Zyxel 8-Port 2.5G Multi-Gigabit Unmanaged Switch (Model MG-108) (Review)

If you are looking for a little more oomph from the wired connections within your network, moving up to 2.5Gbps is a start. It will generally cost less than heading toward 5Gb or 10Gb options, which would also require you to run new cables (Cat 7 or 8 preferably). Even worse, you may be limited to cables already ran throughout your walls. Therefore, as long as you have Cat5e (at least), you can make the jump to 2.5Gb connections throughout. All you’ll need are the devices that support it. Devices like the Zyxel 8-Port 2.5G Multi-Gigabit Unmanaged Switch.

That being said, these devices are still generally expensive when compared to your typical 1Gb solutions (which you find in most of today’s modern routers and switches). This includes the price of the option we are discussing today. Thankfully, these costs are typically limited to just the switch/router options and not so much the devices that connect to them. You can typically find a 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter for your computer at around $30, allowing a computer or laptop to ride a 2.5Gbps network relatively affordably. The price of these adapters is quite comparable to your normal 1Gbps options, so that’s a perk.

Zyxel’s 8-port option (model: MG-108) currently retails for around $169. Compared to a 1Gbps 8-port option (which average around $20-$60 depending on the level of switch you chase after), this is quite the jump. However, once you have made it, it’s as easy as running Cat5e or better to all of your systems and then buying into the before-mentioned adapters for each one. Now, all of those systems have a much larger pipeline between each other for transferring data back and forth.

You are limited to transfers between these systems/devices as most routers do not offer 2.5Gbps+ just yet. This is because you won’t normally find a multi-gig internet connection for consumer ISP accounts (yet). That doesn’t mean they don’t exist though. Take Netgear’s Nighthawk RAXE500 router, which offers 2.5Gbps and multi-gig support, for example. Netgear also has a Nighthawk X10 that features an SFP+ 10G connection on the back which can be used to tap into a 10G switch–like the Zyxel Multi-Gig 12-Port Switch Web Managed Switch (Model XGS1210-12). So options are indeed out there. They are just typically expensive.

So for now, you can consider it futureproofing for when you do break into a multi-gig router and internet connection. You can focus on your local LAN parties instead, or any media or NAS collections you maintain across the network.

Commercial/enterprise networks are a whole other beast. Where devices like this are a no-brainer. Especially, if you have web servers hosted on such networks.

So what about the one we are talking about today? The Zyxel Model MG-108s is an 8-port option that offers 2.5Gb ports through and through, with a total switching capacity of up to 40Gbps (which you likely wouldn’t be able to hit if you tried, therefore it is also likely a theoretical threshold). This is an incredibly powerful switch, at least it comes to the 2.5Gbps (2.5GbE) market.

As mentioned, it is a bit pricey. However, this isn’t anything new when compared to everything else out there. It does seem to maintain a neutral position when it comes to this price tag, comparing it to similar brands like TRENDnet. TP-Link, and QNAP.

It offers a lot of expandability to your home (or office) network. It is unmanaged, so it doesn’t take any experience on your part to set up  (there are no settings or interfaces to worry about). You simply plug it into the wall and then start inserting your various Ethernet runs into it like you would any (unmanaged) switch.

It comes with an adaptable power plug so that you can use it literally anywhere throughout the world (mostly). Given that, we were only able to test the normal US standard ourselves.

The unit does crunch through a little more power than your typical switch. It isn’t too bad, but it is rated at up to 12.24-watt max energy use (we saw an average of around 6-7W during our own use thus far). This means it will contribute to a little more energy use on your network, but again, not bad. About the usage of an LED light bulb running. You’ll notice a little something if you added things up annually, but it would be easy to weigh against your own desires for enhanced bandwidth.

The switch offers plenty of ventilation on each side, as well as the backside. This is good as it can get a little hot at times (more energy = more heat). If you can, you’ll want to keep it in a well-ventilated room, just as you would a powerful router.

Performance-wise, it really does crunch data between multiple devices quite well. It was easy for us to test this out since parts of the network here work their way up to 10Gbps. So we have more than enough devices and scenarios to test it against.

We have been running it for a number of days now without any disappointment, including 4 systems we have connected to it that make use of 10G adapters (such as the OWC Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter) that really put it to the test.

The switch will continue to face tests in the future as we use it for various projects to make sure there isn’t anything we missed. If anything new surfaces, we will make sure to update the information here.

Our Conclusion

If you are an avid or professional gamer or host large amounts of data across your network between computers or NAS storage solutions, this is a great way to loop everything together with. There is so much power to be shared between all devices thanks to all 8 ports making use of the full 2.5Gbps speeds.

The switch appears to be quite stable/reliable, even when put through hell with all ports occupied and busy with devices that support this speed or higher. Of course, they are all limited to 2.5Gbps, since the switch can’t go any faster per Ethernet port. However, this allows us to avoid bottlenecks anywhere else.

As mentioned, it is a bit pricey. However, it doesn’t stray from the average price range within the market. It fits in right where it is supposed to. You might even see the price come down in the next few years if 2.5Gbps inches closer to becoming a norm in the devices you typically buy into.

So far, we have quite enjoyed our experience with this one. It seems to be a growing pattern with Zyxel’s switch models. Now, if only the consumer world would move more quickly to embrace 2.5G/5G/10G options as a standard vs (mostly) only focusing on Wi-Fi throughput.

Additional Images:

Specifications:

• Standards
  • IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet
  • IEEE802.3ab 1000BASE-T
  • IEEE 802.3bz 2.5GBASE-T
  • IEEE 802.3x full-duplex operation and flow control
  • IEEE 802.1p QoS
  • IEEE 802.3 Nway auto-negotiation
• Switching capacity: MG-108: 40 Gbps
• Switching forwarding rate: MG-108: 29.8 Mpps
• MAC address table: 16 K
• Packet buffer: 12Mb
• Jumbo frame supports up to 12 KB
• 100M, 1G, and 2.5G ports for multi-speed
• Fanless and quiet
• Auto-MDI/MDIX in all ports
• Input: 100 – 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
• Output: 12V DC/1.5A
• MG-108: 12.24-watt max.
• Certifications: CE, EAC, FCC, BSMI Class B

Are you a manufacturer or distributor that would like us to test something out for review? Contact us and we can let you know where to send the product and we will try it out.

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