With more devices showing up in today’s households, decent connectivity is vital. Sure, most of these devices are Wi-Fi capable, but wired connections are still superior for many reasons. However, not every house is wired correctly to facilitate multiple wired devices easily. That’s where hubs and switches come in.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Our Zyxel MG-108 review looks at an 8-port unmanaged switch with 2.5GbE speeds that allows you to expand the number of ports available for your wired devices at fast speeds. Read on for our full review.
Table of contents
Specifications
The Zyxel MG-108 8-Port 2.5GbE Unmanaged Switch we reviewed has the following features and specifications:
- 100M, 1G and 2.5G ports for multi speed
- Fanless and quiet
- Plug and Play, Easy use and Quick Install
- Desktop and Wall mount
- Auto-MDI/MDIX in all ports
- Eight RJ-45 100/1000/2500 Mbps Ethernet ports with auto MDI/MDIX support
- Per port LED Link/Activity
- Power consumption: 12.24 watt max.
- Power supply: AC-to-DC external power adapter; Input: 100 – 240V AC, 50/60 Hz; Output: 12V DC/1.5A
- Certification: CE, EAC, FCC, BSMI Class B
- Dimensions: 240 x 106 x 26 mm (9.45″ x 4.13″ x 1.02″)
- Weight: 640g (1.41 lb)
What’s in the box
- Switch
- Power adapter with universal plugs
- Rubber/felt feet
- Quick Start Guide
- Safety warning and DoC
Design
Switches have a pretty basic design, and the same holds for the Zyxel MG-108 8-Port 2.5GbE Unmanaged Switch. It is rectangular and sits about an inch high, just over four inches deep, and just under nine-and-a-half inches wide. The front is where you’ll find the power and LED indicator lights towards the left-hand side. Eight RJ-45 100/1000/2500 Mbps Ethernet ports with auto MDI/MDIX support span most of the front, and the DC power port is on the far right. The Zyxel logo and model number (MG-108) are printed in the upper left corner.
The top of the switch has the Zyxel logo debossed into it. The sides of the switch have ventilation slats, as does a portion of the back. The bottom has two screw holes for wall mounting and four recessed circles for the optionally included feet. When attached, by way of a sticky back, they allow the switch to be placed on a shelf with a little bit of grip and spacing.
The included power adapter includes three plugs, allowing the switch to be used in North America, the UK, and the EU without any issues.
While the Zyxel MG-108 has a boring design, it’s one that works and offers enough ventilation, so the switch doesn’t get overly hot.
Ease of Use
Being an unmanaged switch, the Zyxel MG-108 is easy to set up and use. Aside from deciding if you want to wall or shelf mount it, all you have to do is plug it into a wall outlet, connect a Cat 5e/6/6a Ethernet cable between the switch and the router, and then plug in your other wired devices. After that, it’s pretty much forgetting it’s even there. Once it is plugged in and you’re connected, the LED lights on the front indicate the connection speed of the device connected to that port. If it is a 100/1000 Mbps connection, the LED will be orange. If it supports the faster 2500 Mbps, the LED will be green.
Performance
While most consumer internet connections tap out around the 1Gbps range, it can be helpful to have a 2.5Gbe switch for transferring and communicating between internal devices. I didn’t notice any change when downloading from the internet, but speeds were typically better when transferring files over a wired connection from my laptop and backup storage unit. In addition, I was able to hardwire my laptop, home theatre projector, Xbox Series X, Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch, and a desktop computer I was reviewing. Not only did this provide better speeds for some of these devices, but it also provided a consistent, worry-free internet connection.
Depending on how many cables you have hooked up, it still gets a bit warm, but as long as it is in a relatively open space, you should be fine.
Price/Value
The Zyxel MG-108 8-port 2.5GbE Unmanaged Switch retails for US$169.99, which isn’t a bad price and is in line with other offerings. If you don’t need 8-ports, you can get a 5-port version for $129.99. If you want more control over the switch, the company also offers web-managed versions, at a higher price, of course.
Photo Gallery
Wrap-up
If you’re looking for a way to expand and upgrade your current network for more wired connectivity with ease, the Zyxel MG-108 8-port 2.5GbE Unmanaged Switch offers excellent performance at a pretty reasonable price.
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