QNAP QSW-1105-5T Performance
In terms of the overall 2.5GbE performance, we were able to get fairly normal 2.5GbE speeds from each of the five ports.
To be frank, we have considered whether to even include this portion in our series, but here it is.
QNAP QSW-1105-5T PoE and Management Capabilities
Since we are going to be doing this as part of a series, we will note that this is an unmanaged switch. Also, we did not find PoE capabilities when testing this switch.
QNAP QSW-1105-5T Power Consumption
Here is a quick shot of the 12V 1A power adapter. One difference between the QNAP and some of the other switches on the market is that the power adapters and switches have regulatory markings and other certifications.
We saw idle power consumption of around 4.0W.
Adding each successive 2.5GbE link also included an additional 1W or so of incremental power consumption. Given the 12W power supply, this is expected to be a very low power switch. It is somewhere in the mid-range of the 5-port switches we have tested.
The switch itself is a fanless unit so we did not notice any noise. Not using fans also helps with power consumption.
Final Words
The QNAP QSW-1105-5T retails for somewhere around $110. To us, that makes it a much better value than the $135 Netgear MS305 or $150 Netgear MS105. At $5/ port less than the cheaper of those identical units, this is probably the better buy. It remains a lower price while offering useful regulatory markings/ certifications, unlike some of the AliExpress units we have seen.
Overall, this is a solid value for a 5-port 2.5GbE switch. It is not the least expensive, but it is probably the least expensive that checks all of the boxes one might want for a non-PoE 2.5GbE 5-port switch.
As such, this unit is our Buyer’s Guide’s Top Pick for the 5-port 2.5GbE switch segment.
Stay tuned for the rest of this series.
Where to Buy
If you want to check the current pricing, here is an Amazon affiliate link. Note, we may earn a small commission if you buy using this link.
@Bryan can you see if you get any output on the serial console? It looks like the header is populated on the board and I’m wondering if there is any VLAN possibility by using the serial console.
Loved this switch but had a failure today and with some research realized it is more common than I thought. Amazon reviews talk about the switch being unreliable or failing after a few years. The failure mode is a reboot loop with nothing to be done but RMA. Maybe I’m lucky to have made it 3 years, but have never had a switch fail so quickly with consumer use. With a 2 year warranty and a string of reported failures, I’d be concerned about purchasing again.
Interesting CC. What failed?
Yes, you can do many things via the serial port / 1.1.1.100 on boot.
How did you have it for 3 years when it just come out?
Can this switch pass .1q tagged packets like an L2 dumb switch should? I’ve read in other comments that the QNAPs cannot. A good way to test this would be between two Proxmox hosts running vlans. Can two sets of VMs on two different VLANs talk across this switch?
Btw you can hack into the switch, it is running os which allows to set VLANs (with some tweaking) I set the VLANs but it doesn’t work so really unmanaged. But @nate it does not strip tagged frames so .1q are passed