NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch vs Zyxel XGS1210-12

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

all judged against network switches at a similar price

The Zyxel XGS1210-12 scores 6.9/10 overall, ahead of the NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch at 6.1/10.

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

The Zyxel XGS1210-12 leads on port speeds, management and port count and uplinks.

They score the same on poE.

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

Zyxel XGS1210-12

6.9/10verdict: buy

The Zyxel XGS1210-12 is for homelabbers and small offices that want a quiet, fanless switch with a couple of faster links. It suits someone connecting a server or NAS over 2.5GbE copper or 10G SFP+ while the other devices stay on Gigabit. It is a poor fit if you need PoE or LACP bonding.

Typically about £125 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	Zyxel XGS1210-12
Port speeds	30%	7/10	8/10
Management	20%	4/10	6/10
Port count and uplinks	15%	5/10	7/10
Noise and efficiency	15%	9/10	8/10
PoE	10%	5/10	5/10
Firmware and support	10%	6/10	5/10
Overall		6.1/10	6.9/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	Zyxel XGS1210-12
Ports	5 copper RJ-45 ports	12 total: 8 x RJ-45 10/100/1000 Mbps, 2 x RJ-45 100/1000/2500 Mbps, 2 x SFP+
Port speeds	100M/1G/2.5G on each port	8 copper ports 10/100/1000 Mbps; 2 copper ports 100/1000/2.5G; SFP+ cages take 1G or 10G optics
Management	Unmanaged	Web-managed; port-based VLAN, 802.1p and port-based QoS, IGMP snooping, static link aggregation, port mirroring, management VLAN, HTTP/HTTPS
PoE budget	None (non-PoE switch)	No PoE
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	not listed	2 x SFP+ (1G/10G)
Switching capacity	25 Gbps switching capacity; 16K MAC entries; 1 MB buffer	66 Gbps switching capacity; 49 Mpps forwarding rate
Cooling	Fanless	Fanless

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 ›

Zyxel XGS1210-12

+ Two SFP+ cages take 1G or 10G optics
+ Fanless, and owners praise it as quiet and compact
+ Two 2.5GbE copper ports alongside eight Gigabit ports
− Static link aggregation only; no LACP
− Owners report heat under heavy load
− No PoE

Skip it if:

Buyers who need LACP link aggregation
Anyone who needs PoE for access points or cameras
Buyers putting it in a warm, unventilated cupboard under heavy load

Read the full Zyxel XGS1210-12 review ›

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