NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch 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 NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch scores 6.0/10 overall, ahead of the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE at 5.9/10.

The NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch leads on port speeds and firmware and support.

The Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE leads on management.

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

The biggest difference is management, where the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE scores 8/10 to the NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch's 5/10.

NETGEAR 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Essentials Switch (GS305v3)

NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch

6.0/10verdict: good, not the best

The GS305v3 is for anyone who needs a few extra wired Gigabit ports with no setup. It suits a desk, a media cabinet or a small office where silence matters. It does not suit people who need VLANs, PoE, SFP uplinks or more than five ports.

Typically about £13.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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

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

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

Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch	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%	5/10	5/10
Firmware and support	10%	6/10	5/10
Overall		6.0/10	5.9/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
Ports	5	8 RJ45 ports in total, of which 4 are PoE+
Port speeds	Gigabit (5 x 10/100/1000Mbps ports, Auto Uplink)	10/100/1000 Mbps on all ports
Management	Unmanaged	Layer 2 managed, configured through the UniFi Network Controller, in-band Ethernet management
PoE budget	Not applicable (PoE budget N/A)	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	Non-blocking bandwidth 10 Gbps	16 Gbps switching capacity; 8 Gbps non-blocking line rate
Cooling	Fanless	Fanless; heat dissipation 27.3 BTU/hr excluding PoE output

Strengths and weaknesses

NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch

+ Fanless and silent, as owners report
+ Plug-and-play with no software or configuration
+ Listed maximum draw of 2.34W, with 802.3az support
− Unmanaged, so no VLAN or QoS
− Only five ports and no SFP uplink
− Gigabit only, with no 2.5GbE or 10GbE

Skip it if:

Homelabbers who need VLANs, QoS or other management features
Buyers who need PoE to power access points or cameras
Anyone who needs more than five ports, SFP uplinks or links faster than Gigabit

Read the full NETGEAR GS305v3 5-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch 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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