5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE+ vs UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

both judged against network switches at a similar price

The 5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE+ and UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G both score 6.3/10 overall.

The 5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE+ leads on port count and uplinks and poE.

The UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G leads on port speeds.

They score the same on management, noise and efficiency and firmware and support.

5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE+

6.3/10verdict: wait for deal

This TP-Link switch suits a small home or office network that needs a few PoE devices such as access points or cameras. It adds VLANs, QoS and IGMP snooping to a five-port gigabit layout without a fan. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs faster-than-gigabit ports, fibre uplinks or a large PoE budget.

Typically about £39.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G

6.3/10verdict: wait for deal

The UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G is for people who run UniFi gear and want multi-gig speeds on a small five-port switch. It suits a home office or homelab that needs a few 2.5GbE devices linked and managed from the UniFi Network application. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs PoE output, more than five ports or fibre uplinks.

Typically about £52.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE+	UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G
Port speeds	30%	6/10	7/10
Management	20%	7/10	7/10
Port count and uplinks	15%	5/10	4/10
Noise and efficiency	15%	8/10	8/10
PoE	10%	6/10	5/10
Firmware and support	10%	5/10	5/10
Overall		6.3/10	6.3/10

Specifications

Spec	5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE+	UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G
Ports	5 RJ45 ports (10/100/1000 Mbps), of which 4 are PoE+ (ports 1-4)	5 x 2.5 GbE RJ45 ports
Port speeds	10/100/1000 Mbps on all ports; no 2.5GbE or 10GbE ports listed	2.5G/1G/100M/10M per port
Management	Web-based UI and Easy Smart Configuration Utility; VLANs (port-based, tag-based, MTU), QoS, IGMP snooping, PoE Auto Recovery	not listed
PoE budget	65 W total PoE budget, up to 30 W per port under 802.3af/at	not listed
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	not listed	None; no SFP/SFP+ uplink ports
Switching capacity	10 Gbps switching capacity, 7.44 Mpps packet forwarding rate, 2K MAC table	25 Gbps switching capacity, 12.5 Gbps non-blocking throughput, 19 Mpps forwarding rate, 256 VLANs, 4,000 MAC addresses
Cooling	Fanless design with metal casing	Fanless (retailer listing; not on manufacturer spec page)

Strengths and weaknesses

5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE+

+ Fanless metal casing, so no fan noise
+ VLANs, QoS and IGMP snooping in a web UI
+ Four PoE+ ports at up to 30 W each
− Gigabit only; no 2.5GbE or 10GbE ports listed
− No SFP/SFP+ uplink confirmed
− 65 W total PoE budget is shared across four ports

Skip it if:

Buyers who need 2.5GbE, 10GbE or SFP+ uplinks
People powering several high-draw PoE devices near 65 W
Anyone wanting controller-managed or full L3 switching

Read the full 5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch with 4-Port PoE+ review ›

UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G

+ All five ports run 2.5GbE
+ Fanless per retailer listing, with low power draw
+ Managed through UniFi Network, with 256 VLANs
− Only five ports
− No PoE output
− No SFP or SFP+ uplink

Skip it if:

Buyers who need PoE output for access points or cameras
Anyone who needs more than five ports or SFP/SFP+ uplinks
Users who want advanced layer 2 or layer 3 switching features

Read the full UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G review ›

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