Hisource Hi-K0402WS absolutely tiny 2xSFP+ 4x2.5GBase-T unmanaged switch

[Michael Stora]

Does anyone have experience with this tiny cheap switch? There were a ton of port numbers and configurations available on AliExpress. The 2xSFP+ 4x2.5Base-T was $35.08 including tax and shipping from China to the US. I was having trouble getting my employer managed computer on its own SubLAN to connect at 2.5GBase-T with my Mikrotik CRS309-1G-8S+IN but this little switch plus a 1m DAC was cheaper than any Cu SFP+ transceiver (and without the heat issues). At these prices I can throw one or more at each of my SubLANs.

This thing is absolutely tiny compared to the already compact QNAP QSW-2104-2S-A. It even has a case grounding screw.

 

[ms264556]

It's good they're available to USA now. I commented a couple of times as these were coming down in price, but got replies saying they weren't shipping to most countries. I have 2 of the 4+2 switches and one of the 8+1. They work just fine, and the last one I got was US$26 including tax and delivery to NZ.

 

[blunden]

They're exactly the same as the YuanLey and Davuaz switches (apart from the sticker color) that Patrick made a video about, as far as I know. There are also unbranded ones on AliExpress as well, but buying a branded product like the HiSource seems like a better idea to me.

I own one of the HiSource units too. I might end up using it as a 10 GbE repeater for a CAT6 run that is borderline too long, where using this switch inbetween would cut down the run by roughly 7-8 meters. For that reason, I haven't tested it all that much, but it has worked perfectly fine in the tests I have done.

If I don't end up needing it, it is still a very useful little switch to have. I paid roughly €37 including 25% VAT.

 

[SlowmoDK]

I did the same with my CRS309-1G-8S+IN for VLANS when i bought it

But if u get the managed version of these cheap switches, u don't need one for each VLAN, but only for as many ports as needed
the managed version is like 5$ more than the unmanaged at this point in time

Also you can do link-aggregation (LACP) with the managed units

 

[voltagex]

Anyone having issues with these rebooting? I have 2x copper 10 gig SFP+ plugged in and 4 RJ45 - power seems fine, no idea what's going on.

 

[voltagex]

Oh, I have the 8 port version, K0802WS

 

[blunden]

Anyone having issues with these rebooting? I have 2x copper 10 gig SFP+ plugged in and 4 RJ45 - power seems fine, no idea what's going on.

Could it be overheating due to the two 10GBASE-T transceivers?

 

[voltagex]

Could it be overheating due to the two 10GBASE-T transceivers?

Maybe?

I won't be able to switch to fibre for at least a year.

What would be classed as too high of a temperature and where would I measure it (as in where should I put the probe)?

 

[blunden]

Maybe?

I won't be able to switch to fibre for at least a year.

What would be classed as too high of a temperature and where would I measure it (as in where should I put the probe)?

This was just a wild guess on my part. It could certainly be something else causing the reboots.

I don't know how temperature sensitive the switch is, but having two transceivers that might both be close to 70°C (if we're talking about the 30 m rated 10GBASE-T transceivers) probably has the potential to raise the temperature inside the switch chassi quite a bit. The older 30 m 10GBASE-T transceivers are also technically out of spec i terms of power consumption.

I don't know what's most temperature sensitive, but measuring it close to the switch chip (taking care not to short anything out) would be one thing to try. Also, if it's out of warranty, you could run it without the top case and see if pointing a fan on it makes a difference to stability, just as an experiment.