that operated hot to the touch had a short life. I have had many other brands of switches as well and some of them are just fine, but I can think of three off the top of my head in plastic housings that failed from what I believe to be heat related issues.

Pros: This little switch is loaded with features, it was very easy to setup and integrate into my network. It's fast, as to be expected from a gigabit switch. It's a very cost effective managed switch for smaller networks. It appears to be built well, the steel case is a plus. The management interface is laid out decently and has a lot of options for such a little switch, including VLAN options, bandwidth limiting / QOS, Port Mirroring, and more. The POE ports are a nice addition as well, as you could use this switch to have a few POE devices like security cameras, a wifi AP, etc on a small network. Nice little rubber feet are included if you place to set it on a shelf or desk.

Cons: There are not too many cons about the unit. I would not mind seeing all 8 ports support / offer POE instead of 4 ports. Some more status indicators for the regular non POE ports would be nice as well. The power brick is kind of bulky, but it's needed since it does supply extra power for POE. Being a managed switch, it does take a short amount of time for the switch to boot up and make connections if you happen to unplug it, which also gets to the point where I would like to see some form of locking and/or snap in power connector on the unit.

Overall Review: testing I used this switch as the backbone for my home network which contains multiple workstations, servers, and a POE Camera. I used it for about a month and it performed as expected for an 8 port gigabit switch. The management options and POE are all icing on the cake for this little switch. I would recommend this switch to anyone who needs to add more advanced networking features and services to a small network where buying a larger managed switch is overkill and not cost effective. I would also recommend this switch to anyone who has a small network and needs a few POE ports since buying 4 decent POE injectors and a small switch probably costs more than this switch would cost by itself.

Pros: -4 PoE Ports -Cable Diagnostics -Port Mirroring -Stays cool -Great build quality -Easy to use This switch offers great features for its price point. PoE is a wonderful thing to have when using IP cams, access points, and some VoIP phones. In my home set up, it does a great job of providing network capabilities as well as power to my 2 IP cameras that I use as security cameras. Aside from just the PoE feature, the cable diagnostic feature does appear to be accurate in reporting problems with cables. This switch is well made and feels like it will last a long time. It has metal construction and stays cool to the touch. There are no fans, so you won’t hear it or have to worry about a fan dying and then the switch overheating as a result. My experience with the user interface has been very good so far. It is easy to use and works great.

Cons: I really can’t think of any cons. For the price, this switch is very hard to compete with.

Overall Review: This device works perfectly for my needs. I was able to power 2 cameras and an access point with no problem – and that is pretty much all I need it for. This device has given me no major concerns. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a switch – especially if some PoE capability is needed.

Pros: I am a big, big, fan of TP-Link products. I think for the price and value for what you get, they are VERY hard to beat. This switch is GREAT for the price. I am currently testing it with 4 Dahua IP cams that are using a full 3MP and I also have a small Synology NAS hooked up to it as well as (2) other client PC's and it keep chugging away with absolutely no problems. It is made of metal, has no stupid fans that will die and keeps pretty cool to the touch. If you need a switch with PoE this is it folks.

Cons: Only 4 PoE, and I understand it's a cost thing. IF you were to get a 8 or 32 port PoE switch you'd be shelling out some serious cash. The one thing that I don't like it the huge power brick. I understand that it makes for a smaller switch, but it just makes for one more thing to stash somewhere. The brick can get warm to the touch, but nothing that will set your hoard of old news papers on fire.

Overall Review: Power port is in the back, which I like. Fast and reliable. I have used LOTS of TP-Link switches for my personal use and at my job. We literally have a shelf with at least 10 of these exact same switches because they come in so handy at work. Need PoE, got it, need a few more ports to share because of a new computer, got it, need a port for a decent IP cam, no problem. These are great switches and I will continue to use them for all my networking needs. There is absolutely no reason to spend more on some fancy name brand for an 8 port switch. This probably has the same hardware inside as the other guy. Now don't get me wrong, if you're connecting multiple buildings together and need V-Lan support and all that, this of course isn't going to cut it. But for personal and even light duty business use, this is a GREAT product!

Pros: When it comes to setup, companies like TP-Link have put in a lot of effort into making the setup seamless and as painless as possible. That being said to get this device setup and on my network, it took me about two minutes to do. You really can’t get much simpler than that. The web interface is the same as any other TP-Link smart switch which is nice that there is consistency there. What’s in the box: Manuals/Tec Information External power brick Software CD Rubber feet Usage: Using this device is very easy to do and if you don’t want to use the web interface you can use the easy smart configuration utility that comes on a cd. This switch supports all different kinds of features that make it idea for a small company or home user. Vlans,QoS, Gigabyte, PoE, and much more. One feature to note with this device is its ability to sense when its PoE ports are being overused or stressed too much. Then device can detect if too much power is being drawn and when this happens it will shut off the fourth PoE port to protect itself. This is a nice feature that I am glad they added in.

Cons: None really that I can think of. I have been using this device on my network for around a month now and I have not had a single issue with it yet.

Overall Review: Great device for a very small business or advanced home user that wants to extend the networking infrastructure quickly. A+ for the quick and simple setup and easy to use software and web interface. Perfect little device for PoE cameras. I would recommend this device to others especially for the 88$ price mark. TP-Link good job!

Pros: - Solid build quality. Steel housing. - PoE standard is 802.3af (too bad not 802.3at PoE+) and delivers 55W across 4 ports. For a business solution, maybe you'd need more, but for an 8-port switch it is pretty good. PoE does have port priority and overload arrangement. - Managed switch, L2 switching features: Link Aggregation, Port Mirroring and VLANs. - Fanless design. - Seems to power my UniFi UAP-AC-PRO with no problems. - So far so good, excellent performance on my Gigabit network. Transfer speeds are saturating at ~1Gbps.

Cons: - The datasheet claims it is rack-mountable, but it doesn't come with any additional mounting hardware. - Port distance between 4 and 5 is a little tight. I am not sure why TP-Link didn't give more space between these two. If your cables have a thick ethernet boot, it might not fit against each other. :(

Overall Review: Decent 8-port Managed PoE Gigabit switch for the price. Though I am honestly not sure if this would be the best business solution. It would work better for a SOHO. I personally would go for a much larger switch if I really needed L2 switching features like VLAN and Link Aggregation. The PoE is nice, but again, I personally would prefer an unmanaged PoE solution for my PoE needs.