AMPCOM has launched an inexpensive, fanless 8-port 2.5GbE managed switch with one 10GbE SFP+ cage that sells for less than $60 on Aliexpress with free shipping and before taxes (if you live in Europe).
Upgrading your local networking to 10GbE (10 Gbps Ethernet) can still be relatively expensive, and when I look at 10GbE switches on Amazon, most are sold for $200 to $400, and the cheapest models cost around $120. But if you don’t need multiple 10GbE ports on your switch, I’ve been informed about an inexpensive 8-port 2.5GbE managed switch with a single 10GbE SFP+ cage. And as we’ve just seen it’s possible to purchase a dual 10GbE mini PC/router for $299 (barebone), so it’s becoming more affordable than ever to switch to 10GbE networking even though not everybody may benefit from the higher speeds.
AMPCOM ZX-SWTGW218AS managed switch specifications:
- Ports
- 8x 100M/1000M/2500M RJ45 ports
- 10GbE SFP+ port
- Bandwidth – 60Gbps
- Packet Forwarding Rate – 44.64Mpps
- Package Cache – 8Mbit
- VLAN – VLAN range 1-4094, Max active VLANs 31
- MAC Address Table – 4K
- Jumbo Frame – 16356 bytes
- Forwarding Mode – Store and Forward
- Network Parameters
- Network Protocols – IEEE802.3 (Ethernet), IEEE802.3u (Fast Ethernet), IEEE802.3ab (Gigabit Ethernet), IEEE 802.3bz (5Gbps Ethernet), IEEE 802.3z (Gigabit Ethernet), IEEE 802.3ae (10Gbps Ethernet), IEEE802.3x (Flow control)
- Industry Standard: EMS: EN61000-4-2 (ESD), EN61000-4-5 (Surge)
- Network Medium: 10Base-T, 100Base-TX, 1000Base-TX, SFP Medium
- Other standard
- IEEE 802.3x flow control and back pressure
- IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol
- IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol
- IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging
- RFC 768 UDP, RFC 791 IP, RFC 792 ICMP, RFC 2068 HTTP, RFC 1112 IGMP v1, RFC 2236 IGMP v2
- Misc
- Power and SYS LEDs
- 2.5GbE LEDs for ports 1-8: Green On – 2.5Gbps Link, Yellow On – 10/100/1000Mbps Link, Off – Link off, Flashing – Data transmitting
- 10GbE LEDs for port 9: Green On – 10Gbps Link, Off – Link off, Flashing – Data transmitting
- Reset button – Long press for 6 seconds for factory reset
- Power Supply – 12V/1A
- Power consumption – Up to 11.29 Watts
- Dimensions – 190 x 100 x 28mm (metal enclosure)
- Weight – 490 grams
- Temperature and Humidity Range
- Operating – -10~50°C, 10%~90%
- Storage – -40~70°C, 5%~95%
- Certifications -CE, FCC, RoHS
Since it’s a managed switch, there’s a web interface accessible through HTTP. You’ll find a user manual and a link to the latest firmware at the bottom of the product page on the AMPCOM website. Some target applications include network security and video surveillance in hotels and campuses, and network management for small and medium-sized enterprises.
If you don’t need as many ports, there are other options on AliExpress such as the OPTFOCUS OFS-MX1F2GT4 with four 2.5GbE ports and two 10GbE SFP+ cages selling for $38.96 including shipping during AliExpress 11.11 event, and $45.14 otherwise. Most users of the AMPCOM and OPTFOCUS switches appear happy with their purchase, but I can see a couple of complaints about settings going back to factory settings in case of power loss…
Thanks to Willy for the tip.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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