NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch vs Zyxel XMG1915-10E

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

all judged against network switches at a similar price

The Zyxel XMG1915-10E scores 7.4/10 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 firmware and support.

The Zyxel XMG1915-10E leads on port speeds, management and port count and uplinks.

They score the same on noise and efficiency and poE.

The biggest difference is management, where the Zyxel XMG1915-10E scores 7/10 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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Zyxel XMG1915-10E

7.4/10verdict: buy

The Zyxel XMG1915-10E is for people who want 2.5GbE on most ports and 10G uplinks in a quiet, fanless switch. It suits homelabbers and small offices whose devices bring their own power, since it has no PoE. It does not offer copper 10GbE, so buyers who want that need to look at SFP+ modules or other models.

Typically about £189 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 XMG1915-10E
Port speeds	30%	7/10	8/10
Management	20%	4/10	7/10
Port count and uplinks	15%	5/10	8/10
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	7.4/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	Zyxel XMG1915-10E
Ports	5 copper RJ-45 ports	8 x 100M/1G/2.5G RJ-45 plus 2 x 1G SFP/10G SFP+ (10 total)
Port speeds	100M/1G/2.5G on each port	100 Mbps, 1 Gbps and 2.5 Gbps on the eight copper ports; SFP+ slots take 1G or 10G
Management	Unmanaged	Smart Managed
PoE budget	None (non-PoE switch)	None (0 PoE ports)
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	not listed	2 x 1G SFP / 10G SFP+
Switching capacity	25 Gbps switching capacity; 16K MAC entries; 1 MB buffer	80 Gbps switching capacity; 59.5 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 XMG1915-10E

+ Eight 2.5GbE copper ports
+ Two SFP+ slots take 1G or 10G
+ Fanless, quiet, low power draw
− No PoE ports
− No copper 10GbE ports

Skip it if:

Buyers who need PoE to power access points or cameras
Buyers who want copper 10GbE ports rather than SFP+ slots
Buyers who need more than ten ports on one switch

Read the full Zyxel XMG1915-10E review ›

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