XikeStor 4 Port 2.5G Unmanaged Ethernet Switch with 2x10G SFP+ Uplink, 2.5 Gigabit Network Switch, 2.5Gb Ethernet Hub, Plug & Play, Metal Housing, Desktop/Wall-Mount

This is a first impression review after several hours of intensive use of all the 2.5Gbps ports of a newly purchased Xikestor SKS3200-4E2X. I have not tested yet the SFP+ ports and I am using the original firmware which is version 2.0.7. I read in some reviews that there is a version 2.1.0, unfortunately I wasn't able to find it on Xikestor's website. The hardware quality of the product is very good. It draws very little power and it runs very cool even during high bandwidth utilization. A quick analysis of the packet traffic shows that the jumbo frames of 16KB are never fragmented. Latency is extremely low. Thus the switch actually performs very, very well! The VLAN capabilities are somewhat limited, but the essential is there and work quite well. The manual supplied doesn't correspond to the product received. It looks like a SKS3200-4E2X specific manual was never produced. That's a shame because with a good user manual everyone would benefit and product return rate would go down significantly. Assuming that the SFP+ ports work equally well, I would rate this product 5 stars. Elsewhere in the reviews it is said that the second SFP+ port has issues. I can't confirm as I haven't tested yet. I simply hope that whatever it is or was is fixed. Update: After several days of heavy usage of this switch, including the SFP+ ports, I can confirm my initial observations that in fact this is an excellent switch, which performs very well across the board. All its advertised features are available and operational with its out of the box firmware version 2.0.7. With generic optical transceivers on the SFP+ ports, using plain vanilla fibers, I was able to achieve stable and sustained 10 gigabit per second traffic to another generic (different brand) switch. Both SFP+ ports operate by the book individually and simultaneously. This unit is not novice friendly as it has no user manual. But someone with networking knowledge and fundamental understanding about VLANS should be able to get it going in no time.

Pros: Unbeatable Value: 8x 2.5G ports + full management (VLAN, LACP, QoS) for this price? Insane. Surprisingly Solid Build: The aluminum casing feels far more premium than expected – runs cool and silent too. Feature Complete: Has every managed feature I needed (and more) for my home lab/network. Just Works (Once Setup): Rock-solid performance once configured. Handles 2.5G flawlessly. Cons: The UI is TERRIBLE: unintuitive, poorly translated. Setup feels like navigating a maze blindfolded. Expect frustration. Good Luck finding the firmware to updated it

The Model Number is SKS3200-4E2X. I didn't see that listed anywhere in the description on the product page. It is built solidly with a metal case. It is not very large at all and fits in the palm of my hand. It comes with rubber pads for desktop placement as well as mounting holes on the back for wall mounting. Setup was simple. The IP address was clearly listed as 192.168.10.12 on the bottom of the unit as well as the default user/password (admin/admin). I was able to log in and assign it an IP address within my network range as well as adjust the administrator user/password without issue. I went to Xikestor.com and found that this model had a newer firmware available (V2.1.0 vs. V2.0.7). It flashed without a problem. All of the normal L2 features you'd expect to find are present. From Top to Bottom on the configuration it shows the Switch Monitor (MAC address table port statistics), Switch configuration (port settings, port mirror, port isolation, port rate limit, port aggregate, static MAC), VLAN configuration (VLAN setting, port VLAN), Loop Configuration, QOS Configuration, Advanced (DHCP snooping, Storm Control, IGMP Setting, Jumbo Frame), and System Manage (IP Setting, User Management, Reboot, Save Config, Backup Config, Firmware Upgrade, Factory Default). There were a few spelling mistakes in the interface ("Copper" is spelled "Coper" when describing the 4x2.5GbE ports for example), but nothing was too hard to find. I tested it using a 2.5GbE wired connection to my main PC and then used a SFP+ RJ45 transceiver to connect back to my main switch. Initially, I had an issue where it would not work, but it was not the fault of the switch, but it was due to a 100 ft. thin cable I was using. I swapped the cable out for a 100 ft. Cable Matters cable and then the 10GbE link worked fine auto-negotiating to 10GbE. I don't notice a lot of heat coming from the unit as I'm using it. Even with the transceiver connected, it is barely warm to the touch (the transceiver is hot, but they normally are). Overall, for less than $40, I am very pleased. My goal was to be able to separate out my wired network printer in my office onto a different VLAN from my computers near it without having to resort to a wireless print server, and this switch makes it possible.

Trunk ports always tag the native VLAN going out. Therefore untagged traffic is unusable on trunk ports. This makes the switch incapable of behaving how an unmanaged switch would across trunk ports while retaining the ability to split of VLANs to other ports. Unless a firmware update resolves this basic issue in the future, my review will remain one star because it complicates my network setup. There is also no ability to specify which VLAN the management interface is on. I was a little confused why I could not access it, and it turned out it had moved itself off the statically assigned DHCP IP onto my IOT VLAN network. I haven't tested, but this probably means that management interface will accept incoming packets regardless of what VLAN they originated from which is not great for security. Otherwise the webui is a bit basic but for the price it is acceptable. It is a pretty great value if you don't need untagged and tagged traffic on the same port.

The product seems to work. It does what I need and was easy enough to program despite being aimed at the Chinese audience. However, the firmware is atrocious. The default is an obscure hardcoded IP address. This requires you to adjust your PC so it matches the network. The default should be, and should always be for network equipment, DHCP. I could then Once logged in I could set and save the settings as I needed them. However, after I upgraded the firmware, the device lost all settings. I had to go back through the process of adjusting my network to match and the reprogram the device. I could not even load the saved configuration file. It said it loaded it, but it did not. Finally, I cannot seem to login remotely. I can get to the login screen, but the device ignores my username and password. I suspect this is due to the encoding across the Internet and through three routers. I must be directly on the actual network in order to connect up and program. Documentation? What documentation. They give you a basic get started manual. You must go to their web site to get full documentation. They don't even tell you on the box or i the get started manual what their web site is. You have to guess or use a search engine to find it.

I got the 9-port managed switch (8x 2.5GbE + 1x 10Gb SFP+) recently because it was on sale for about $62. This has got to be one of the best value switches I've ever seen. Normally I stick to Netgear's prosumer/business stuff because their consumer grade web management interfaces are straight up trash, but you just can't pass up $62 when a switch with similar specs from any major manufacturer runs $150 to $200. The funny thing is, this switch is no harder to manage than a GS108Ev3, they both have an equally bare bones but functional management UI. Anyway, the interface by default is on 192.168.10.12. Some users dinged the switch in their review for not having a management UI, or for the difficulty in finding it. I mean, it's clearly printed on the sticker on the bottom of the device, along with the default user/password combo. First thing you should do is connect a computer/phone/tablet to it, assign yourself a manual IP in the 192.168.10.0 subnet, and connect to the switch interface so you can change its IP to your desired subnet so it's accessible from any computer on your LAN. From the UI, you've got access to VLAN port mapping, QoS, loop detection, port mirroring, isolation, MAC filtering, bandwidth controls, etc. All the usual stuff. When I received mine, it had firmware version 1.3 on it, and a quick search of the model number brought up a page stating that the latest was 1.9, so I downloaded that and did the upgrade pretty painlessly. If I remember correctly, I think it factory reset everything in the process, so maybe do that first before you bother changing the IP address and setting it up. I'm pretty sure it went back to 192.168.10.12 after the update. Otherwise? Everything has been fine with it. Solid feeling metal case, doesn't get too warm. The only annoying thing (and it's super minor, hardly even worth mentioning) is that on the rare occasion that I need to log into the management UI, it never remembers my language preferences, always reverting to Chinese. So whenever I log in I have to click the radio button for English. But I will happily do that on the rare occasion that I need to, in exchange for saving over $100 on the cost of an 8x 2.5GbE managed switch!

Can't knock it because I am no network tech and I hate networking so I will give it 5 stars since not sure why it's not giving me the 2.5gbs speeds even though the link lights are green. At first i only got 1.5mibs across the network then i changed some windows settings to lower my security and allow discovery and so on then i got 70mibs mind you i was already getting that on my almost 20 year old D-Link gaming router without changing any of those settings. Should be getting closer to 250mibs and that's what i bought this for, for it to be a upgrade seems like i'll have to figure out the settings inside it to get it's full speed for now 5 stars since it did work out the box....... sort of lol

XikeStor 8 Port 10G Ethernet Switch, 10Gb Auto-Negotiation Network Switch, Unmanaged RJ45 Ethernet Splitter, Ethernet Hub, Plug & Play, Metal Casing, Desktop/Rackmount (8 Port │ 8x10G RJ45(Unmanaged)) Purchased on Dec 8, 2024 for $199.99 despite not having any reviews available on this particular unit, 8 ports, 10GB Switch, the fan is audible in a quiet room unless you have other machines on or an overhead ceiling fan. There's very little published anywhere about this switch, it's one of many of the same type and there's a ton of clones made by a ton of unknown manufacturers for sale on Amazon and elsewhere. There's very little documentation but it's an unmanaged switch, the people buying this item are not going to need documentation anyway. Using this switch for the back end of a Wi-Fi 7 wireless network connected to a 10GB/2.5GB/1GB Wired network for multiple PCs with 2.5GB and 10GB NIC cards as well as older PCs with 1GB NIC cards. 2 GB Verizon FIOS connection running over CAT 6e cables. Works well, 68 degree constant room temperature, hope that this unit doesn't fail within the next year like a reviewer for the 2.5GB switch mentions.