Ubiquiti UniFi Flex Mini 5-Port PoE Switch

Product Information

Mode B works by having two dedicated pairs of wire (Pins 4,5+ and 7,8-) dedicated to carrying power, and the other two pair for data. As PoE adapters (injectors) take standard data Ethernet and 'injects'power into the cable, they more often use Type B to power devices. Thus Mode B is sometimes referred to as Midspan. The Enterprise 8 PoE is not a PoE++ switch, so if you have PoE++ devices requiring higher power draws, you’ll need a different switch, like the Zyxel XS1930-12HP. Or you can get a separate injector. Ubiquiti Switch Enterprise 8 PoE’s real-world sustained throughputs. Its SFP+ ports were tested with Base-T 10Gbps adapters. Managed and configured by the UniFi Network Controller with UniFi mobile app support, the USW-16-POE offers an extensive suite of advanced Layer 2 switching protocols and features, including operation mode (switching, mirroring, or aggregate) per port. The UniFi Network Controller and mobile app allow admins to configure and monitor virtually all of the switch features in a graphical user interface from anywhere.

On Ubiquiti equipment, 802.3afPoE is often reffered to as 'PoE', whereas 802.3at and 802.3bt are referred to as 'PoE+' and 'PoE++'. EdgeMAX products are managed with a per-device web interface, or via SSH. These web interfaces are not as polished or pretty as UniFi, but they expose more advanced features than UniFi does. EdgeSwitches also have the full EdgeOS CLI for configuration. If you’re familiar with JunOS or IOS, you’ll be able to figure out your way around. See Ubiquiti’s CLI Command Reference user guide for more details. It’s also worth pointing out that PoE devices don’t always consume their maximum rated power draw. The spec sheet will specify the maximum amount the device can use, but during normal operation they won’t use that much. For example, the U6-Pro requires 802.at PoE+ or 48V passive, and maxes out at 13W. During normal use it usually consumes around 5 to 7 watts of power. The 10/100 and gigabit Ethernet cables have four pairs of twisted cables that correspond to 8 pins. The 802.3af standard established that for 10/100 Ethernet cables, only two of the four pairs of wires are permitted to transmit data, while the other two could be used for power. Of these pairs, 10/100 Ethernet only allows for the transmission of data over two wire pairs (four wires). Two methods of doing this were preferred based on the power source, Mode A and Mode B.

Customer reviews

The USW-EnterpriseXG-24 is a 2nd gen model, with twenty-four 1/2.5/5/10 Gbps RJ45 and two 25 Gbps SFP28 interfaces. No PoE. Have a small touchscreen on the left side of the device, like the UDM-Pro. This screen shows stats and info about the device, and the network it is on. They also integrate with the UniFi AR feature, which lets you use a phone to virtually see what is connected to each port.

A common complaint with the first generation models are their loud fans. It is possible to replace them with quieter Noctua fans, or you can throw it in a network closet and forget about it. If you just need basic L2 switching and PoE, the first generation models are still worth considering, especially if budget and availability are more important than future software support. The US-XG-6-PoE has four 1/2.5/5/10 Gbps RJ45 Ethernet ports with PoE++. It also has two 10 Gbps SFP+ interfaces. PoE Availability is a switch's total power, in Watts, that it can distribute among all connected clients. Your PoE Availability must be greater than the sum of all device power requirements to prevent instability or failure. Do not have a serial console port. All management has to be done over Ethernet in-band. (EdgeSwitches still have console ports!)Note: Please refer to model-specific datasheets found on the UI Store for more detailed information. PoE Adapters

I used the Ubiquiti Switch Enterprise 8 PoE for over a week and was generally happy with the experience. If you are planning on using PoE passthrough on switches like the USW-Flex, or access points like the In-Wall-HD, you should supply them with the higher-wattage PoE+ or PoE++. Devices with PoE passthrough will usually function when fed with standard 15W PoE, but will not reliably power downstream devices unless they receive their maximum rated power input. For example, the USW-Flex can provide 8W with PoE in, 20W with PoE+ in, and 46W with PoE++ in. The switch’s small touchscreen allows access to the switch’s various settings accessible via vertical or horizontal scrolling/swiping. Simple plug-n-play setup, helpful touchscreen PoE+ devices like the U6-Pro will usually operate with 802.3af input, but they will be unreliable. It’s never a good idea to push past your budget, feed a PoE+ or PoE++ device with a lower tier of PoE, or supply the wrong voltage. Always follow the recommended input power, and never provide less the required power or a different voltage. All the Ubiquiti Switch Enterprise 8 PoE’s ports are on its front. Here they are when out of the box and when the switch is working. Note the two SFP+ ports and the touchscreen.

Ubiquiti calls them “Gen2” but I am going to call them 2nd generation. Whatever you call them, Ubiquiti’s newer UniFi switches split things into a few tiers. There are models which replace the 1st generation switches, and the higher pro and enterprise tiers.