Unifi vs. Edgeswitch – Which is most suitable for home use?
If you are struggling to port your devices on the limited router Ethernet ports, it is time you considered getting yourself a separate switch. The Unifi and Edgeswitch are some of the top units in the market offering unparalleled performance.
Most of the home routers in the market will often come with a maximum of four Ethernet ports. For some people this is inadequate – especially if you have multiple devices like laptops, game consoles, smart home accessories running on your network. Your best option is to purchase a network switch. Most of these switches will come with 8 to 48 PoE.
The best switch for home use is often the unmanaged switch. It is suitable for home use because it does not require a lot of settings during setup. Just plug in your Ethernet ports and the switch will automatically port the devices. While your router is effective in running your LAN, the switch will mostly run in the background undetected. In this review, we examine the Unifi and Edgeswitch and tell you which is the most recommended for home networks.
Table of Contents
What are the key differences between Unifi and Edgeswitch?
Unifi Switch |
Edgeswitch |
|
Color |
White |
Black |
Dimensions (inches) |
1 x 1 x 1 |
8.03 x 1.69 x 9.25 |
Weight (pounds) |
4.7 |
3.96 |
Watts |
150 |
240 |
Availability |
Unifi vs. Edgeswitch – How do they differ?
PoE features
The Unifi switch gives you the ability to operate your IP cameras and phone through a single network cable. The Unifi switch support both the PoE + (802.3 at) and PoE (802.3 af). Since it is IEEE 802.3af/at compliant it will automatically detect the switch voltage whenever it is needed. For each port it supports up to 34.2W. This gives a total power support of up to 150W across the 8 PoE ports. The hardware specifications for the Edgeswitch are very similar to that of the Unifi switch. The units are available in either 8, 16, 24, and 48 PoE.
Design
The Unifi switch is made from an all-metallic chassis. It is also fanless meaning it does not make any noise. On the back and sides you have ventilation holes for heat dissipation. Most of the functionality for the Unifi switch is at the front. Here you have an LED light that encompasses the on/off button. The 8 RJ-45 PoE+ ports all have their own individual LED lights that show the status of the Ethernet connection. You also get two SFP ports for your fiber connections and a small reset button. The AC power connection port is located at the front of the unit.
The Edgeswitch has a comprehensive user-interface that makes setting up a breeze. The graphical interface is ideal for beginners into switch products. For more advanced network administrators they can use the command-line interface (CLI). This is available in SSH and telnet.
Installation and software
When installing the Unifi switch you will need a DCHP server which you will need to assign an IP address for your Unifi unit. You will also need the Unifi controller software to manage the setup for the switch. The unit can be wall mounted and comes with all the necessary screws and accessories for this. Once you have connected the unit to a power source and ensured that all the network cables are okay, you will the install the Unifi controller software. Note that the any connected Unifi devices will first need to be adopted by the controller before you can start the process of configuring them. The moment the Unifi controller detects a device it will automatically adopt it.
One of the key differences between the two is how you manage the router. For the Unifi everything is done through its controller interface but when it comes to the Edgeswitch things change. The Edgeswitch has two commands – L2 &L3 which you can access through Telnet, SSH, HTTP & HTTPS. This means you can manage the Edgeswitch through the web interface or CLI. It also supports routing protocols, which completely lack in the Unifi switch.
Unifi vs. Edgeswitch – A Comparison Overview
Unifi – Overview
- Country of origin : China
- Model Number : US-8-150W
If you are looking for something to expand your existing network then the Unifi switch is the way to go. You can have the switch with several number of Ethernet ports from 8, 16, 24, or 48. This can be ideal to connect a set of security cameras to your network. The Unifi switch supports IEEE 802.3af/at. If you want to connect it to a storage server you can easily do this through two SFP ports.
The transmission rate for the Unifi switch is 1Gbps. When it comes to color you can identify the Unifi switch through its characteristic while color. Management of the Unifi switch can only be done through the UniFi controller. UniFi sells both multi-mode and single mode SEP. The best part about the Ubiquiti is that they have developed their own power over Ethernet standard. This runs on at 24V which is different from the 48V standard of the 802.3 af/at. This means you can power in your other Ubiquiti 802.3af devices.
When you purchase the device you will notice that it comes with mounting brackets, power cord, mounting screws, bracket screws, screw anchors, and a quick start guide. The chassis for the switch unit is all metallic. The Ubiquiti switch though fanless does not overheat that easily even when all your 8 Ethernet ports are drawing the 150W maximum power.
The design for the switch is such that all your connections are at the front. Here you have your 8 RJ-45 PoE+ports, on/off power switch, reset button, and 2 SFP ports for fiber connectivity. On the sides and at the back you have ventilation holes. The AC power supply power socket is located at the back.
When the switch is powered on there will be a blue status light near the UniFi icon. All the Ethernet ports have their own small LED light that will glow depending on the status of the connection.
When it comes to installation of the Unifi, this is done through a DCHP server that gives the user the ability to assign the unit an IP address. You will also need the UniFi controller software installed in your PC for setup. The software works great as it allows you to monitor your traffic and check your access points. The ability to choose the number of Ethernet ports that you need is great as it gives network administrators great flexibility.
Pros
- Durable metallic structure
- Ability to be wall mounted
- Integrates well into the UniFi line
- Silent operation due to the absence of a fan
Cons
- Cannot be stacked
Edgeswitch – Overview
- The EdgeSwitch delivers robust switching performance with its total, non-blocking throughput of up to 10...
- 8 Gigabit RJ45 Ports
The Edgeswitch comes with 8 RJ45 Ethernet ports that offer a combined power of 150W. It is black in color as opposed to the white color in the Unifi switch. The unit comes with brackets that make it wall mounted though it cannot be rack mounted. You also get two SFP gigabit Ethernet ports for your fiber connectivity and it is passively cooled. This means it operates in the background silently.
The basic design consists of a black casing measuring 8.03 x 1.69 x 9.25 inches. You will find your 8 RJ45 Ethernet ports on the front but they do not have individual glowing LED lights like in the Ubiquiti switch. The power ports are found in the back. Since the unit does not have a fan, heat dissipation is through a large heat sink.
The Ethernet ports are 1Gbps and have a maximum power of 34.2 watts per port. You also get some cool networking features like voice VLAN, private VLAN, DHCP snooping, link aggregation and IGMP snooping. The Edgeswitch comes with advanced layer-2 switching protocols and features and will also support layer 3 routing capability. The unit will auto-detect 802.3af/at devices and you can configure 24V passive PoE devices through the Edgeswitch configuration interface.
You can use the two SFP ports for fiber connectivity. Configuration and setup of the Edgeswitch is through the a configuration interface by the company. If you want more advanced settings you can access them through the command line interface (CLI) through SSH or telnet. Other advanced features include static routing, DiffServ, MSTP/STP/RSTP.
Pros
- Will automatically switch your port traffic without any packet loss
- Support of both 1G and 10G Ethernet connections
- Extensive suite of layer 2 switching features
- Easy to operate and setup
- Fanless hence enabling it to operate with little noise
Cons
- Ethernet LED lights not well placed
Conclusion: Which is better – Unifi or Edgeswitch?
Both of these switches have almost similar features. For one there are both available as 8, 16, 24, and 48 PoE Gigabit. The Unifi is white while the Edgeswitch is black in color. However, the Edgeswitch has an edge over the Unifi in that it has L2 and L3 commands. It is also accessible in HTTP/S, SSH, and Telnet. Changes to the Unifi can only be done through the UniFi controller. The Switch will work well if you have a couple of IP cameras that you want to connect to your network.
FAQ
How good is Edgeswitch switching technology?
The Edgeswitch has an advantage over the Unifi due to its use of advanced layer 2 and layer 3 routing capabilities. The 8 Ethernet ports will support up to 10 Gbps.
How do you differentiate the Unifi over the Edgeswitch during purchase?
If this is the first time purchasing a switch then you may not clearly see any difference between the two. Without going in-depth into the various hardware specifications you can differentiate the two due to their colors. The Edgeswitch is black and the Unifi is white in color.
