TP-Link TL-SG105, 5 Port Gigabit Unmanaged Ethernet Switch, Network Hub, Ethernet Splitter, Plug & Play, Fanless Metal Design, Shielded Ports, Traffic Optimization

Edit 11/21/2025: I periodically like to perform check-ins on my previous reviews. Over 3 years later I am happy to say this thing still works flawlessly. Haven't encountered a single hiccup. Very consumer friendly and is truly "set it and forget it". ----------------- First off I need to mention that Amazon asked me to rate 3 "features": 'WiFi signal', 'Tech Support', and the 'User Interface'. Let me be clear that this device does not use WiFi and it does not have it's own local IP address to let you log into a "User Interface". Just wanted to point this out in case you come across other reviews that have these two "features" rated that could be misleading you. I recently built a house and had it wired for Cat 6 Ethernet, with there being 1 wall port in each room. One room in particular I have a desktop PC and an Xbox that I wanted both to have a wired internet connection to which is what required the purchase of this device. It is extremely easy to set up, and with it being "unmanaged", there was no portal I needed to sign into that would require me to mess with settings. It's a very simple "plug-and-play" set up, you simply need to connect an incoming ethernet cable from your router/modem (in any port) and then you can now share that internet connection to 4 other wired devices - that's all there is to it. One important note is this: if you have a modem-only device (these devices usually only have a single ethernet port on the back) then you are probably needing a router - not a switch. A router is capable of assigning your devices their own internal IP addresses via DHCP - which is important if you don't know how to assign them yourself. It's also what manages your NAT for situations your devices may need to use the same internet port number. While you don't necessarily need to know what all of this means, you need to understand that a switch is not a replacement for a router. If you are a consumer (as opposed to a business) then you're likely considering this switch to extend/add more ports than what your router has (they usually have around 4 or 5). Even the devices that are connected directly to this switch will still be getting their local IP addresses assigned from your router. The benefit of this switch over a "hub" is that it knows how to route your internet traffic to your devices. So even though it's not responsible for assigning IP addresses to your devices, it knows how to route specific traffic to the devices that require it. It does so lightning-fast - I notice absolutely no additional latency (which is great for gaming) and no compromise in speed either. If you're on the market for a small unmanaged switch, then this is an affordable and excellent choice... A hub, on the other hand, will route all traffic it receives to all devices that are connected to it (they do not 'switch' traffic to specific devices), which essentially requires the devices themselves to ignore the traffic it doesn't want. It adds additional overhead and can potentially cause dropped packets and they just essentially add additional network congestion. I could see a hub being used for something like printers or IoT devices where latency isn't critical, but I think it's ultimately beneficial to just not use them at all even though they might look similar to a switch. And as I've said above, this device does not contain WiFi. You cannot connect this wirelessly to any device. You would be able to purchase a separate device that would connect to this to transmit a wifi signal, but this will not do it on its own.

Its a switch! Does what it needs to do. Pros: * Runs cold to the touch even when under decent load with multiple devices so its probably very energy efficient. * Seems to be very high performance! No latency or bandwidth changes vs direct CAT6a connection on gigabit ethernet. Tested with up to 3 devices under load. Latency was statistically unchanged and bandwidth/QoS was what you'd expect on paper so overhead is super low and on board protocols are implemented extremely well! Grain of salt though... I haven't formally benchmarked or even really used SOHO switches since the 10/100 days. Maybe all makes/models are similar nowadays, but 20 years ago using switches was only a tad better than a hub in terms collision prevention and simple QoS. * Physical build quality is top notch, with one caveat (see Cons) Cons: * Design of metal casing is probably perfect for mounting on the side of standard 1U or 2U racks, warehouse racks, or anything else with standardized screw hole placement and (ideally) the ability to come in from behind or at least see what you're doing. I needed to mount this to a wall in my home office where I couldn't just screw into a rack with standard mounts and slide the switch in place 5 seconds later. There may be a much better way, but the only solution I could come up with (in order to use the rubber feet as standoffs to allow airflow) was to take the housing apart and unscrew/remove the PCB to see what the correct distance between screws needed to be. In theory this would be the last step but unfortunately problem #2 (really the only roadblock in retrospect) was that when wall mounting, the shape of the mounting cutouts are such that you (or at least me?)don't give you enough "turning radius" to get the switch mounted without the offset from the screw head and the wall surface being stupidly long. The only solution where the standoff distance was both far enough to get the screw heads in there while ALSO getting it to mount securely without flapping around loose was to clip the opening a bit with sheet metal snips. This was a tad challenging but doable, mostly because of the cramped areas for maneuver. My recommended wall mount steps (unless someone has a better way) are: 1. Insert the screws in the mounting holes, and position in the narrower "top" area where they loosely stay in place when held in by hand. This will be the distance when mounted. 2. Gently press the switch and screws into the wall just enough to create 2 small dents so you know where to drill. 3. Drill. I didn't need a drywall screw due to wood paneling, but use drywall screws if bare drywall. If you think you don't need to just do it anyway. Its cheap, easy, and a good best practice to prevent yanks from plugged in devices, etc. 4. Screw the screws in 95% of the way. You may be able to just mount the switch ok. If not, you may need to do step 5... 5. (Optional). If necessary AND you know what you're doing, AND you don't care about warranties, open up the mounting cavity with metal snips, but only after you have unscrewed the device housing and have carefully removed all the (guts). Put them aside in an anti static bag to keep them safe. Start by clipping tiny slivers from the two mounting cavities on the bottom device housing piece. Adjust the screw depth until you can easily mount the housing without it feeling loose. You may need to test/adjust a few times, since the screw head will be blocked by sheet metal. This is the core design flaw, otherwise you could just (at worst) unscrew the top housing cover, remove the "guts", and just screw it in by hand, with the final step being to put everything back together (annoying but simple if you own magnetic screwdrivers). Again, only do this if no viable alternatives exist for you, as I'm sure it voids the warranty. Conclusion? Buy this excellent product, just be prepared for a "project" if this is going on a wall in a SOHO setting.

I have multiple units in my house, and I keep coming back to this model whenever I need to expand the connections at single outlet. It is simple to set up (for normal switch behavior it is simple plug and go) and it offers reliable connectivity. The form factor is compact (for the 5 ports model) and it easily fits in tight space. The metal construction makes it solid and manages the thermals very well (allows you to slip it in places with less than ample ventilation).

Grabbed this to expand a small home lab and it’s been exactly what I needed. Full gigabit on all five ports, and it doesn’t bottleneck anything. Transfers between machines run at full speed with no noticeable slowdown, even under sustained load. It’s completely silent since it’s fanless, and it stays cool. Build quality is a step above what I expected at this price. Solid metal casing that feels durable, plus rubber feet on the bottom that actually grip, so it doesn’t slide around when cables tug on it. I also like that it has built-in loop prevention. A network loop happens when cables accidentally get connected in a way that creates a circle, so traffic gets caught going round and round, floods the network, and can bring everything to a crawl (a “broadcast storm”). This switch detects that situation and flags it so it doesn’t take your network down, which is a nice safety net when you’re moving cables around a lab. Plug and play, no configuration needed. For the price, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone building out a home network or lab.

I just got the TP-Link SG105 today and plugged it in and did an Internet speed test. Download was consistently about 340 Mbps. I replaced the SG105 with a Netgear GS305E set at the factory default settings (I never changed the settings). The GS305E consistently got about 435 Mbps. The test was done at same spot in the network using the same cables and PC. The TP-Link works fine, but not as fast as my old Netgear GS305E. Both switches have 5 ports.

Easy to set up, stable connection, and reliable performance. Works great with multiple devices. Excellent value for the price!

I’ve been using this connector several days now, and it’s working as expected. I’m using it plugged into a WiFi extender to hardwire our TV and PlayStation. This is giving us faster and more consistent connection. Even though we have fiber internet, the location it was installed in our house is not central, so we’ve had to do the extensions. And our Sony TV’s internal WiFi won’t keep a connection (a common issue for Sony TVs), and game downloads were taking too long as well as not being able to play a live game while downloading. This little box has fixed the issues. It really is just a plug-and-go item. Super easy and you don’t have to be techy to understand how it works. Keep in mind that one port will be dedicated to the WiFi box or extender, so buy the size you need accordingly. If you’ve got 6 devices to connect, you need at least 7 ports. I didn’t know what “looping” was, so after looking into it, I left that switch to “off.” It was not recommended, and warned of slowing speeds and mixing up devices. It’s working great so far. TV connection hasn’t faltered since switching to the box (and not directly into extender box). And the PlayStation downloaded a game in 5mins that, unwired, estimated 30mins! My husband was very happy. He then downloaded Cyberpunk 2077, which is a huge file. When he tried downloading it unwired, it quoted like half a day, lol. Hardwired, it took less than 1.5hrs, AND, at the same time, he was able to play a college football game that uses the network for live play. One thing to note: this did change our IP address, so when we went into Hulu after getting it connected, we got the “it looks like you’re not at home?” message. We had to “update our home location” even though we didn’t really move. You get 4 of these home changes a year, so just FYI. I’m sure Hulu is familiar with this and would work it out if you don’t have any home address changes left, but the hassle and time would be annoying. Overall, I couldn’t be more pleased. If this box stops working after a time, I’ll update my review. But for $12.50 on sale, it’s a steal. The box itself seems quality and well made. It’s got a weight to it and was packaged well. Definitely recommend.

Network gear doesn’t need to be flashy to be good, and this little switch is a perfect example of that. It’s compact, made of aluminum, and does its job without drawing attention to itself. The heavier housing gives it a sense of durability that a lot of plastic switches lack, and it feels more premium since not all plastic. This in unmanaged switch, so there's no setup. Just plug in your cables and go. I use mine to route direct connections to my Bluesound Node and my television, and it works perfectly for both. Will eventually connect a small audio server as well, and it's got enough ports to support most small home-based applications. It doesn't get hot (at least that I can tell) and the LED lights don't bother me. YMMV though, since some folks are more sensitive to electronic lighting, and I've also got mine facing a wall anyway. These switches are meant to be simple, reliable, and invisible. It does these well. TP-Link is a respected brand, and I totally recommend the TL-SG105 if you need a small, unmanaged switch.

God price, works perfectly.

自宅の回線を10Gbps対応にしたタイミングでルーターを交換し、有線機器を増やすためにこちらのスイッチングハブを導入しました。ルーターもTP-Link製なので、メーカーを揃えてみました。 まず、金属筐体なので安っぽさがなく、手に取るとしっかりした作りです。放熱性も良さそうで、ファンレスながら発熱も気になりません。 設定は一切不要で、LANケーブルを挿すだけですぐ使えるのも便利。PCやNAS、ゲーム機など複数の機器を接続していますが、通信が不安定になったり速度低下を感じたりすることもなく、非常に安定しています。 以前は他メーカーのネットワーク機器で接続不良や不具合に悩まされたことがありましたが、最近はルーターもハブもTP-Link製で揃えてからトラブルがほとんどなくなりました。 5ポートあれば一般家庭なら十分使いやすく、金属筐体で耐久性も期待できます。特にこだわりがなければ、ネットワーク機器はTP-Linkを選んでおけば安心感があると感じています。 「余計な設定をしたくない」「安定して使えるギガビットハブが欲しい」という方にはおすすめできる製品です。価格も手頃で、購入して正解でした。

Said it before; excellent products, great value for money, always work. Easy to set up.

Werkt goed, compleet, degelijk en goede prijs

Switch de ótima qualidade!