PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE
Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE
★ 4.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
  • Spatial Streams (MIMO): 2x2 MIMO (2 spatial streams per band)
  • Aggregate Throughput: 1.8 Gbps (1.2 Gbps 5GHz + 600 Mbps 2.4GHz)
  • Radios: Dual-band (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
  • Uplink Port Speed: 1 Gbps Ethernet
  • Max Clients: 128-200 concurrent clients
  • PoE Requirement: 802.3at PoE (30W)
  • Antenna Type: Internal omni-directional
  • Coverage Area: ~400 sq ft / ~37 sq m
  • Frequency Bands: 2.4 GHz (802.11b/g/n/ax), 5 GHz (802.11a/n/ac/ax)
  • Data Rate (5GHz): Up to 1.2 Gbps
  • Data Rate (2.4GHz): Up to 600 Mbps
  • Security: WPA2/WPA3 Enterprise & Personal
  • Management: UniFi Network Controller, cloud/on-prem
  • Form Factor: Compact ceiling or wall-mount

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Enterprise-grade Wi-Fi 6 with strong dual-band coverage; Simple PoE power delivery (802.3at standard); Excellent UniFi integration and centralized management; Cost-effective for mid-market deployments; Reliable firmware and security updates from Ubiquiti
  • ✘ Cons: Limited to 2x2 MIMO (lower stream count than flagship models); 1 Gbps uplink can bottleneck in high-density deployments; Requires UniFi Controller ecosystem (not standalone); Internal antennas limit customization; 5GHz range more limited than external-antenna competitors
  • Est. Price: $249 - $349

Compare Against

Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switch Type: Modular Enterprise-Class Layer 3 Switch
  • Switching Capacity: 51.2u201376.8 Tbps (model-dependent)
  • Forwarding Rate: 30u201345 Mpps (model-dependent)
  • Ports: 24-port, 36-port, or 48-port options; 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, 100GbE uplink slots
  • PoE Budget: Up to 240W per port (High Power PoE+); total up to 720W per card
  • Layer Support: L2/L3 (Full routing capability)
  • Stacking Support: Yes; up to 9 units via Virtual Stacking Ring (VSR)
  • Redundancy: Dual supervisors (N+1), dual power supplies
  • ASIC: Cisco Nexus ASIC for high-speed switching
  • Max VLAN: 4094 VLANs
  • Max MAC Table: 1.3M MAC addresses

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Modular design with flexible port configurations; exceptional throughput and forwarding rate suitable for large data centers; full L3 routing with BGP/OSPF support; industry-leading PoE power delivery for IP cameras/phones; Virtual Stacking Ring for seamless clustering; redundant supervisors and power for high availability; supports advanced features like QoS, segment routing, and telemetry
  • ✘ Cons: High capital cost ($8.5K–$65K depending on configuration); complex setup and management requiring skilled network engineers; requires proper licensing for advanced features; modules and linecards sold separately increase TCO; single chassis has form-factor constraints for smaller deployments; power consumption scales with port density
  • Est. Price: $8,500 - $65,000

Popular Comparisons

Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Pro Max 24 PoE Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE vs Ubiquiti Pro Max Aggregation (USW-Pro-Max-Aggregation) Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE vs Ubiquiti USW-Pro-24-PoE Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Pro Max 16 PoE Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Standard 24 PoE (USW-24-POE)