The Gigaplus GP-S25-0802 represents a brave new world in desktop switches. It has eight 2.5GbE ports, but what is new is two SFP+ 10GbE ports. The benefit is simply more connectivity in the fanless low-power segment. What is more, we purchased this switch for just under $65 with discounts but its list price is often in the $89 range. That makes this one of the cheapest switches on a per Gbps basis that we have seen recently.
If you just want to find the switch for purchase, here is an Amazon Affiliate link to the switch where we purchased the unit. Note pricing may change and often does on a daily basis. Also, there is a decent chance this one will sell out after we publish this article.
Gigaplus GP-S25-0802 Overview
We first covered this switch in our 2024 Mega round-up 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 40+ models. Bookmark that page to get the latest. We will like all of these reviews from that page.
Something to note is that we also reviewed a managed TRENDnet switch with the same port configuration. This is the unmanaged and substantially cheaper version, but if you want to go higher-end, we already have tested an alternative.
Gigaplus GP-S25-0802 Hardware Overview
The front of this switch has almost everything. There are eight 2.5GbE ports and two SFP+ ports. That second SFP+ port is really the big change here versus the 8+1 switches we haver seen previously. It serves two important functions. First, one gets a second 10GbE port. Second, is that it expands the number of devices that can be connected to 10 from 9. The other impact is that it adds roughly 33% more aggregate bandwidth to the device, but we are going to get into the impacts of that later.
The front also has the DC power input so all cables are in the front. Front or rear DC input is a topic fiercely debated by our readers.
The switch itself is still a desktop form factor so it is short depth and not even 1U height. We did not get rack ears or rubber feet, but we would suggest getting rubber feet for this one if you are not mounting it via screws or Velcro to make sure it does not scratch a table.
Here is the other side of the switch. One will quickly see the sides are mostly just used for vents.
The rear is a featureless metal expanse save for the grounding point.
On the bottom, we get a label. There are some markings that we did not verify. The GP-S25-0802 label tells us that the switch requires a DC 12V 2A power input. We can also see mounting points for screws.
Inside the switch, we can see two small heatsinks. We did not have an issue with the heat during testing, but in a hot environment, we would have wanted to see bigger heatsinks.
Here is the internal overview, where we can see the dual-chip solution.
This is V1.1 of the switch board, but in these switches, versions often change.
Next, let us get to performance and power consumption.
What 10g modules for ethernet do you suggest with this switch?
I actually just installed two of these in my house this weekend. I linked them together with a DAC cable, so collectively they act more or less like a 16-port 2.5Gbps switch with a 10Gbps uplink, and a spare 10Gbps port still available for a NAS, for under $200.
Admittedly, my top priorities were cheap, quiet, and cool, but performance is in line with what I expected. No issues to report in the first 48 hours, thankfully!
I’m really curious, how the (hopefully soon) upcoming Maxlinear MxL86282 is about to perform. Are there any signs, when the first devices are about to enter the market?
Front or rear DC input does not matter as much as a locking DC plug that can’t accidentally be knocked off the unit. Of course, an integral power supply to avoid nasty wall-warts is even better.
Does anyone have a copy of the manual for this switch, or any documentation of any sort?
Three month later, I withdraw my earlier recommendation. Performance tanked, and they struggled to pass a single 400Mbps stream. My old gigabit switch ended up being faster.
Strike that earlier comment, that was all on me. The switches are fine.
Note – Not sure I’d recommend this switch. The first one died from a nearby lightning strike by my house. They did replace the switch, but I had to buy another one and then they credited me for it.
The new one now locks up periodically (it’s happened 3 times) and I have to reboot the switch. And it’s a weird lockup. I can still ping across the network but that’s about it. Nothing else seems to work and rebooting the switch brings it all back.