Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
A small, silent, properly managed PoE switch, which is a surprisingly hard thing to buy from anyone else at this price.
The budget arithmetic that matters
52 watts total. A U6+ draws around 13 W, so four of them fit comfortably. A U7 Pro draws around 21 W, so three is the realistic ceiling and two is comfortable.
Check that arithmetic before you buy, because exceeding the budget causes access points to fail to power up or to run in a degraded mode, and the symptom looks like a Wi-Fi problem.
When to buy the next one up
As soon as you have more than four access points, want a multi-gigabit uplink, or are adding cameras. The Pro Max 24 is the next sensible step and the gap between them in capability is large.
Key specifications
| Ports | 8x 1 GbE, 4 with PoE |
|---|---|
| PoE budget | 52 W total |
| PoE standards | 802.3af/at on the powered ports |
| Cooling | Fanless |
| Management | UniFi Network |
What it does well
- Completely silent — suitable for a living room or study
- Enough PoE budget for three or four Wi-Fi 6 access points
- Full UniFi management, VLANs and port profiles
- Compact and wall-mountable
- Inexpensive
Where it disappoints
- 52 W total budget runs out fast with Wi-Fi 7 access points
- Only four PoE ports
- 1 GbE only — no multi-gigabit uplink
- No SFP uplink
- Not suitable for anything beyond a small home build
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE
Typically $109–129 / £100–120 · ★★★★½ 4.4/5
About our recommendations. Our product recommendations are general guidance. Even products we rate highly may not work in your environment — walls, existing equipment, interference and regulations all differ. We offer a consultancy service if you would like help, but please check with a qualified expert before you buy or install anything. Ask about consultancy
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