NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) 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 MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch scores 6.1/10 overall, ahead of the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE at 5.9/10.

The NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) 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 MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch's 4/10.

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

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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

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	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
Port speeds	30%	7/10	4/10
Management	20%	4/10	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		6.1/10	5.9/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
Ports	5 copper RJ-45 ports	8 RJ45 ports in total, of which 4 are PoE+
Port speeds	100M/1G/2.5G on each port	10/100/1000 Mbps on all ports
Management	Unmanaged	Layer 2 managed, configured through the UniFi Network Controller, in-band Ethernet management
PoE budget	None (non-PoE switch)	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	25 Gbps switching capacity; 16K MAC entries; 1 MB buffer	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 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 ›

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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