2.5 Gbps home network: wired and wireless router, NAS, switch and adapter

[xiaofan]

Updated on 21-March-2025

1. 2.5Gbe capable routers with at least dual 2.5G ports

1) Local/Global version

WiFi 6/6E router
Asus ROG GT-AX6000
Asus RT-AX88U Pro
Asus TUF-AX6000 (China version is called TX-AX6000)
Asus ZenWiFi XT12 Pro (triband, more suitable as mesh solution with wireless backhaul)
Asus ZenWiFi ET12 Pro (triband, more suitable as mesh solution with wireless backhaul)

TP-Link Archer AX55 Pro

WiFi 7 router
TP-Link Archer BE550 (triband BE9300),
TP-link Archer BE400 (dual band BE6500),
TP-Link Archer BE230 (dual band BE3600),
TP-Link Deco BE65 (triband BE11000)
TP-Link Deco BE25 (dual band BE5000)

TP-Link HB611-SGST for Singtel users (triband BE11000)
TP-Link HB410 for Starhub users (dual band BE6500)

Asus TUF-BE6500
Asus RT-BE58U

Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max (UCG-Max)

2) Wired router (no wireless function)
Mini PCs with dual or quad or more 2.5G ports (many brands)

ARM development boards with dual 2.5G ports, example:

Nano Pi R5S, R5C and R6S;​

Banana Pi BPI-R3 (dual SFP 2.5Gbe optic ports).​

Firewalla Gold SE (dual 2.5G ports)
Firewalla Gold Plus (quad 2.5G ports)

3) China version WiFi 6 router
Asus TX-6000
Asus China TUF-AX4200Q (different from local TUF-AX4200 as it has dual 2.5G ports)
GL.iNet Flint 2 GL-MT6000 (also got international version)

4) China version WiFi 7 router
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...out-6ghz-band-support.6905228/#post-147664804

Most recommended:
Xiaomi BE7000 (quad 2.5G ports, good match for 2.5G plans): RMB799
Xiaomi BE6500 Pro (quad 2.5G ports, good for 2.5G plans): RMB699
Xiaomi BE6500 (quad 2.5G ports, good for 2.5G plans): RMB499
TP-Link TL-7DR7260 BE7200 (five 2.5G ports, good match for 2.5G plans): RMB 599
TP-Link TL-7DR6560 BE6500 (quad 2.5G ports, good match for 2.5G plans), RMB 559
ZTE BE7200 Pro+ (中兴问天BE7200Pro+, dual 2.5G ports, good match for 2.5Gbps plans): RMB 599
Asus TUF-BE6500 (quad 2.5G ports) : RMB 799
Huawei BE7 Pro (quad 2.5G port version, 512MB RAM), BE6500, RMB 699
Huawei BE7 (dual 2.5G port version), BE6500, RMB 599

2. Wireless router with single 10G port and multiple 2.5G ports

Asus RT-BE92U (triband BE9700, single 10G port, quad 2.5G ports, 1GB RAM)
Asus RT-BE86U (dual band BE6800, single 10G port, quad 2.5G ports, 1GB RAM)
Netgear Orbi 870 (triband BE21000, main router: one 10G WAN port and quad 2.5G LAN ports; satellite node: quad 2.5G LAN ports).
TP-Link Archer BE700 (Triband BE15000, one 10G port and one 2.5G port and thee 1G ports)
TP-Link Archer BE550 Pro (Triband BE9700, 1× 10 Gbps WAN port, 4× 2.5 Gbps LAN ports)
Ubiquiti UDR7 (one 10G SFP+ port and 5 x 2.5G ports)
Ubiquiti UX7 (one 10G RJ45 port and one 2.5G port)

3. 2.5Gbe capable switches

Cheap local version:
TL-SG105-M2, S$79 when on offer.
TL-SG108-M2, S$129 when on offer.

More estabilished vendors:
MikroTik:
https://mikrotik.com/products/group/switches

TP-Link Business:
https://www.omadanetworks.com/sg/business-networking/omada/switch/

Ubiquiti:
UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G Switch, Unifi Flex 2.5G, UniFi Flex 2.5G POE, Enterprise 8 PoE (with dual SFP+ ports)
https://ui.com/sg/en/switching/utility

QNAP:
https://www.qnap.com/en-as/product/compare-switches?conditions=link_speed-2_5gbe_rj45

TRENDnet
Netgear
Zyxel
Asustor

Chinese vendors:
TP-Link China 普联科技: TL-SH1205, TL-SH1205PB, TL-SH1208, TL-SH1206, etc
https://www.tp-link.com.cn/list_2503.html

Hasivo 海思视讯
https://www.hasivo.com/cpzs

XikeStor/Seeker 兮克
https://xikestor.com/
https://seekswan.com/user/pages/product-center.html

Siri-vision 希力微视
https://www.siri-vision.com/

Tenda
Mecury 水星
Netcore磊科
ONTi
感闻
联果LianGuo

JT-COM 景唐
...

More options:
https://www.servethehome.com/the-ul...gear-hasivo-mokerlink-trendnet-zyxel-tp-link/

4. 2.5Gbe network adapters:

Now this becomes kind of commodity. You can get USB 3 Type A or Type C to 2.5Gbe network adapter, or PCI-E based 2.5Gbe adapters (including multiple 2.5Gbe adapters) easily.

5. Related threads
10G capable router and switches without SFP+ ports
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...and-switch-rj45-version-no-sfp-ports.7072646/

10G capable Router and switch with SFP+ ports.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...port-switch-and-vq-xgs-pon-onu-stick.7047645/

5Gbe/10Gbe network adapters
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/1gbe-and-beyond-ethernet-adapters.7068236/

WiFi 7 router (some of them are 10G capable, many of them are 2.5G capable)
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...-7-routers-without-6ghz-band-support.6905228/

Network and WiFi configuration for 5Gbps/6Gbps/10Gbps plans
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...urations-for-5gbps-6gbps-10gbps-plan.7073159/

Home Lab and 10G Home Network
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...projects-include-10g-network-upgrade.6341518/

 

[xiaofan]

1. Why 2.5Gbe network is still relevant in Year 2025 and later?
Basically most of the users here will have only one 10G wired device (NAS/PC/etc) other than the 10G capable router.




2. Dongknows review of some of the more popular 2.5G capable routers.

Best Entry-Level Multi-Gigabit Wi-Fi Routers and Mesh Systems
https://dongknows.com/multi-gigabit-wi-fi-6-routers-to-bring-home-today/

TP-Link Archer BE230 (dual band BE3600)
https://dongknows.com/tp-link-archer-be3600-wi-fi-7-router-review/

TP-Link Deco BE25 (dual band BE5000)
https://dongknows.com/tp-link-deco-be25-deco-be5000-mesh-system-review/

TP-Link Archer BE550
https://dongknows.com/tp-link-archer-be550-be9300-wi-fi-7-router-review/

Assu ROG GT-AX6000
https://dongknows.com/asus-rog-rapture-gt-ax6000-gaming-router-review/

Asus RT-AX88U Pro
https://dongknows.com/asus-rt-ax88u-pro-review/

Asus RT-AX86U Pro vs RT-AX86U (single 2.5G port)
https://dongknows.com/asus-rt-ax86s-vs-rt-ax86u-vs-rt-ax86u-pro/

TP-Link Deco AX55 Pro (dual band AX3000)
https://dongknows.com/tp-link-deco-x55-pro-ax3000-mesh-system-review/

Deco XE75 Pro (only single 2.5G port)
https://dongknows.com/tp-link-deco-xe75-pro-mesh-system/

Ubiquiti UCG-Ultra
https://dongknows.com/ubiquiti-cloud-gateway-max-review/

Ubiquiti UDR7 (with one 10G SFP+ port and five 2.5G ports)
https://dongknows.com/ubiquiti-udr7-unifi-dream-router-7-review/

Ubiquiti UX7 (with one 10G RJ45 port and one 2.5G port)
https://dongknows.com/ubiquiti-udr7-unifi-dream-router-7-review/

 

[xiaofan]

For 2.5G switches, the other alternative is 2.5G switches with 10G uplinks (one or two 10G uplink, like SFP+ port of 10G RJ45 port).

Example:
Hasivo S600W-4GT-2SX-SE, RMB 219 listed, quad 2.5G ports, two 10G SFP+ ports
Hasivo S600W-4GT-1SX-1XGT-SE, RMB 399 listed, quad 2.5G ports, one 10G RJ45 port and one 10G SFP+ port
Hasivo S600W-4GT-2XGT-SE, RMB 499 listed, quad 2.5G ports, two 10G RJ45 ports

【淘宝】退货运费险 http://e.tb.cn/h.TagwCPy1xtfft6L?tk=OUoQ3qhNKyt MF3543 「hasivo 2.5G万兆上行POE轻网管交换机企业办公猫棒VLAN猫棒网管型」
点击链接直接打开 或者 淘宝搜索直接打开

 

[xiaofan]

I started the thread on 31 July 2020.

Original Post #1

Much cheaper than 10Gbps network as you can use CAT5e, and there are cheap PCIE adapter for desktop and USB 3 adapter (Type A or Type C) adapter for laptop/desktop.

The switch is more expensive though.

Original Post #2
https://m.tb.cn/h.VtK6RGo?sm=41d93b

【绿联2.5g网卡转换器外置高速usbc手机有线接口千兆网络typec转2500M适用苹果macbookpro笔记本电脑2020新ipad】

Ugreen Type C 2.5Gbps adapter for RMB199 or about S$40, working for PC, Macbook Pro, iPad Pro, etc.

Original Post #3
https://m.tb.cn/h.Vtb5070?sm=d4aa50

【绿联2.5g网卡USB3.0外置网线转接口2500M高速千兆免驱动台式机外接rj45有线转换器适用苹果macbook笔记本电脑】

Ugreen USB 3 to 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter, RMB189 or S$38.

Original Post #4

For desktop adapter, the cheapest TP-Link 2.5Gbps adapter is only at RMB89 or S$18 from Taobao.
https://m.tb.cn/h.VGT2B8l?sm=03fdc8【TP-LINK TL-NG421 2.5Gbps PCI-e网卡台式机电脑服务器PCIe高速千兆以太网络RJ45接口转换器内置模块远程唤醒】

More expensive one like the Comfast is at RMB 168 or about S$34.
https://m.tb.cn/h.VtKk2mA?sm=159846
【COMFAST CF-P25 台式机电脑PCI-E有线千兆网卡2.5G高速游戏电竞网卡1000/2500M自适应】

 

[xiaofan]

Upcoming QNAP 2.5Gbps switch

 

[xiaofan]

QNAP 2.5Gbps PCIE card, 1/2/4ports

 

[THESING@POREAN]

Wait for consumer router with 2.5 gb ports first.....

 

[xiaofan]

Wait for consumer router with 2.5 gb ports first.....

Why do you need a router here? For internet access, 1Gbps is good enough and Singapore's 2Gbps is fake one (more like 2*1Gbps or 2Gbps distributed to 4 ports and each port caps at 1Gbps).

So we are talking about internal home network now, where a 2.5Gbps dumb switch will do, no need expensive routers.

BTW, Asus RT-AX86U and RT-AX11000 do have a 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN port. But the WAN port is useless in Singapore context. The LAN port might be useful.

 

[xiaofan]

Review of QNAP 4 bay NAS with 2.5Gbps LAN port.
https://nascompares.com/2020/06/19/qnap-ts-453d-nas-hardware-review/

2Bay and 6Bay versions are also available.

 

[xiaofan]

Anyway, I just placed an order for one Ugreen Type C to 2.5Gbps adapter and one Ugreen USB 3 to 2.5Gbps adapter through Taobao. They will probably arrive in 3 weeks through 3rd party sea shipping.

 

[miloaisdino]

QNAP 2.5Gbps PCIE card, 1/2/4ports

nice.. perfect for mini atx/nuc with pcie slot to try make a soft router (i wonder how much cpu routing 2.5gbps needs...)

 

[xiaofan]

nice.. perfect for mini atx/nuc with pcie slot to try make a soft router (i wonder how much cpu routing 2.5gbps needs...)

If just for a few devices, even a Pentium G4440T is said to be okay for 10Gbps (2 ports 10Gbps plus 4 ports 1Gbps), 2.5Gbps should have lower requirement.
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/109321868

Another one with Xeon 2678 v3.
https://koolshare.cn/thread-171544-1-1.html

The performance may not be as good as the Mikrotik 10G switch as per the articles.

 

[THESING@POREAN]

Why do you need a router here? For internet access, 1Gbps is good enough and Singapore's 2Gbps is fake one (more like 2*1Gbps or 2Gbps distributed to 4 ports and each port caps at 1Gbps).

So we are talking about internal home network now, where a 2.5Gbps dumb switch will do, no need expensive routers.

BTW, Asus RT-AX86U and RT-AX11000 do have a 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN port. But the WAN port is useless in Singapore context. The LAN port might be useful.

Because not everyone use an onr.....

 

[xiaofan]

nice.. perfect for mini atx/nuc with pcie slot to try make a soft router (i wonder how much cpu routing 2.5gbps needs...)

https://www.anandtech.com/show/1590...3029d-review-a-fanless-10g-pfsense-powerhouse

This is nice if you can afford it.
US$1483 triple boot, Windows Server, Ubuntu Server and pfsense, 2x10Gbe and 4x1Gbe.

 

[xiaofan]

Because not everyone use an onr.....

No idea about what you are talking about. You are mixing up WAN side and LAN side.

Whether you are using ONR or ONT, and no matter which ISP or which internet plan (be it 500Mbps or 1Gbps, 2Gbps or 10Gbps), you can have a sub network with 10Gbps or 5Gbps or 2.5Gbps within the home network.

Read the thread here about 10Gbps home network as well.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...r-hdb-home-network-10gbe-project-6341518.html

 

[xiaofan]

NAS with dual 2.5Gbe, Asus AS5202T.
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/asustor-as5202t

YouTube review

 

[xiaofan]

 

[Atreyu]

Looks nice, is it in SG yet? At times like these, wish there is PC Show so can just one shot check out all the latest happenings in SG... lol...

 

[xiaofan]

Looks nice, is it in SG yet? At times like these, wish there is PC Show so can just one shot check out all the latest happenings in SG... lol...

Do you mean the Asus NAS with 2.5Gbe?
Yes the Asustor is sold in SG. They have official store in Lazada.

$499.00 | Asustor AS5202T Nimbustor 2-Bay NAS, Dual Core 2.0Ghz, 2GB DDR4 (Expandable upto 8GB) | https://s.lazada.sg/s.IrL6

$759.00 | Asustor AS5304T Nimbustor 4-Bay NAS, Quad Core 1.5Ghz, 4GB DDR4 (Expandable upto 8GB) | https://s.lazada.sg/s.IrLj

MediaPro may sell it a bit cheaper.
$489.00 -11% | ASUSTOR AS5202T 2-Bay NAS with HDMI Output, Intel Celeron 2GHz Dual-Core Processor ( without HDD ) - 3 Year Local Distributor Warranty | https://s.lazada.sg/s.IMrN

 

[xiaofan]

QNAP TS-453D is also available in Singapore. They have official store in Lazada as well. Pretty expensive though.

$1,257.00 | [QNAP Official Store] QNAP TS-453D-4G 4 Bay NAS with 4GB memory bundle with SEAGATE Ironwolf Hard Disk. | https://s.lazada.sg/s.IrLt