NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch vs TP-Link TL-SG1005LP

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

all judged against network switches at a similar price

The NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch and TP-Link TL-SG1005LP both score 6.1/10 overall.

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

The TP-Link TL-SG1005LP leads on management and poE.

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

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

TP-Link TL-SG1005LP

6.1/10verdict: good, not the best

The TL-SG1005LP is for anyone who wants a small, unmanaged Gigabit switch that also powers a few PoE devices. It suits a desk, shelf or cupboard setup where silence matters and VLANs are not needed. It is less suited to anyone who needs management features, faster ports or fibre uplinks.

Typically about £29.99 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	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	TP-Link TL-SG1005LP
Port speeds	30%	7/10	6/10
Management	20%	4/10	5/10
Port count and uplinks	15%	5/10	5/10
Noise and efficiency	15%	9/10	9/10
PoE	10%	5/10	7/10
Firmware and support	10%	6/10	5/10
Overall		6.1/10	6.1/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	TP-Link TL-SG1005LP
Ports	5 copper RJ-45 ports	5x 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45; ports 1-4 are PoE+
Port speeds	100M/1G/2.5G on each port	10/100/1000 Mbps on all five ports; no 2.5GbE or 10GbE port listed
Management	Unmanaged	Unmanaged, plug-and-play; no web UI, VLAN or SNMP listed
PoE budget	None (non-PoE switch)	802.3af/at on ports 1-4, up to 30 W per port, 40 W total budget
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	not listed	None listed; all five ports are RJ45
Switching capacity	25 Gbps switching capacity; 16K MAC entries; 1 MB buffer	Switch capacity 10 Gbps; MAC table 2K; packet buffer 1 Mbit; jumbo frame 9 KB (V4) or 16 KB (V3)
Cooling	Fanless	Fanless; max heat dissipation 159.46 BTU/h

Strengths and weaknesses

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 ›

TP-Link TL-SG1005LP

+ Four PoE+ ports at up to 30 W each
+ Fanless design
+ Plug-and-play with no setup
− Gigabit only; no 2.5GbE or 10GbE
− 40 W total PoE budget is shared
− No web UI, VLAN or SNMP

Skip it if:

Buyers who need VLANs, a web UI or SNMP monitoring
Anyone who needs 2.5GbE, 10GbE or SFP uplinks
Buyers whose PoE devices draw more than 40 W combined

Read the full TP-Link TL-SG1005LP review ›

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