Today, we are reviewing the Sodola SL-SWTG015AS-POE. This is a fanless PoE+ 2.5GbE switch with a SFP+ 10GbE uplink as well. It is a little bit funky, so it was at least interesting to take a look at. We are finishing our “small” week, during which we looked at smaller systems and switches. The week after this review, we will get to our “big” week, where we are going to transition to big servers and 800GbE networking. To close out the small week, we figured we would take a look at this switch.
If you want to check the current pricing, we purchased this from Amazon. Here is an affiliate link to the one we bought.
Sodola SL-SWTG015AS-POE Overview
We first covered this switch in our 2024 Mega round-up, which you can find here:
We have also added this switch to the Ultimate Cheap Fanless 2.5GbE Switch Buyer’s Guide, which lists 40+ models. Bookmark that page to get the latest. We will like all of these reviews from that page.
Like many of the switches in that video, the price has come down from when we purchased the switch. At the same time, it is $76 at the time we are writing this review. For a fanless PoE+ switch, this is not too bad, but it is also not as cheap as some other segments. Still, it at least offers something a bit different.
Sodola SL-SWTG015AS-POE Hardware Overview
On the front of the switch, we have almost everything you need to see. There are five 2.5GbE ports and one SFP+ 10GbE port.
The 2.5GbE ports on this switch are a bit strange. The block of four ports is PoE/PoE+, while the fifth port is non-PoE. That fifth port still has the PoE indicator below it.
One of the big advantages of this switch is that it is fanless.
On both sides, there are vents.
The rear is the AC input and a grounding point.
On the bottom, we get a standard label and wall mounting points.
Inside the switch, we have a switch PCB and a power supply.
Here, we can see that the power input happens directly to the power supply instead of through internal wires. There are then two wires to the switch PCB.
We will let our readers decide what they think of the PSU and instead just show photos.
One slight difference is that around the power supply we have a clear plastic insulator at least around the bottom and perimeter of the power supply.
Next, let us get to management, performance, and power consumption.
It would be nice with some voltage numbers as well whilst you have the multimeter out.
Amazon page states: POE Port Output Voltage: DC 44-57V. ..that seems odd?
Maybe measure voltage drop with some POE load?
My bad, POE standard IS DC 44-57V! :D
At any rate it would be nice to see if it droops a lot under load..
How about check voltage drop when POE load?
Those 10GbE transceivers sure are expensive (even on AliX). Are there any (cheap?) switches with 4 or 5 or even 8 2.5GbE ports plus at least one 10GbE ethernetport?
@Arneby,
That is why I count myself fortunate to be able to get by with DAC cables in my use cases.
Arneby: Yes. Hasivo (and therefore also POEPLUS and sometimes Mokerlink) has a 4 * 2.5G RJ45 + 1 * 10G RJ45 + 1 * 10G SFP+.
https://www.servethehome.com/hasivo-s600w-4gt-1sx-1xgt-se-switch-review-a-unique-use-case-realtek/
https://www.servethehome.com/mokerlink-2g04210gsmx-review-web-managed-2-5gbe-and-10g-switch/
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Some other information I wrote before properly reading your question:
There are switches with the following configurations:
– 5 * 2.5G RJ45 + 2 * 10G SFP+:
L2 and L3 managed PoE switches from brands like Hasivo, POEPLUS (rebranded Hasivo), Omay, etc. on AliExpress. These are based on the more powerful RTL9301 and are therefore more expensive.
– 8 * 2.5G RJ45 + 1 * 10G SFP+:
Managed and unmanaged from brands like Horaco, etc. These are based on the RTL8372.
– 8 * 2.5G RJ45 + 2 * 10G SFP+:
At least unmanaged but likely also managed. These are usually based on the MaxLinear MxL86282.
Check the forums and you’ll find details about all the different models.