Primary Device
Juniper Networks EX4100
★ 3.2 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: 164 Gbps unidirectional / 328 Gbps bidirectional (EX4100-24P); 188 Gbps unidirectional / 376 Gbps bidirectional (EX4100-48P)
- Forwarding Rate: 244 Mpps (EX4100-24P); 279 Mpps (EX4100-48P), 64-byte packets
- Ports: 24x 1GbE PoE+ RJ-45 + 4x 10GbE/25GbE SFP28 uplink/Virtual Chassis ports (EX4100-24P); 48x 1GbE PoE+ RJ-45 + 4x 10GbE/25GbE SFP28 uplink/Virtual Chassis ports (EX4100-48P)
- PoE Budget: Up to 1440 W with dual power supplies (standard 24P/48P models)
- Layer: L2/L3
- Stacking support: Juniper Virtual Chassis, up to 10 units, using 4x SFP28 Virtual Chassis ports per switch
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Full 1GbE PoE+ access on every port with 10GbE/25GbE uplinks; Junos OS CLI and feature set familiar to existing Juniper operators; Virtual Chassis supports up to 10 units managed as one logical switch; Strong bidirectional backplane figures for a 1U access switch; Available with Juniper Mist cloud management
- ✘ Cons: Base 24P/48P models have no 2.5GbE/5GbE multigigabit access ports; Advanced Layer 3 features require additional Junos software licensing; Street pricing varies widely between resellers, from about $2,300 to over $10,000; Higher cost per port than many competing access switches; Fanless and compact-form-factor options are separate EX4100-F models with different PoE budgets and uplinks
- Est. Price: $2,315 - $10,211
Compare Against
Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE
★ 4.2 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- 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
Curation Review
- ✔ 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