recommendation for at least 3 port - 5 GBit Ethernet / RJ45 switch, fanless / low noise

[flashdrive]

Hello,

I would like to buy a switch (can be unmanaged) with no fan / or very low noise.

It should have at least 3 ports - 5 GBit Ethernet / RJ45 capable.

Checking by myself I do not see too many of those, it's more Multi Gigabit ports which are on offer:

Netgear MS510TX-100

looks interesting, but even the more expensive version featuring the controlled fan is too loud according to some users.

And changing the fans voids the warranty...

 

[Mechkilla]

Check out the Mikrotik CRS305-1G-4S+IN . A small, cheap and fanless 10 Gbit switch with 4 SFP+ ports. Mikrotik also offers cheap SFP+ RJ45 modules (Mikrotik S+RJ10) for copper connections up to 10 Gbit.
I don't have it, but I read a few reviews and it should be worth the money.

 

[RegularJoe]

I do not think the industry is there yet. I just got a 5 port smart switch for $20 on sale and it for sure is lacking, good enough for family but not very smart, All I can really see is that packets have been sent and recvieved on an interface and if there are CRC errors. As usual I wish it had a command line that was documented.

 

[danb35]

I don't have it

I do (two of them, actually), and I'm pretty happy with them. Fully managed, work well, even if the web UI is kind of busy. And you can even secure it with a trusted cert (from Let's Encrypt or otherwise):

GitHub - danb35/letsencrypt-routeros: Let's Encrypt certificates for RouterOS / Mikrotik

Let's Encrypt certificates for RouterOS / Mikrotik - danb35/letsencrypt-routeros

github.com

 

[flashdrive]

I do not think the industry is there yet. I just got a 5 port smart switch for $20 on sale and it for sure is lacking, good enough for family but not very smart, All I can really see is that packets have been sent and recvieved on an interface and if there are CRC errors. As usual I wish it had a command line that was documented.

And this would be 1 GBit, I guess?

 

[flashdrive]

Check out the Mikrotik CRS305-1G-4S+IN . A small, cheap and fanless 10 Gbit switch with 4 SFP+ ports. Mikrotik also offers cheap SFP+ RJ45 modules (Mikrotik S+RJ10) for copper connections up to 10 Gbit.
I don't have it, but I read a few reviews and it should be worth the money.

Thanks, but how would I convert to RJ45 LAN copper cable for 5 GBit? The adapters make it expensive again, I think.

 

[Newfoundland.Republic]

You can run up to 10GigE over RJ45 copper is you want. Or, use a DAC cable if both ends use SFP+

 

[Constantin]

Hold on, at least for the Mikrotik switch mentioned above, I seem to recall that there was a limitation on the number of copper 10GbE transceivers you could use in it due to heat of power draw concerns. For example, the Mikrotik S-RJ10 multispeed SFP+ Copper transceiver features the warning that it only ought to be used in Mikrotik devices with active cooling (see description I linked to). Optical transceivers are less power hungry and hence produce less heat also.

The copper transceivers (depending on the flavor and the cable running between them) should be the same type (i.e. N-BaseT, etc.) and the cable usually has to be short and CAT6 or higher. While N-Base-T can auto-throttle back to lower speeds for older CAT5 wire types, the marginal cost vs. benefit seems impractical.

 

[Newfoundland.Republic]

@Constantin - Question: Does that also apply to DAC cables or just SFP/SFP+ RJ45 transceivers?

 

[flashdrive]

You can run up to 10GigE over RJ45 copper is you want. Or, use a DAC cable if both ends use SFP+

That's the problem, I do not want to re-wire the premises. I am stuck with the copper cables I do have (Cat 6a - 7).

I will give it a shot with Ethernet and take it from there.

Hopefully the vendors will see a market for this in the future for SOHO usage.

 

[c77dk]

If you just need it for home use you might want to look at the new one from UI https://eu.store.ui.com/collections/early-access/products/unifi-flex-xg-beta

Don't have it, but looks promising

 

[Constantin]

@Constantin - Question: Does that also apply to DAC cables or just SFP/SFP+ RJ45 transceivers?

I doubt it has to do with DAC as there is little going on in there other than a whole bunch of twisted cables that are shielded nicely. Plus, Mikrotik lists multiple compatible DAC cables on the product page.

But, mikrotik also disappoints as neither the CRS305-1G-4S+IN (“CRS305”) product description nor the CRS305 user manual states that mikrotiks SFP+ 10GbE copper transceivers are a no go.

The only hint the potential buyer gets is in the product description of the 10GbE copper transceiver (Ie “not for fanless products”) and that the suggested mikrotik transceiver pairings mentioned on the CRS305 product page do not list the 10GbE transceiver (unlike the DAC cable assemblies)

for all we know, a single or perhaps even a double copper 10GbE transceiver may work with a CRS305 on a marginal basis in a well ventilated space. But I’d be wary of going to a unsupported configuration in a production environment.

 

[ornias]

Don't have it, but looks promising

Mostly it just looks extremely expensive.

 

[Constantin]

Anything UniFi that mandates key storage online is a automatic Nyet! for me. Like most vendors with online key storage, etc. it is not a matter of if but rather one of when their databases will get compromised.

I’ll tolerate the edgerouters I have since they do not presently include mandatory UniFi whatever. But short of the company coming out apologetically re the most recent breach (which they continue to downplay), I’ve had enough of ubiquiti for now.

same as with ubiquiti claiming 12km of range with its latest 60GHz LR antenna. In the desert, maybe. Up here in the Northeast, I’d expect maybe 1km in the midst of summer when the RH is high or during a hard rain.

 

[c77dk]

Anything UniFi that mandates key storage online is a automatic Nyet! for me. Like most vendors with online key storage, etc. it is not a matter of if but rather one of when their databases will get compromised.

You can still host the controller without having to connect to UI - but unfortunately only the selfhosted version (they f***ed that part on the cloud-keys). The day they mandate selfhosting to register, I hope someone else has a nice product without mandatory "cloud".

 

[Constantin]

I recommended the Ubiquiti AmpliFi home gateway to friends as a alternative to their aging airport infrastructure. The mesh works well, the MIL is delighted that her streams now work flawlessly, etc. but I’m also embarrassed to be associated with a product which is now requiring them to update all passwords just because some MBA thought it was a great idea to store credentials in the cloud, without access logs, etc. A single employee may have had global access to EVERYTHING. Just... wow.

There is no reason for this baloney. Store config files and passwords locally to make widespread harvesting more difficult. Think iPhone and android app or a old fashioned download to a desktop like with my edgerouter. No cloud, no problem. Maintaining password / config file / etc. security should always be a local responsibility with a clear line of authority.

 

[Mechkilla]

Thanks, but how would I convert to RJ45 LAN copper cable for 5 GBit? The adapters make it expensive again, I think.

1 Gbit is very cheap nowadays, anything higher and prices go up.
The cheapest switch with 3 build-in 5 Gbit ports is about 240€ (all prices are from germany) and it also has a fan. The netgear that you picked in your starting post cost about 270€. So yes, the Mikrotik (120 €) with 3 SFP+ modules (each 53 €) is about the same as the netgear. Each module (S+RJ10) can go up to 10Gbit over copper (if you didn't check ... 5 Gbit and less are also possible with it).

About the hint for the cooling of the Mikrotek S+RJ10 ... nicely hidden in the description by Mikrotik. But then there is a SFP compatibility list that states the CRS305-1G-4S+IN can safely handle 2 modules. There is also a Mikrotik wiki page that addresses the cooling issue of that SFP+ module. With enough airflow the Mikrotik CRS305-1G-4S+IN should handle 3 Modules without much problems (addressed in the last entry of that wiki page). And if you run them only in 5 Gbit mode they should produce less heat. Maybe a silent 120 - 140mm might be the safe solution for you.
Yes I know a few ifs but there are not much options if you don't want a turbine in your switch ;). And keep in mind ... manufacturers want to be on the safe side because they can't control what we do with their products. So they will set things on the lower side.


I have to add something:

Servethehome used the Mikrotik CRS305-1G-4S+IN in a lab build and ran into some issues with the S+RJ10. They wanted to use 4 of them but while even all modules where recognized only 3 of them would work. They think the issue was not enough power for all 4 modules but couldn't verify it. You can find it in this article from servethehome in the section "Some Downsides of the Mikrotik CRS Platform".

 

[Constantin]

You call it nicely hidden, I call it intentionally obfuscated. This sort of data should be stated plainly on each product page.

I find it mildly hilarious that Mikrotik has a Wiki page illustrating to how to help mitigate known overheating issues that should not exist in the first place. Worse, each of these modules and the PCB inside each switch has a temperature sensor which could be used to PWM adequate cooling fans to overcome the heat. But likely due to associated costs, space, and power requirements, adequate cooling for copper 10GbE-capable was never implemented in the products.

maybe in the next edition?

 

[Mechkilla]

You are right. "nicely hidden" sounded in my head much more sarcastic while I wrote it. I have found too many product pages that lacked of essentiel information or you had to dig quite deep to find it. Marketing has too much saying in creating this pages.
But in this case Mikrotik provided at least more information ... if you dig deeper ;). That I did only after you mention it. And even then I nearly oversaw the wiki page about the cooling issues.

 

[flashdrive]

If you just need it for home use you might want to look at the new one from UI https://eu.store.ui.com/collections/early-access/products/unifi-flex-xg-beta

Don't have it, but looks promising

Thanks - that sounds interesting to me. I do not need the managed part at all, plug and play would be great.