Netgear GS305P v2 63W 5-port PoE+ Switch Review

Netgear GS305P 63W V2 Performance

The Netgear GS305P v2 63W is a simple 5-port switch so we get performance that we would expect:

Performance is in line with what we saw on the V1 GS305P. That makes sense given that we have the same Realtek switch chip. This type of switch as a PoE+ switch is designed for higher-power devices such as WiFi APs. Still, it is not enough performance to be a practical solution for modern high-throughput WiFi 6 APs on like the Netgear WAX630 WiFi 6 Access Point we featured recently. This is really just a low-end switch.

Next, we are going to take a look at power consumption and noise.

Netgear GS305P Power Consumption and Noise

When it comes to power consumption, we know this is not going to use much just given the specs. We have a 68W PSU and a 63W PoE budget. That means Netgear has around 5W set aside for the switch hardware aside from the PoE circuits. That is the same amount on the managed side with the GS305EP. With nothing plugged in we were in the 1-2W range and using non-PoE we could not get to 4W passing traffic. Still, we are talking under 4W so the majority of this switch’s power consumption is dedicated to the PoE+ function.

In terms of noise, this is a fanless design so it was silent in our testing. In our test unit, we did not hear any PSU whine either.

Final Words

Overall the Netgear GS305P 63W we would have to say is a great upgrade. With the GS305Pv2 we have a higher power budget. PoE capabilities on the 55W v1 model are almost double the power per port with the 63W PoE+ v2 model. The data path seems as though it is using the same Realtek switch chip.

In terms of pricing, we will leave an auto-updating affiliate Amazon affiliate banner above the final words that will show current pricing. We paid $45 for ours and sometimes they trend to $50 or the same that we spent for the GS305P 55W. Given the fact that we spent $5 less and got more power budget and PoE+ this is an easy deal to take. Even at the same cost, the V2 63W unit is a better value.

Let us get to the elephant in the room though, this is confusing. We double-checked Amazon’s photos for this unit and there is an image that is somewhat of a spec sheet that looks like this.

As one can see, the PoE+ and 63W power budget are the new values, but the image has a “15.4 watt/port max”, “PoE”, and 48V 1.25A power input. To anyone doing a quick glance to see what the switch is, the “GS305P” will seem to be the model number. We wish that Netgear simply marked these as the GS305Pv2 or GS305P V2 as is common in other product categories. This is an upgrade with a different set of features compared to the V1 but if it is confusing enough that the Netgear marketing folks get it wrong putting the wrong product in the image above, then it is very difficult for the average consumer.

Overall though, this is a great little PoE+ switch. The 63W power budget still feels a bit low, but in a market where a few dollars can make a big difference in unit volumes and margins, we get it. Netgear has higher power versions of this switch such as the GS305PP (83W) for those that want to get more power.