NETGEAR GS108 8-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 GS108 8-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch scores 6.3/10 overall, ahead of the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE at 5.9/10.

The NETGEAR GS108 8-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.

NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108)

NETGEAR GS108 8-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch

6.3/10verdict: good, not the best

The NETGEAR GS108 is for anyone who needs eight more wired Gigabit ports with no configuration. It suits a desk, a media cabinet or a small lab where quiet running matters. It does not suit buyers who need VLANs, PoE or ports faster than Gigabit.

Typically about £24.99 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	NETGEAR GS108 8-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
Port speeds	30%	6/10	4/10
Management	20%	6/10	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%	7/10	5/10
Overall		6.3/10	5.9/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR GS108 8-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
Ports	8 Gigabit RJ-45 copper ports	8 RJ45 ports in total, of which 4 are PoE+
Port speeds	10/100/1000 Mbps on each port	10/100/1000 Mbps on all ports
Management	Unmanaged, no VLANs	Layer 2 managed, configured through the UniFi Network Controller, in-band Ethernet management
PoE budget	None (PoE ports n/a, PoE budget n/a)	52 W total PoE budget; up to 30 W per PoE+ port (802.3at)
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	None listed; Gigabit copper only, no SFP or SFP+ port	No SFP or SFP+ port; RJ45 networking ports only
Switching capacity	16 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 GS108 8-Port Gigabit Unmanaged Switch

+ Fanless, with acoustic noise listed as 0
+ Plug-and-play setup with nothing to configure
+ Limited lifetime warranty and 90 days of support
− Gigabit only, with no 2.5GbE, 10GbE or SFP uplink
− Unmanaged, so no VLANs
− Owners report failures in older revisions after a few years

Skip it if:

Buyers who need VLANs or any switch management
Anyone powering access points or cameras who needs PoE
Users with 2.5GbE or 10GbE devices, or who want an SFP uplink

Read the full NETGEAR GS108 8-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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