Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›
all judged against network switches at a similar priceThe TP-Link TL-SG105-M2 scores 6.0/10 overall, ahead of the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE at 5.9/10.
The TP-Link TL-SG105-M2 leads on port speeds.
The Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE leads on management.
They score the same on port count and uplinks, noise and efficiency, poE and firmware and support.
The biggest difference is management, where the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE scores 8/10 to the TP-Link TL-SG105-M2's 4/10.
The TL-SG105-M2 is for people who want a simple five-port switch with 2.5GbE on every port. It suits a desk, a small home network or a homelab that needs faster links but no VLANs or PoE. It is a plug-in switch with no management interface listed.
Typically about £43 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details
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 (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details
| Criterion | Weight | TP-Link TL-SG105-M2 | 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% | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Overall | 6.0/10 | 5.9/10 |
| Spec | TP-Link TL-SG105-M2 | Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 5 RJ45 ports | 8 RJ45 ports in total, of which 4 are PoE+ |
| Port speeds | 100Mbps / 1Gbps / 2.5Gbps, auto-negotiated, auto MDI/MDIX | 10/100/1000 Mbps on all ports |
| Management | Unmanaged | Layer 2 managed, configured through the UniFi Network Controller, in-band Ethernet management |
| PoE budget | No | 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; 18.6 Mpps forwarding rate; 16K MAC table; 1.5 Mb packet buffer | 16 Gbps switching capacity; 8 Gbps non-blocking line rate |
| Cooling | Fanless | Fanless; heat dissipation 27.3 BTU/hr excluding PoE output |
Skip it if:
Skip it if: