Unifi us-8-60w vs. us-8-150w – Which PoE network switch is best for your network?

If you have a Ubiquiti kit for your home network and you’re looking for a managed PoE network switch, this Unifi us-8-60w vs us-8-150w comparison will help you to decide which Unifi switch you’re looking for.

I have been looking for a PoE network switch for my Ubiquiti system for a while now, but a think my reason for not procrastinating is that am confused about which switch is better. I have seen Ubiquiti users rave about how good their products are, but I am yet to decide on which unifi switch 8 to buy. So I came across this Unifi us-8-60w vs us-8-150w comparison review and it has helped me to understand which switch will be perfect for my network.

What are the differences between us-8-60w and us-8-150w?

Model	8-60w	8-150w
Ports	4 ports	8 ports
SFP ports	No	Yes
Forwarding rate	11.9 mpps	14.88 mpps
Non-blocking throughput	8	Gbps 10 Gbps
Switching capacity	16 Gbps	20 Gbps
PoE standards	803.2af PoE	803.2af/at PoE/PoE+
	Check price	Check price

Unifi us-8-60w vs. us-8-150w. How do they differ?

Design

The Unifi us-8-60w switch has 4 ports is tiny and less than half the size of the 150w version. It’s lightweight, produces low power, and you can easily mount it on your wall. At the front panel that provides 803.2af PoE output that can produce a maximum of 60w of output, but doesn’t support 24vdc passive output. On the other hand, the Unifi us-8-150w switch is larger than the 60w switch with 8 ports switches of 803.2af/at PoE/PoE+ that has a capacity of up to 150w of power. It supports 24vdc passive for passive devices and older unifi APs. You can also mount this switch on your wall, place it under your desk, or put it in a server rack.

SFP slots

The 8-150w switch has 2 SFP slots that will support a variety of gigabit SFP modules like the single and multimode fiber and DACs. This switch has a very good tolerance for heat which is very useful when you need a fully functional and managed switch for APs, PoE phones, PoE cameras, etc. Switching wise when it comes to performance, the 8-60w switch is just as capable as the 8-150w switch but it lacks the SFP slots.

PoE standards

The unifi 8-60w 4 ports is a fully managed 803.2af Gigabit PoEswitch that has PoE ports that will power your unifi access points and other PoE devices. As for the unifi 8-150w switch has 8 ports of 803.2af/at PoE/PoE+ or 24V passive PoE with 2 SFP ports for optical connectivity.

Unifi us-8-60w vs. us-8-150w – A comparison overview

Unifi us-8-60w

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The unifi us-8-60w is an 8-port PoE 60 watts switch that has four 802.3af PoE output ports on the right side and the left side. At the back of the unit are the power input, a grounding screw, and the reset pinhole. This unifi 8-port switch has 8 gigabit Ethernet ports with 4PoE ports that will produce up to 15.4 w of power from each port and other PoE devices. The switches are fully manageable and can deliver robust performance and intelligent switching for your networks. This unifi switch has a switching capacity of 16 Gbps, a non-blocking overall throughput of 8 Gbps, and supports up to 15w output per PoE port. It has a forwarding capacity of processing traffic on all ports all at the same time at the line rate without suffering packet loss.

This unifi switch is lightweight so you can mount it on your wall or place it horizontally on your desk or table. The non-skid rubber feet at the bottom of the switch will hold it in place and prevent it from sliding off the table. It’s designed to be managed by the unifi controller that will help you to configure some of its features like the network settings, operation mode which includes mirroring, aggregating, and switching of each port, spanning tree configuration, storm control setting per port, jumbo frame and flow control services, and network/VLAN configuration.

The unifi controller software allows you to configure and monitor your unifi switch and even other unifi devices with the help of a graphical user interface. You can download this software from www.ubnt.com. It has most of the functionalities you will find in the 150w model. It has a security slot at the side of the switch where you can attach a lock to prevent theft. This is a great little switch for a small office that can power some of your lower-powered PoE devices, however, it lacks SFP slots.

Pros

• Very easy to setup
• The best IMO managed switch for its price range
• Very reliable with great speeds
• A great switch for a small office with 2-3 people

Cons

• Lacks SFP slots
• The interface can be a little confusing

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Unifi us-8-150w

The unifi switch 8-150w will provide you with extra connectors for your office network. It has 8 network ports that are suitable for PoE so you don’t need to use an extra power socket to connect your devices like your tablets and phones or access points. The front panel of this switch has an on and off power switch, the 8 RJ-45 PoE + ports, 2 SFP ports for fiber connectivity, and a reset button. You will also find LED lights for the power switch, each network port to indicate their PoE status, a separate LED light for the link, speed, and activity, and the SFP ports. The switch has ventilation holes all over the back and sides to keep the unit cool. There is an AC power plug socket at the rear part of the unit. This unifi switch comes to a package that includes a power cord, mounting screws, screw anchors, mounting brackets, bracket screws, and a quick start guide to help you wall-mount the switch. You can use the 2 SFP ports if you’re looking for a fast fiber-optic connection.

This unifi 8-150w switch has a PoE capacity of 150 watts so it can easily power multiple devices through the network cable. It has 8 gigabit Ethernet ports that offer 802.3af/at or 24V passive PoE and can deliver a powerful performance with its 10 independent switching ports. This switch has a forwarding rate of 14.88 Mpps and a switching capacity of 20 Mbps with non-blocking throughput of 10 Gbps. A very important PoE feature you should look for in a switch is its 802.3af compatibility because switches can auto-negotiate the voltage that they need from a PoE power source with a maximum of 48V. 15.4W per port is the maximum limit for a PoE 802.3af standard, but the PoE+ 802.3at standard can deliver up to 25.5W. This means the only difference between these two standards is the amount of power they can transmit over a standard CAT network cable.

To access and configure this switch, you also need a unifi controller just like the 8-60w switch. After downloading the controller, you can easily manage multiple unifi sites in the cloud from a centralized interface. You can monitor, configure, and access the maps, accounts, and statistics of each network. The controller will also give you control over all your switchesin your network from the same screen. This way you can use the VLAN to split the networks into 255 virtual networks to help you decide who can access which part of the network.

Pros

• The SFP ports are great if you need extra ports
• The unifi controller software is quick and simple to setup
• Its power supply is built inside the frame of the unit
• Well-built with a solid construction

Cons

• It’s expensive
• It can run quite warm

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Conclusion

The unifi switch 8-60w has 4 ports of 802.3af PoE that are capable of delivering a maximum of 60w output, however, the unifi switch 8-150w supports up to 8 ports of 802.3af/at PoE/PoE+ that has a capacity of up to 150w of power. Both units need the unifi controller to configure and manage them which makes it easier to monitor your network.

So, which one is better, Unifi us-8-60w or us-8-150w?

The winner is Unifi us-8-150w since it has 8-gigabit ports that can support both the 802.3af ad 803.2at PoE standards and 24V passive PoE. It has 2 SFP ports that are very helpful if you want a fast fiber-optic connection. With the unifi controller, you’re able to control the access point in your network and you can use the VLAN to split your network into virtual networks so you’re able to determine who gets access to which part of your network.

FAQ

Does the unifi switch 8-60w have loud fans or does it run quietly?

This switch is fairly noisy, but not as much as you would expect from a large 48 port switch.

Does the 8-60w switch allow for individual port bandwidth control?

Each switch port provides custom settings like the port name, network/VLAN configuration, PoE, and operation mode that you will find in the unifi controller.