NETGEAR GS308E vs NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch

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

all judged against network switches at a similar price

The NETGEAR GS308E scores 6.2/10 overall, ahead of the NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch at 6.1/10.

The NETGEAR GS308E leads on management.

The NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch leads on port speeds and firmware and support.

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

The biggest difference is management, where the NETGEAR GS308E scores 7/10 to the NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch's 4/10.

NETGEAR GS308E

6.2/10verdict: good, not the best

The NETGEAR GS308E is for people who want a small, silent eight-port Gigabit switch with basic VLAN support. It suits homes, bedrooms and desks where a fan would be a nuisance and plug-and-play setup matters. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs PoE, faster than Gigabit ports or deep Layer 3 management.

Typically about £24.97 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK

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

NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch

6.1/10verdict: good, not the best

The NETGEAR MS305 is for anyone who wants to move a small wired network to 2.5GbE without configuring anything. It suits a desk, a home office or a homelab shelf where five ports and silence matter more than VLANs or PoE. Buyers who need segmentation, powered devices or fibre uplinks should look at other models.

Typically about £127.77 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 GS308E	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch
Port speeds	30%	6/10	7/10
Management	20%	7/10	4/10
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%	4/10	6/10
Overall		6.2/10	6.1/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR GS308E	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch
Ports	8 x Gigabit RJ45, no 10G port	5 copper RJ-45 ports
Port speeds	8 x 1G ports, auto-negotiating; no 2.5G or 10G ports	100M/1G/2.5G on each port
Management	Web-managed Easy Smart interface; VLAN, QoS, cable health check and loop prevention	Unmanaged
PoE budget	None (PoE ports and PoE budget N/A)	None (non-PoE switch)
Switching capacity	16Gbps bandwidth	25 Gbps switching capacity; 16K MAC entries; 1 MB buffer
Cooling	Fanless (0 fans, 0 dBA at 25°C)	Fanless

Strengths and weaknesses

NETGEAR GS308E

+ Fanless, with 0 dBA listed
+ Web-managed with VLAN, QoS and loop prevention
+ Plug-and-play setup; maximum draw of 3.7W
− Gigabit only, with no 2.5G or 10G ports
− Owners criticise firmware update frequency and process
− Layer 2 only, modest web UI and no mobile app

Skip it if:

Buyers who need PoE for access points, cameras or phones
Anyone with 2.5GbE or 10GbE devices or who wants SFP uplinks
People who need advanced Layer 3 features or a polished management UI

Read the full NETGEAR GS308E review ›

NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch

+ 2.5G on all five ports with 1G fallback
+ Fanless and silent, according to owners
+ 3-year hardware warranty
− Unmanaged, so no VLAN support
− No PoE on any port
− No SFP or SFP+ uplink ports

Skip it if:

Buyers who need VLANs or any switch management features
Anyone planning to power access points or cameras over PoE
People who want SFP or SFP+ uplinks or more than five ports

Read the full NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch review ›

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