QNAP Launches QSW-1000 Series 8-Port Full 2.5GbE Multi-Gig Switch

[GFreeman]

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solutions innovator, today launched the QSW-1108-8T-R2, a 8-port Multi-Gig unmanaged switch that supports 2.5GbE high-speed connectivity. Delivering a smooth and stable wired network for Wi-Fi 6/6E, the QSW-1108-8T-R2 also enhances file backup, media streaming, and gaming experiences. With a compact, fanless design, it fits easily into any workplace, making it effortless to build an efficient desktop networking environment.

"The QSW-1108-8T-R2 is an affordable option for upgrading to 2.5GbE," said Ronald Hsu, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "Its small form factor, 30% smaller than previous models, makes it easy to connect multiple computers, NAS devices, and gaming consoles, while keeping your home or studio network clean and organized."



The QSW-1108-8T-R2 offers efficient 2.5GbE network transmission. Featuring eight 2.5GbE ports, the QSW-1108-8T-R2 complies with the NBASE-T standard to offer speeds of 2.5G, 1G, and 100M, providing a total switching capacity of up to 40 Gbps. It supports 12 KB Jumbo Frame and IEEE 802.3x flow control to significantly improve large file transfer efficiency and reduce packet loss, ideal for handling large-capacity data and high-resolution video files. The 4K MAC Address Table ensures precise data transmission and efficiency when transferring data between devices. Built-in network loop detection and blocking features can instantly lock down looped network ports to prevent potential network disruptions.

The compact, desktop-friendly QSW-1108-8T-R2 operates silently thanks to its fanless design and efficient heat dissipation. It is certified for EEE energy-efficient operation and Class B electromagnetic interference (EMI), ensuring both performance and eco-consciousness. Clear front-panel LED indicators and rear-facing ports help maintain tidy cabling in indoor setups. As an unmanaged switch, the QSW-1108-8T-R2 requires no complex configuration. Its Auto Negotiation feature automatically detects and adjusts to the optimal connection speed for each device. It also supports 2.5GbE over existing CAT 5e cables, reducing upgrade time and cost.



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[TheLostSwede]

Been using TrendNet's equivalent model, the TEG-S380 for over a year new, it hasn't missed a beat. Same size and overall design, the only difference I can see is the loop LED on the QNAP.

I believe all these compact switches are using Maxlinear's 8-port switch IC.

MaxLinear's 8-port 2.5 Gbps Switch is Tiny Single-chip Solution

TPU managed to get an early sneak peek of MaxLinear's recently announced 8-port 2.5 Gbps switch IC, ahead of Computex official start tomorrow. The MXL86280 is going to bring some serious competition to the 2.5 Gbps switch market, as thanks to it being a single chip solution that integrates the...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Chrispy_]

2.5GbE is still too expensive.

This is about $200, or £165 and that's easily 10x the price of a gigabit switch. Where are the low-cost ASICs that were supposed to give us dirt-cheap 2.5GbE five years ago?

The going rate for unmanaged 2.5GbE is about $10-12/port so I'm not sure why QNAP, who sell NASes based on affordable 2.5GbE connectivity, are overcharging so much for a basic piece of the puzzle.

 

[Tomorrow]

2.5GbE is still too expensive.

This is about $200, or £165 and that's easily 10x the price of a gigabit switch. Where are the low-cost ASICs that were supposed to give us dirt-cheap 2.5GbE five years ago?

The going rate for unmanaged 2.5GbE is about $10-12/port so I'm not sure why QNAP, who sell NASes based on affordable 2.5GbE connectivity, are overcharging so much for a basic piece of the puzzle.

Am i misunderstanding something by seeing 8 port 2.5Gb unmanaged switches starting from 56€ here? https://geizhals.eu/?cat=switchgi&xf=13078_8~13266_2G5~16696_8~658_unmanaged

 

[Chrispy_]

So the UK price of this QNAP QSW-1108-8T-R2 is £168 for 8 ports. That's twice the price of even name-brand 2.5GbE from Netgear/D-Link etc.

Cheap unbranded or direct-from-China marketplace brands do also exist on Amazon/AliExpress/Ebay like those below, but user reviews are polarising - either 5-star reviews from people who have just plugged them in and written a review, or 1-star reviews from longer-term users with "died within x weeks/months." I've used a "Sodola" brand 5-port that started dropping out after about 6 weeks and then just didn't power on any more. I replaced it with a Netgear unit for about 4x the price. Classic "buy cheap, buy twice" sort of thing.



Unfortunately we're not at the point where cheap, reliable ASICs exist for these switches yet, so you're either getting something shonky and unreliable or you're paying $10-12 a port which is an order of magnitude more than gigabit.

 

[bohrz]

Would a switch like this support vLAN’s? Or only managed ones do?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Unfortunately we're not at the point where cheap, reliable ASICs exist for these switches yet, so you're either getting something shonky and unreliable or you're paying $10-12 a port which is an order of magnitude more than gigabit.

Not true, see link in my post above.
That's a single chip solution that is very reliable.
As for cheap, well, it took years for Gigabit switches to reach the consumer price point they are today, so give it some time, but I spent somewhere around $110-120 for my TrendNet switch, including 25% VAT. I think that's pretty acceptable for now, but hopefully we'll see sub $10 per port options from reliable brands soon.

In this specific case, it's clear that QNAP priced themselves out of the race.

Would a switch like this support vLAN’s? Or only managed ones do?

Only managed.
Some of these can pass on the tags, but nothing more.

 

[Chrispy_]

Not true, see link in my post above.
That's a single chip solution that is very reliable.

Realtek seem to be in most of the "budget" 2.5GbE switches as per STH's 60-switch teardown last year.

Maxlinear seem to appear only on the more expensive switches.

 

[OkieDan]

Delivering a smooth and stable wired network for Wi-Fi 6/6E

Dang, I was in the market for a smooth and stable wired network for Wi-Fi 7.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Realtek seem to be in most of the "budget" 2.5GbE switches as per STH's 60-switch teardown last year.

Yeah, it's a dual chip setup if you want more than 4-5 ports as well.

Maxlinear seem to appear only on the more expensive switches.

Because it's relatively new.

 

[Chrispy_]

Yeah, it's a dual chip setup if you want more than 4-5 ports as well.

Because it's relatively new.

Ah, so I need to give it a while.

The problem with that market strategy is that affordable 10GbE is almost here. Some of those $60 2.5Gbe switches are 4x 2.5GbE and 2x 10GbE SFP+ ports. 2.5GbE has been "out" in the server world for almost 13 years now, and while I don't know how long it's been a consumer standard, I can't remember if they first started appearing on 300-series AMD chipsets or 400-series, but most of our 500-series boards come with 2.5GbE. That dates is as at least 5+ years of being included "for free" on motherboards, and I think I recall dealing with early 2.5GbE NIC compatibility issues a good year or two before the pandemic.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Ah, so I need to give it a while.

The problem with that market strategy is that affordable 10GbE is almost here. Some of those $60 2.5Gbe switches are 4x 2.5GbE and 2x 10GbE SFP+ ports. 2.5GbE has been "out" in the server world for almost 13 years now, and while I don't know how long it's been a consumer standard, I can't remember if they first started appearing on 300-series AMD chipsets or 400-series, but most of our 500-series boards come with 2.5GbE. That dates is as at least 5+ years of being included "for free" on motherboards, and I think I recall dealing with early 2.5GbE NIC compatibility issues a good year or two before the pandemic.

I'm hoping to see some 5 Gbps switches or at least ICs this year at Computex.
Realtek already has a semi-affordable 10 Gbps switching IC, but it doesn't have integrated PHYs.
Once things get highly integrated, like the MaxLinear chip, is when cost starts to drop, assuming there's enough demand.

You're mistaken when it comes to 2.5 Gbps ethernet, as it and 5 Gbps where only ratified in 2016 and it took several years for network controllers to appear. 5 Gbps cane out first, but was only US$5-10 cheaper than 10 Gbps to the consumer, using Aquantia's chips. Intel launched the i225-series in Q4 2019.

However, you're correct that it went really fast for 2.5 Gbps Ethernet to largely replace Gigabit as the standard on motherboards. This was most likely due to the reasonable $1-2 increase in BoM cost at the most, which I'm guessing is nearly identical by now for the motherboard makers.

Stepping up to 10 Gbps still carries a $20-30 premium, where's 5 Gbps will be another $2-3 over 2.5 Gbps, from what Realtek told me. However, they're working on a cheaper 10 Gbps Ethernet controller as well, but I'm not sure if it's ready yet. We'll see what Computex brings.

Also, the SFP+ ports you see in those cheap switches, are the uplink port, plus an internal port to make them 8-port switches that are being used.

 

[Chrispy_]

I agree with most of that but Intel launched 2.5Gbps ethernet with Avoton back in 2013, before the IEEE got their shit together in 2016.
It's irrelevant though, because like you say - nothing really happened of value until 2019 or so when the 2.5GbE NICs started to appear in significant numbers on consumer boards.

Hopefully you're right and we'll start to see some dirt-cheap 2.5GbE switches that replace gigabit even in low-cost applications to move the "default" forwards. Gigabit didn't really achieve that for a decade after the IEEE ratified the standard, so hopefully we're at or very near the same point in the 2.5GbE timeline.

To me it's mad that you can spend $300+ on a fancy WiFi modem/router but it only comes with one single 2.5GbE port. What use is that? Now people have to buy an additional switch just to connect their devices rather than using the inbuilt switch that every home all-in-one internet box has had for two decades.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I agree with most of that but Intel launched 2.5Gbps ethernet with Avoton back in 2013, before the IEEE got their shit together in 2016.
It's irrelevant though, because like you say - nothing really happened of value until 2019 or so when the 2.5GbE NICs started to appear in significant numbers on consumer boards.

Hopefully you're right and we'll start to see some dirt-cheap 2.5GbE switches that replace gigabit even in low-cost applications to move the "default" forwards. Gigabit didn't really achieve that for a decade after the IEEE ratified the standard, so hopefully we're at or very near the same point in the 2.5GbE timeline.

To me it's mad that you can spend $300+ on a fancy WiFi modem/router but it only comes with one single 2.5GbE port. What use is that? Now people have to buy an additional switch just to connect their devices rather than using the inbuilt switch that every home all-in-one internet box has had for two decades.

Considering how fast the cost has dropped already, I think we'll continue to see price drops.

The TEG-S380 that I have, has gone through three revisions and has shrunk in physical size since launch and according to camelcamelcamel it started at around US$180 in mid 2022 and around three years later, it's US$85. That's a per port price drop from $22.50 to $10.63 per port, but I think we need to get to around $5 before most people would consider upgrading from Gigabit, so around $40 for the same hardware. I hope that won't take another three years though.

I spend US$225 for my GT-AX6000 with dual 2.5 Gbps ports, but yeah, the initial crop of routers with a single 2.5 Gbps port was just pointless. Netgear also had a couple of models with a single 5 Gbps port...