Ok. I finally bite the bullet and bought the Ubiquiti 8-Port Flex 2.5G switch from (where else) Shopee. There was some vouchers and I found the total price to be $196.45 after all the vouchers and whatever…. so just put the product in your shopping cart and collect all the vouchers and patiently wait till some vouchers push you over the limit 🙂
Note that this is the NON POE switch version. That means the 8 ports are NOT POE OUT to power your other networking products. If you want the POE version, it is much more expensive and hard to find in Singapore anyway (as of now).
Unifi 8-Port Flex 2.5G Switch: Power and Flexibility for Modern Networks
The Ubiquiti 8-Port Flex 2.5G Switch is a high-performance networking solution designed for both home and business environments seeking to upgrade their network speed and reliability. With eight 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, this switch delivers significantly faster data transfer rates compared to traditional gigabit switches, making it ideal for bandwidth-intensive applications such as 4K video streaming, large file transfers, and advanced smart home setups.
Key Features and Benefits
- Eight 2.5 GbE Ports: Enjoy ultra-fast wired connections for multiple devices, ensuring seamless performance even under heavy network loads.
- 10 GbE RJ45/SFP+ Uplink: The combination uplink port allows for high-speed backbone connectivity, perfect for integrating with faster core switches or servers.
- Flexible Power Options: The switch can be powered via USB-C or PoE+ adapter, offering installation flexibility in various environments.
- Compact and Versatile Design: Its sleek form factor allows for easy placement in tight spaces, making it suitable for desktops, racks, or wall mounting.
For those seeking a reliable, high-speed, and flexible networking solution, the Unifi 8-Port Flex 2.5G Switch delivers exceptional value and performance. Whether you’re upgrading a home office or building a robust business network, this switch is engineered to meet your connectivity needs now and in the future[1].
Here are the unboxing photos 🙂
Ubiquiti 8-Port Flex 2.5G PoE switch Unboxing
Hello Brown Box… very economically and environmentally friendly…
Hello x2
Inside the box is a mounting kit (with a leveller :p)
And of course, the star of the show.. the Ubiquiti 8-Port Flex 2.5G PoE switch
And it’s 8 ports…. note how there are NO POE signs below each port as compared to the POE version.
To be powered by POE or by the adaptor.
The back of the switch
And finally the HOT BABY switch
Can I use the UXG POE to power the the Ubiquiti Switch Flex 2.5G
I hope that my Ubiquiti UXG Fiber 10G Gateway can power the switch. Currently the Gateway is powering my Unifi USW-Flex-2.5G Flex Mini 5-Port Switch easily.
So I took that off and using Port 4 of the Ubiquiti UXG Fiber 10G Gateway, I plug a RJ45 from Port 4 into the POE in port of the switch.
And it works.. the Ubiquiti 8-Port Flex 2.5G PoE Switch powered on and started to “boot up” and get ready for adoption ! And with that, I can remove my original 16 port Netgear gigabit switch and save one power point :p
Checking Unifi Controller, it is indeed driven by Port 4 (the POE Port) of the UXG Fibre Gateway.
On the UXG, it showed that it is taking up 5.5W only
All good ! I don’t need to spend money to buy the adaptor.
Adopting the new switch to Hostifi Unifi Controller
As explained in the article, Ubiquiti UXG Fiber 10G Gateway, I am now hosting my Unifi Controller in the 3rd party hosting company, Hostifi. I was expecting to use their Device Discovery Tool or SSH or “inform URL” to get it to be recognised as a new device as per this article.
Turns out it does not even need anything. After a short wait, the Ubiquiti UXG Fiber 10G Gateway was waiting to be adopted in the Unifi Controller (just like if you are self hosting it at home or using a Cloud Gateway or a Cloud Key). It just works.
And it was successfully adopted and need a firmware update ! Then it is done. The switch was adopted and updated easily even if it is hosted elsewhere.
Using all the other RJ45 ports
I ended up using 7 of the 8 RJ45 2.5G ports physically……
In the Unifi Controller, you can see I am using some of the ports… reserving my Port 6 for my next purchase… (I hope I can find money for it.. it is the WiiM Ultra.. I need more Shopee Vouchers..). I also have plans to do this : Upgrade My Synology NAS with 2.5GbE: Realtek RTL8150 USB Ethernet Adapter…
When I checked the POE usage in the Fibre Gateway, the usage has gone up to 7.5W which is still quite far from 30W 🙂
Conclusion
The Ubiquiti 8-Port Flex 2.5G PoE switch was easy to set up (even in the 3rd party hosting environment) and I was also able to use my Ubiquiti UniFi UXG Fiber 10G Gateway POE+ port to drive the Ubiquiti 8-Port Flex 2.5G PoE switch which saved me the need for a power adapter. We are always short of power points 🙂
