As a fun one, as we round out the year, we have a quick look at something fun. The ASUS EBP15 is a mini PoE+ switch. This is not part of our normal series since we usually stick to 2.5GbE to 800GbE devices, but we still wanted to show this one off since we have used it a decent amount. ASUS also has a matching router that is the same size that goes by the EBG15 and these are part of the ASUS business networking series.
If you just want a sense of size, here is a short with it:
Asus sent these units, so like always we need to say that this is sponsored.
The Mini ASUS EBP15 PoE+ Switch is a Tiny Hardware Package
When we say this switch is small, it is small. The dimensions are around 121 x 75 x 26mm or 4.76 x 2.95 x 1.02in. Even with the metal case at around 248g, it can be mounted just about anywhere, and if you really want, adding some Velcro strips increases versatility even further.
The front of the switch has our five 1GbE ports. Four of these are PoE+ ports, but the total output is limited by the power supply. The “Console” marking above port 4 is because that is the port you connect to the management interface through. Port 5 is just there without PoE.
This is also a fanless unit, so it is silent which is nice.
All of the I/O is on the front, including the DC input, so the back does not have a lot going on.
The small switch by itself is fairly unremarkable and we were a bit perplexed by it. Then we opened the EBG15, a small router in the same form factor and we got it. This is your network stack.
A multi-WAN router that can turn a USB drive into network storage and can power perhaps a WiFi AP, a few cameras, and have a few ports left over for local machines all in a ~2″ high stack.
Next, we are going to take a quick look at the software and setup and also how the PoE+ features integrate into the management interface.
Reminds me (a bit) of a pair of switches I’ve had since 2013 – Asus GX-D1051, 5 port gigabit switches. Extremely low power, 12V 0.5A on the adapter, and just work…for years. Toss em behind a desk or in a closet. Mine are plastic-housed though, no POE, no manage.
Looks like a nice alternative to the IP-Com G1105PD (100x100mm) or the Netgear GS105PE, except that these two are powered by PoE themselves, so don’t use an external power supply. But because of that their PoE output is limited depending on the upstream switch powering them, so having an external power supply like the one in this article would be quite useful while keeping the similar sized form factor.
Asus also sells the ‘ASUS ExpertWiFi EBG19P’, that does routing and PoE+ (123w) in one box.
We have that one as well Wahle. Future piece.