TP-Link LS108GP vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE

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

all judged against network switches at a similar price

The TP-Link LS108GP scores 6.0/10 overall, ahead of the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE at 5.9/10.

The TP-Link LS108GP leads on port speeds and poE.

The Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE leads on management.

They score the same on port count and uplinks, noise and efficiency and firmware and support.

The biggest difference is management, where the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE scores 8/10 to the TP-Link LS108GP's 5/10.

TP-Link LS108GP

6.0/10verdict: good, not the best

The LS108GP is for anyone who wants a small, silent, plug-and-play switch that also powers a few PoE devices such as access points or cameras. It suits desks, shelves and quiet rooms where a fan would be a nuisance. It doesn't suit buyers who need VLANs, faster-than-gigabit ports or a large PoE budget.

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

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Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE

5.9/10verdict: good, not the best

The UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE is for people already running, or planning, a UniFi setup who want a small, silent managed switch. It suits a desk, small office or home network with a few PoE devices such as access points or cameras. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs faster than gigabit speeds, fibre uplinks or lots of PoE power.

Typically about £111 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	TP-Link LS108GP	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
Port speeds	30%	6/10	4/10
Management	20%	5/10	8/10
Port count and uplinks	15%	5/10	5/10
Noise and efficiency	15%	9/10	9/10
PoE	10%	6/10	5/10
Firmware and support	10%	5/10	5/10
Overall		6.0/10	5.9/10

Specifications

Spec	TP-Link LS108GP	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
Ports	8x 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45 ports (ports 1-8 support 802.3af/at PoE+)	8 RJ45 ports in total, of which 4 are PoE+
Port speeds	10/100/1000 Mbps auto-negotiation, auto MDI/MDIX	10/100/1000 Mbps on all ports
Management	Unmanaged, plug-and-play; no VLAN support listed	Layer 2 managed, configured through the UniFi Network Controller, in-band Ethernet management
PoE budget	62 W total PoE budget, up to 30 W per port, 802.3af/at	52 W total PoE budget; up to 30 W per PoE+ port (802.3at)
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	not listed	No SFP or SFP+ port; RJ45 networking ports only
Switching capacity	16 Gbps switching capacity, 11.9 Mpps forwarding rate, 4K MAC table, 16 KB jumbo frames	16 Gbps switching capacity; 8 Gbps non-blocking line rate
Cooling	Fanless, metal casing	Fanless; heat dissipation 27.3 BTU/hr excluding PoE output

Strengths and weaknesses

TP-Link LS108GP

+ Fanless metal case; owners praise silent operation
+ All eight gigabit ports support 802.3af/at PoE
+ Plug-and-play setup with IGMP snooping and QoS
− Shared 62 W PoE budget limits high-draw devices
− Unmanaged, with no VLAN support listed
− No SFP uplink or faster-than-gigabit ports listed

Skip it if:

Buyers who need VLANs or other managed-switch features
Anyone powering several high-draw PoE devices from one switch
Users who want 2.5GbE, 10GbE or SFP uplinks

Read the full TP-Link LS108GP review ›

Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE

+ Fanless and quiet, praised by owners
+ Layer 2 management with VLANs through UniFi Network Controller
+ Easy setup and quick provisioning, per owners
− Only four of eight ports supply PoE
− Gigabit only, with no SFP or SFP+ uplink
− 52 W PoE budget may strain demanding devices

Skip it if:

Buyers who need 2.5GbE, 10GbE or SFP+ uplinks
Anyone powering many or high-demand PoE devices
People who want L3 routing on the switch itself

Read the full Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE review ›

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