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Voltarum Mini Switch Guide
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Basics

Managed or unmanaged switch: which one do you need at home?

What a managed or smart switch adds (VLANs, link aggregation, mirroring), when an unmanaged one is enough, and what it costs.

By Editorial team · Published · Updated

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An unmanaged switch has no settings: plug it in and every port talks to every other. A managed switch has a configuration page, and that page is only worth it if you need one of the things below.

What a managed switch adds

  • VLANs (802.1Q). Several separate networks on the same cables: cameras and smart plugs in one, guests in another, your computers in a third. Your router or firewall (OPNsense, OpenWrt, a UniFi gateway) decides what may talk to what. This is the main reason people buy one.
  • Link aggregation. Two cables to a NAS or server act as one. Static aggregation is enough between two devices you configure by hand; LACP negotiates it and is what Proxmox and most NAS systems expect.
  • Port mirroring. A copy of one port's traffic to another, to watch it with Wireshark or an intrusion detector.
  • IGMP snooping and QoS. Keep IPTV multicast off ports that do not want it; prioritise calls or games.

Smart, managed or Layer 3

  • Smart (web-managed), like the TP-Link TL-SG108E or the NETGEAR MS305E: a simple web page with VLANs, aggregation and mirroring. Enough for nearly every home.
  • Fully managed: more of everything, plus a command line, SNMP and access lists.
  • Layer 3, like the MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S+IN with RouterOS: it can also route between VLANs in hardware. Powerful, with a learning curve.

Some switches, such as UniFi's, are configured from a controller app instead of their own web page: easy if you already run UniFi, extra work if not.

When unmanaged is enough

If you only need more ports, an unmanaged switch such as the TP-Link TL-SG105 is cheaper, has nothing to configure and nothing to update. It also carries tagged VLAN traffic through unchanged, so it can sit behind a managed switch on a single VLAN.

Our rule of thumb

  • More ports, one network: unmanaged, fanless if it sits in the living room.
  • Separate IoT or guests, or a VLAN trunk to a router or Proxmox: smart (VLANs).
  • The centre of a homelab with 10 GbE and aggregation: managed (Homelab core).

Switches in this guide