Fortinet FortiSwitch 1048G vs Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE: Specs & Price Comparison

Fortinet FortiSwitch 1048G

★ 3.5 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 2,160 Gbps full duplex (line rate for packets 128 bytes and larger)
Forwarding Rate: 2,000 Mpps at 64-byte packets (one listing shows 1,607 Mpps)
Ports: 48x SFP/SFP+ (1GbE/10GbE); 6x QSFP28 (100GbE, some listings also state 40GbE)
PoE Budget: N/A (no PoE)
Layer: L2/L3
Stacking support: No traditional stacking; managed by a FortiGate via FortiLink
Packet Buffer: 32 MB
MACsec: Supported on ports
Power Supplies: Dual hot-swappable AC, 1+1 redundant
Form Factor: 1RU rack-mountable
Airflow: Front-to-back
Operating Temperature: 0u00b0C to 45u00b0C per Fortinet quickstart (one reseller lists max 40u00b0C)
Status: One listing marks the model as end of life

✔ Pros: High port density with 48 SFP/SFP+ ports in 1RU; 6x QSFP28 100GbE uplinks for high-bandwidth aggregation; 2,160 Gbps switching capacity with 2,000 Mpps forwarding; Dual redundant hot-swappable AC power supplies; MACsec support for port-level encryption; Tight FortiLink integration for centralized management from a FortiGate; 32 MB packet buffer for bursty data center traffic
✘ Cons: No PoE, so it cannot power endpoints or APs; Very high US list price (about $28,518 MSRP) with street prices around $19,600 to $22,000; Tied to FortiGate/FortiLink for full management, which adds dependency on the Fortinet ecosystem; Reseller datasheets conflict on forwarding rate, uplink speeds, and operating temperature, so official Fortinet datasheet should be verified; Heavy (about 9.1 kg) and needs adequate rack and cooling capacity; At least one listing marks the model as end of life, so availability and support lifecycle should be confirmed
Est. Price: $19,625 - $22,040

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

PACKETPERF