Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE vs Fortinet FortiSwitch-124F: Specs & Price Comparison

Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE

★ 4.2 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 80 Gbps
Forwarding Rate: 59.52 Mpps (Ubiquiti tech specs list 60 Mpps)
Non-Blocking Throughput: 40 Gbps
Ports (breakdown): 8 x 2.5GbE RJ45 (all PoE+; 2.5G/1G/100M/10M) + 2 x 10G SFP+ (10G/1G)
PoE Budget: 120W total PoE; 802.3af/at (PoE+) only, up to 32W per port
Layer: L3 (managed)
Stacking Support: Not stated in official specs
Packet Buffer: 1.5 MB
MAC Address Table: 16,000 entries
Power Consumption: 30W excluding PoE; 150W including PoE output
Form Factor: Compact desktop, wall-mount kit included
Dimensions: 200 x 248 x 44 mm
Management Display: 1.3-inch color LCM touchscreen
Product Status: Listed as 'Enterprise 8 PoE (Vintage)' on Ubiquiti's store; no official replacement or EOL announcement found

✔ Pros: Eight 2.5GbE PoE+ ports suit multi-gig Wi-Fi 6 access points and desktop devices; Layer 3 managed feature set at a low price for the class; 80 Gbps switching capacity and 59.52 Mpps forwarding rate cover small-office and branch loads; Two 10G SFP+ uplinks allow 10G backhaul or fiber links; Compact desktop form factor with wall-mount kit and LCM touchscreen for local status; 120W PoE budget is enough for several PoE+ access points or cameras
✘ Cons: Only 802.3af/at PoE+ (max 32W per port), so it cannot power PoE++ devices such as Ubiquiti's U7/E7 access points; Product is listed as Vintage with no official successor named, so long-term availability and firmware support are uncertain; 120W total PoE budget limits how many high-draw devices can be powered at once; Only two SFP+ uplinks and no stacking support, which limits scaling; Price varies widely across resellers ($479 on Ubiquiti's US store, up to about $688 or more at third-party sellers)
Est. Price: $479 - $688

Fortinet FortiSwitch-124F

★ 0.0 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (duplex)
Forwarding Rate: 190 Mpps (duplex)
Ports (breakdown): 24x GbE RJ45 access, 4x 10GbE SFP+ uplink, 1x RJ45 console
PoE Budget: None on base 124F (PoE variants 124F-POE and 124F-FPOE are separate models; PoE budget unverified)
Layer: L2 managed (FortiLink/FortiGate-managed); no confirmed L3 routing
Stacking support: Family-level datasheet references stacking under FortiGate control; 124F-specific limit unverified
Form Factor: 1RU rack-mount, fanless
Latency: Under 1 microsecond
Packet Buffer: 2 MB (reseller listing, unverified against Fortinet datasheet)

✔ Pros: Fanless 1RU design suits quiet office and rack deployments; 24 GbE access ports plus 4x 10GbE SFP+ uplinks in one compact chassis; 128 Gbps switching capacity and 190 Mpps forwarding rate; Managed centrally through FortiGate/FortiLink; Lower entry price than many enterprise L2 switches
✘ Cons: Layer 2 only with no confirmed L3 routing; Base model has no PoE; Full management features depend on a FortiGate deployment; Stacking limits and buffer size not confirmed against the official Fortinet datasheet; Street prices vary widely by seller and region
Est. Price: $550 - $800

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