As we have been doing our 2.5GbE switch series, one of the big questions is around PoE-enabled 2.5GbE switches. That is what we have today with the 8-port 2.5GbE Sodola SL-SGT108-P switch. While 2.5GbE PoE switches are often costly, this one is not. Instead, this is a $126-140 device making it relatively inexpensive compared to other options out there, especially those that one does not have to go to AliExpress to buy.
Sodola SL-SGT108-P Overview
We featured this video in our September 2023 mini-round-up of fanless 2.5GbE switches that you can find here:
We have also added this switch to the Ultimate Cheap Fanless 2.5GbE Switch Buyer’s Guide where we have now listed 32 models and we already have several more switches tested, but not on that list. Bookmark that page to get the latest, we will like all of these reviews from that page.
Sodola SL-SGT108-P Hardware Overview
On the front of the switch, one can see eight 2.5GbE ports, but that is it. Seven of these ports are PoE+ ports. The first port is listed as a “PoE+++” 90W port. PoE+++ is not a listed spec as you can see in our Key Differences of PoE vs PoE+ vs PoE++ Switches a STH Guide. It also does not register on our Fluke tester, but we wanted to note that. The total PoE power budget is 120W which is not enough to run all ports at full power.
Below each port we see the power LED. This switch is missing the Sodola faceplate and that power LED placement makes it look more like a Hasivo S1100P.
Unfortunately, there is not a 10GbE uplink on this switch which would have been nice.
The switch itself has vents on either side, and one side has a QC sticker.
Here is the other side of the switch. At this point, one will have noticed it is a fanless switch.
The rear has a DC power input and a grounding point.
On the bottom, we get a label. We also get mounting holes so one can use two screws to mount the switch to a desk, wall, or elsewhere. This is a 52V DC-in device, a departure from many of the company’s 12V in switches we have seen before.
Inside the switch, we can see the ports on the front with the PoE indicator LEDs on the bottom of the PCB.
The big feature is the PoE board.
If it feels like we have seen this design before, here is the Hasivo S1100P-GT.
Here is the internal overview pulling the PoE board away which again mirrors the Hasivo.
We can see the switch chip with a glued heatsink that is even the same. The capacitor on the bottom of the PoE board was one that we had not shown before.
Next, let us get to performance and power consumption.
There’s a managed version of this switch sold under the brand Binardat on Amazon, and they also have an unmanaged version with a SFP port. The Sodola switch for $125 is a bad deal considering that the Binardat SFP version is $115 and the managed version is $86.