QNAP has announced its QSW-M5218 family of rackmount managed switches, boasting 18 ports and a total switching capacity of 540Gbps. The series is aimed at professional applications demanding fast and high-availability networking, such as AV-over-IP, high-definition video editing, and virtualisation.
The new lineup includes the QSW-M5218-6F12T and PoE-capable QSW-M5218P-6F12T. Both feature 12 10GbE RJ45 ports, plus six 25GbE SFP28 ports, with support for Layer 3 advanced routing, MC-LAG, and IEEE 1588v2 PTP. Layer 3 means the switch can read IP addresses (IPv4 and IPv6) and route data between completely different subnets, unlike Layer 2 switches, which rely on physical MAC addresses. This relieves strain on your main router when data packets need to cross over to another internal network segment.
Meanwhile, MC-LAG is a feature designed to ensures high availability by letting you connect a server or a NAS to two entirely separate switches simultaneously, treating both as a single logical connection, protecting you from downtime if one switch kicks the bucket.
As for IEEE 1588v2 PTP (precision time protocol), this synchronises the internal clocks of all devices on a network down to the sub-microsecond level. It’s a must-have on massive video wall installations and live broadcasting systems, where even a millisecond difference between media servers and displays can cause video frames to mismatch.
The main difference between the QSW-M5218-6F12T and the QSW-M5218P-6F12T is the latter’s support for PoE++ (IEEE 802.3bt) power delivery, which offers up to 90W per port, with a total power budget of 470W. PoE is extremely handy when it comes to surveillance cameras, wireless access points, and network-connected smart displays, as it removes the need to provide both power and data links, reducing clutter and failure points.
Other than this, both models look ideal for any task that involves transmitting a lot of data, especially as you won’t need to rewire existing Cat 6a copper cabling. The RJ45 connection’s 10Gbps bandwidth should suffice for tasks such as high-speed storage and virtualisation servers, while the 25GbE SFP28 ports handle aggregated enterprise traffic and high-density local backups/disaster recovery.
Speaking of which, the QSW-M5218 family also features built-in cybersecurity systems, including QNAP’s Airgap+, which acts as a digital airlock to stop a virus from jumping across the network. Meanwhile, ADRA NDR X network detection blocks targeted ransomware and malware that has already bypassed your main firewall and is attempting to spread across the network. By combining all these features and many more, the QSW-M5218 family aims to reduce costs while covering real-world needs of businesses.
The QNAP QSW-M5218-6F12T 25GbE and QSW-M5218P-6F12T 25GbE PoE managed switches are available from the brand’s store at £1,084.80 and £1,396.80 respectively, backed by a two-year warranty.
