Ubiquiti UniFi USW-24-PoE switch 24 × 1G, 16 × PoE+, 92 W, 2 × SFP, 1U

All 24 RJ-45 ports run at gigabit speed and also accept 10 and 100 Mbit/s devices. The ports operate in full duplex, and auto MDI/MDI-X detects the cable type, so no crossover cable is needed. The two SFP slots are meant for links to the router, a core switch or a more distant switch, fibre included. A switching capacity of 52 Gbit/s covers the full speed of every port at once in both directions.

Sixteen ports supply PoE+ to the IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at standards, up to 32 W per port. The total PoE budget is 92 W, which makes the switch a good fit for lower-power devices such as IP phones, security cameras and Wi-Fi access points. With all 16 PoE ports in use the average is under 6 W per device, so it pays to add up the power draw before installation.

The switch is managed and supports VLANs, so guest Wi-Fi, cameras and office computers can be kept on separate networks. 802.1X and RADIUS let only authenticated devices join. There is also port mirroring for traffic analysis, spanning tree protocol against loops, flow control, jumbo frames and static routing, so simple traffic between subnets can be routed right in the switch.

The front panel has a 1.3-inch touchscreen for monitoring the switch and troubleshooting quickly right at the cabinet. LEDs show activity, link, PoE, speed and system status. According to the manufacturer, the second-generation airflow design reduces the need for the fan, so the switch runs almost silently, which matters when the cabinet stands in an office.

The built-in power supply runs on 100–240 V AC. There is also a 44–57 V DC input for UniFi SmartPower RPS backup power: if the power supply fails, the RPS takes over automatically, and one RPS unit can support up to six devices. The 1U chassis measures 442.4 × 200 × 43.7 mm and weighs 3.0 kg. The operating range is −5 to 40 °C.

Small and mid-sized office networks with a couple of dozen computers, printers, and PoE-powered IP phones and access points; UniFi network owners who want to manage every device from one place; and cafés, salons or reception areas that need a tidy 1U switch in the cabinet without adding noise to the room.