Horaco 2.5GbE Managed Switch (8 x 2.5GbE + 1 10Gb SFP+)

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rsline

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Feb 20, 2026
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just to archive it here.
V200.2.4 from Horaco HC-SWTGW218AS
Hi all,
When you receive the firmware,please
1. Clear the cookie of browser first.
2. Unzip the file of firmware.
3. Read the manual first before update it.
4. Keep power on during update procedure.

And all configuration you saved before will be lost after firmware update.
Therefore,please back up the configuration before firmware update, please refer to the following methods:
1: Complete the configuration of switch and save it before uppdate the firmware. Path: Tools > save
2: Back up the settings, export the configuration file and save it, upgrade to a new version, and then re-import the configuration file for recovery. Path: Tools > Configuration Backup

>>Attention please:
Please double check if the firmware you download matches the model of switch you have. If you upgrade it with wrong firmware, it will cause crash of switch systems. It won't be recovered. So please check it again and again when you are ready to update it.

And please make sure you get firmware from HORACO official.If you get firmware from other channels which causes issue ,then we won't provide warranty.So please take a note to it.

Hey,guys. If the firmware of your switch is V1.9.1 , V200 serial is not suitable for you. Please DON'T use V200 on V1.9.1. It will make system crash. It CAN'T be recovered.
 

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stemar

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Nov 5, 2025
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Hello,
I was wondering if anyone here has tried converting an unmanaged switch to a managed one (SWTG024AS-A-v2.0.1). I replaced the memory module and some surrounding components to match the managed version, but I’m unable to boot the switch—it’s stuck in a boot loop.

I’ve tried several dumps from the up-n-atom/SWTG118AS GitHub repository, but nothing has worked so far. The UART is working and prints output; I can even interrupt the boot process with ESC, which starts the firmware recovery process and the web interface is accessible at the time for upload, but that’s where I’m currently stuck.

When I flash the original unmanaged firmware back onto the new memory, the switch runs as expected. This makes me think it’s a firmware issue rather than a hardware problem. For a moment, I considered that they might be using a different chipset, but after removing the heatsinks, I confirmed that both use the RTL8372N. Maybe I’m just missing something—unfortunately, I don’t have the same switch in a managed version, only the SWTGW215AS.

I know there are options like RTLPlayground, but I was just curious if this is something that can be done. Thanks.
 

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der2of6

New Member
Mar 17, 2024
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Hello,
I have a problem with the ZX-AFGW-SWTG218ANS.
I updatet the firware to V200.1.30.

Now only the ports 5-8 are working.
On this ports, i can connect to the webinterface and get an IP via DHCP from the server.

Ports 1-4 are not working.

Does anyone have a older V200 version for this switch?

Edit: I downgradet to V200.1.10 but with the same issue.
So i connected the serial Port and see the following message evere 2-3 second on the console:

NSQ=1 RXIDLE=0 SYNC_OK Rx reset!
Click to expand...

Final Update:
Turns out i need the V100 Version for this switch. After flashing the latest version it worked again.
I attached the latest Version of the V100 Firmware.
 

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McArrow74

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Nov 28, 2025
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stemar said:
Hello,
I was wondering if anyone here has tried converting an unmanaged switch to a managed one (SWTG024AS-A-v2.0.1). I replaced the memory module and some surrounding components to match the managed version, but I’m unable to boot the switch—it’s stuck in a boot loop.
Click to expand...
If the same flash package size is used for the replacement (into the same place as the original unmanaged flash memory) then no other component modification is needed - just the bigger capacity flash (at least 16Mbit e.g. W25Q16JVSNIQ or FM25Q16A-SO-T-G in 150-mil SOIC).

The boot loop problem is probably due to the new flash OTP content... check this guide: The detailed procedure and steps for the repair · Issue #16 · up-n-atom/SWTG118AS

Regarding the firmware. As it seems your both PCB revisions are the same then you can use the flash dump from your managed 5+1 and use it (temporarily) for your unmanaged 4+2 and then update to proper 4+2 FW (using the normal web interface update method and the FW update from: https://www.horaconetworks.com/pages/firmware-and-manuals-for-horaco-products).

I'd also suggest to modify the MAC address in the dump (to avoid the collisions of the MAC and IP addresses).
 
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stemar

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Nov 5, 2025
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McArrow74 said:
If the same flash package size is used for the replacement (into the same place as the original unmanaged flash memory) then no other component modification is needed - just the bigger capacity flash (at least 16Mbit e.g. W25Q16JVSNIQ or FM25Q16A-SO-T-G in 150-mil SOIC).

The boot loop problem is probably due to the new flash OTP content... check this guide: The detailed procedure and steps for the repair · Issue #16 · up-n-atom/SWTG118AS

Regarding the firmware. As it seems your both PCB revisions are the same then you can use the flash dump from your managed 5+1 and use it (temporarily) for your unmanaged 4+2 and then update to proper 4+2 FW (using the normal web interface update method and the FW update from: https://www.horaconetworks.com/pages/firmware-and-manuals-for-horaco-products).

I'd also suggest to modify the MAC address in the dump (to avoid the collisions of the MAC and IP addresses).
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply!
The unmanaged version used P25D40SH memory on U2 position insted of U4 and several components were different so I was not sure if just memory swap would be enough (package was also different), that's why I decided to copy the smart version using the 25Q16JVSIQ.

But the main point is that I somehow completely missed the OTP part of programming, but with your help and pointing me the right direction I modified the IMSProg as you did, to rewrite the SFPD register and the switch is now working.
 

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McArrow74

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Nov 28, 2025
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stemar said:
The unmanaged version used P25D40SH memory on U2 position insted of U4 and several components were different so I was not sure if just memory swap would be enough (package was also different), that's why I decided to copy the smart version using the 25Q16JVSIQ.
Click to expand...
Originally I had the same idea, but after the comparison I've found the other components are just series resistors and blocking capacitors.

So I first tried to make the working flash memory clone of my managed switch to learn the OTP programming method (and keep the original flash part as a backup). Once I was sure there should be no boot loop issue I just used flash memory in 150-mil package for the unmanaged switch.

The dual flash footprint has appeared for V2.x.x boards and I think the main reason is to discourage from the upgrading switches from unmanaged to managed (there is no real price difference between 150-mil and 208-mil SOIC).

Also they previously used FM25Q16A and switched to W25Q16JV later. There can be 2 reasons:
  • FM25Q16A has often failed after few months of usage and/or power outages
  • OTP programming method of FM25Q16A is well known, while for W25Q16JV it needs some special effort
 
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aog2

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Apr 1, 2026
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Hi

I have a Horaco 2.5GbE Managed Switch - SWTG118AS-V2.0. After a power outage it failed to boot and I can't even see any output on the serial monitor. So, I'd like to flash RTLPlayground and see if that works. The RTLPlayground Supported Hardware page here says "Other device based on RTL8272/3 that may work are described here" and links to Up-N-Atoms 2.5 GBit RTL Switch hacking guide.

But that hacking guide doesn't tell me how to compile RTLPlayground for the SWTG118AS-V2.0.

First question - Has anyone done it? Which machine type should I use in the RTLPlayground machine.h?

Also, I've got flashrom to correctly identify the FM25Q16 memory chip on the SWTG118AS-V2.0

Code: 
$ sudo flashrom -p ch341a_spi
flashrom 1.4.0 on Linux 6.12.47+rpt-rpi-v8 (aarch64)
flashrom is free software, get the source code at https://flashrom.org

Found Fudan flash chip "FM25Q16" (2048 kB, SPI) on ch341a_spi.
===
This flash part has status UNTESTED for operations: ERASE WRITE WP
The test status of this chip may have been updated in the latest development
version of flashrom....
Also, at the end of Up-N-Atoms hacking guide it says "flashrom requires an abandoned patchset and most likely requires changes to flashchips.c to add the .otpfield for supported chips..."

Second question - Do I need to worry about this UNTESTED warning and modifying flashrom to work?
 
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McArrow74

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Nov 28, 2025
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aog2 said:
Also, at the end of Up-N-Atoms hacking guide it says "flashrom requires an abandoned patchset and most likely requires changes to flashchips.c to add the .otpfield for supported chips..."
Click to expand...
You should care about OTP only, when you need to use the original firmware with a replaced flash chip. Not needed for RTLPlayground.
 
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aog2

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Apr 1, 2026
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Thanks!

I've got it working. From what I can tell my board is marketed as “SWTGW218AS” but the PCB says “SWTG118AS-V2.0" so I compiled RTLPlayground with:
#define MACHINE_SWTGW218AS

And it flashed fine with:
sudo flashrom -p ch341a_spi -w rtlplayground_padded.bin

I needed to do this to get the padded version, but I assume that's normal?:
cp rtlplayground.bin rtlplayground_padded.bin
truncate -s 2097152 rtlplayground_padded.bin

I can now access the web GUI and configure the switch. The Serial console isn't working for me but that might be due to dodgy DuPont cables...

Thanks
Adam
 
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switchfan

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Jan 14, 2024
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aog2 said:
The Serial console isn't working for me but that might be due to dodgy DuPont cables...
Click to expand...
Most probably due to no good solder connection for the GND pin. You need a very good solder iron, as the heat "flows" rapidly into the GND-plane of the PCB.
 
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aog2

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Apr 1, 2026
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I've fixed the garbled SerialUART now.

It was an issue on Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. I had partially missing serial output at 115200 baud (e.g. “Ukonom” instead of “Unknown command”). Apparently the Pi was using the miniUART (ttyS0), which has unstable timing tied to CPU frequency, leading to dropped or corrupted characters.

Fix is to disable bluetooth so serial can use the proper UART
  1. Edit config:
    sudo nano /boot/config.txt
  2. Add:
    enable_uart=1
    dtoverlay=disable-bt
  3. Reboot:
    sudo reboot
  4. Verify:
    ls -l /dev/serial0
    It should point to ttyAMA0 (the stable UART)
Then I got clean stable serial output at 115200 baud :)
 
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bocatadejamon

New Member
Sep 15, 2025
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rsline said:
just to archive it here.
V200.2.4 from Horaco HC-SWTGW218AS
Hi all,
When you receive the firmware,please
1. Clear the cookie of browser first.
2. Unzip the file of firmware.
3. Read the manual first before update it.
4. Keep power on during update procedure.

And all configuration you saved before will be lost after firmware update.
Therefore,please back up the configuration before firmware update, please refer to the following methods:
1: Complete the configuration of switch and save it before uppdate the firmware. Path: Tools > save
2: Back up the settings, export the configuration file and save it, upgrade to a new version, and then re-import the configuration file for recovery. Path: Tools > Configuration Backup

>>Attention please:
Please double check if the firmware you download matches the model of switch you have. If you upgrade it with wrong firmware, it will cause crash of switch systems. It won't be recovered. So please check it again and again when you are ready to update it.

And please make sure you get firmware from HORACO official.If you get firmware from other channels which causes issue ,then we won't provide warranty.So please take a note to it.

Hey,guys. If the firmware of your switch is V1.9.1 , V200 serial is not suitable for you. Please DON'T use V200 on V1.9.1. It will make system crash. It CAN'T be recovered.
Click to expand...
hi, file appear damaged as i can't decompress it
 
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hlyi

New Member
Dec 6, 2022
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I have a ZX-SWTGW218AS switch(XikeStor brand, running firmware 1.9.1) and found some thing odd today. My setup looks like the following:

PC1<->SWTGW218AS port 1 (PVID=2, VLAN=2, Accepted Frame Type = untag-only),
SWTGW218AS port 9 (trunk port) <->dell L2 switch( trunk port)
dell L2 switch port 1 ( PVID=2, VLAN=2) <-> PC2.
dell L2 switch port 2 (PVID=3, VLAN=3) <-> PC3.

PC1 can reach PC2 as expected, PC1 can not reach PC3 as expected ( different VLANs).
Now adding VLAN3 to PC1, (ip link add link eno1 name eno1.3 type vlan id 3,...) my expectation is that PC1 still can not reach PC3 because "Accepted Frame Type" was set to "untag-only" on the port, any tagged vlan packets would be filtered out. To my surprise, PC1 can reach PC3 now. Did I configure something wrong or this is the bug in the firmware?
 
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peppebytes

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Apr 23, 2026
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I knew you would like it, also because these switches have a really pitiful interface and then you can see them all on one page.
Slowly I'm implementing other features, stay tuned.
 
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