TP-Link Omada SG3218XP-M2 review: TP-Link is moving the bandwidth dial with a switch for Wi-Fi 7 PoE access points

TP-Link Omada SG3218XP-M2: 30-second review

TP-Link has successfully sold the Omada branding to those who work with information systems each day as a byword for strategic thinking.

With managed network hardware that IT people can monitor and configure across multiple locations, equipment in this range has been understandably popular.

Not long ago, I reviewed one of the L2+ switches, the SG3428XMPP, which had two blocks of 1GbE RJ45 outlets, with eight utilising the PoE++ standard, which provides up to 90W of power per port, and sixteen PoE+ ports with a 30W budget per port.

The Omada SG3218XP-M2 is an L3 design, has only 16 Ethernet ports in total, but eight are PoE+ 2.5GbE ports, while the others are 2.5GbE LAN (non-PoE) ports.

Given the increasing demand for Ethernet bandwidth and TP-Link's own Access Points using the 2.5GbE PoE standard, this switch seems a highly appropriate inclusion in the Omada range.

Like the SG3428XMPP, this switch still has 240W of power to distribute over PoE, which is 30W per port. And, it ticks all the boxes in Enterprise networking bingo, with Zero-Touch provisioning, centralised Cloud management and AI-driven monitoring.

For those already using the TP-Link Omada management solution, the SG3218XP-M2 provides a drop-in solution which links via two 10Gbps SFP+ to a network backbone, adding enough high-speed PoE for eight WiFi 7 access points or HD security cameras.

As we move away from the 1GbE LAN, the SG3218XP-M2 is a stepping stone in the right direction, and at around $370 in the US, the return on investment is easy to justify.

Depending on your specific needs, this could be the best network switch around - and it's not expensive to deploy and manage these.

Omada SG3218XP-M2: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? $370/£430
• When is it out? Available globally
• Where can you get it? Direct from a TP-Link, a retail partner or via an online retailer

You can buy the Omada SG3218XP-M2 directly from TP-Link or via online retailers.

If bought through Amazon or directly from TP-Link, the US price on Amazon is $369.99, and the UK price on Amazon.co.uk is £435.40.

Quite why this hardware is so much cheaper in the USA, I’ve no idea, but it is.

If this is the first Omada switch you’ve bought, I’d strongly recommend also getting one of the TP-Link dedicated controllers to work alongside it. Although you can use TP-Link’s Cloud controllers, you can also install the controller application on another system.

The OC300 TP-Link Omada Hardware Controller, designed to manage multiple Omada devices, costs £119.99 from Pacetech in the UK and $159.99 from TP-Link for US customers. And, the OC200 is only $79.99 from Amazon.com, and £71.99 from Amazon.co.uk.

Managed PoE switches of this spec usually aren’t cheap, especially from familiar brand names.

Looking at the usual suspects, D-Link doesn’t offer a Layer 3 managed PoE switch yet, sadly. Netgear has the XSM4328CV, a 24x10G/Multi-Gig PoE+ model with four 4xSFP28 25G ports, and the ability to deliver 720W. But given how much more throughput that switch offers, you won’t be surprised to learn it costs over $4000, if you can find one.

At a similar price to the TP-Link, the Cisco Catalyst 1300-16P-2G offers only 1GbE on the 16 ports.

The closest specification switch I found was the Ubiquiti Pro Max 16 PoE, which has 16 ports: 12 1GbE PoE+ and 4 2.5GbE PoE++, and it has the same dual 10G SFP+ ports. It can only distribute 180W of power over its PoE, but it costs only $279.

If you are already using Ubiquiti hardware, then it might suffice, but it’s not ideal for larger installations with lots of Wi-Fi 7 access points.

New products arrive all the time in this slice of the market, but given what others have available, the SG3218XP-M2 seems suitably priced.

• Value: 4/5

TP-Link Omada SG3218XP-M2: Specs

TP-Link Omada SG3218XP-M2: Design

• Solid construction
• Active cooling
• Reasonable power budget

With so much switch hardware available from TP-Link, it’s important to first establish where the SG3218XP-M2 fits in the greater scheme of things.

TP-Link currently offers eight levels of switches, ranging from the Campus series to Aggregation, Access Max, Access Pro, Access Plus, Access, Agile, and Unmanaged.

The SG3218XP-M2 fits into the Access Pro tier, where it resides alongside five other designs, some of which feature 48 PoE ports, in addition to the four 10GbE SPF+ ports.

This design takes a step back from the extreme end of these choices, with only eight ports of PoE+, but it does offer those alongside another eight LAN ports, and all sixteen are 2.5GbE.

Compared to the bigger Omada Access Pro products, this switch uses the same robust steel construction but packages it more succinctly. Where the SG3428XPP-M2 is 330mm deep, the SG3218XP-M2 is only 180mm front to back, enabling it to fit easily into a shallow rack.

I discovered that, because it's only 4.29 kg, getting it into a rack is significantly easier, at least compared to an SG3428XMPP that I chose to swap it with.

TP-Link provides adhesive rubber feet if you prefer shelf installs, along with L-plates for rack mounting.

The current Omada switch designs all use fans mounted on the left side, drawing air from vents on the right, and in this case, there are two fans providing sufficient cooling for the system.

The fan speed is controlled by the monitoring hardware in the switch, and its rotational speed changes with the amount of PoE power it's outputting and the amount of data flowing through it. I’ve seen a few people complain that it's noisy, but with the workloads I ran through and the ambient temperature in my office, it was the exact opposite for me.

Where this switch might not be ideal is in those locations that use PoE for significant power distribution, since it’s only PoE+ 30W rated. TP-Link does make PoE++ switches capable of delivering 90W per port, but this switch isn’t suitable for that output level.

However, it can operate on all 16 ports, including the 8 PoE+ ports, at 2.5GbE, making it highly suitable as a backhaul for Wi-Fi access points that support 2.5GbE PoE.

The two 10G SFP+ ports are also invaluable, as they can be used to connect the switch to a 10GbE backbone or to NAS servers.

When TP-Link come to upgrade this switch into its next iteration, I’d recommend they add either two more 10G SFP+ or two 10GbE LAN ports, since the latter are now becoming standard for many of the better NAS platforms.

Overall, I like where the Omada SG3218XP-M2 sits. The mix of PoE and LAN with a 10G SFP+ backbone makes it ideal for small business deployment. Power users can connect to the eight 2.5GbE LAN ports, the PoE devices can get their best speeds from the other PoE ports, and other switches can chain via the SFP+.

My only caveat is that I’d definitely recommend that, along with the budget for the switch, enough money is allocated to include an Omada controller, if you don’t already have one.

Design: 4.5/5

TP-Link Omada SG3218XP-M2: User experience

• Omada management
• Encourages localised controller

I’ve talked about the current Omada user experience in other reviews. But from the perspective of a professional IT person (and I was one once), this is a highly refined solution that gives you three options for configuring and managing switches, routers, access points, and the like.

In the context of the Omada SG3218XP-M2, if you already have a controller configured, deployment of the switch is remarkably easy.

The controller can be any computer with the Omada controller software installed, so it doesn’t cost anything to unlock this functionality for those with limited resources. Alternatively, there is an Omada Cloud service, and depending on how you use that, it can range from being free to a monthly subscription.

And my preferred approach is the local Omada controller, a dedicated box that monitors all the Omada hardware on the network and can make immediate decisions should hardware fail in situ.

it and the broadband router on a UPS, the entire system will remain operational for a period during a power outage, enabling it to send warning messages and also configure the system to maximise battery runtime.

What’s great about the hardware controller is that if you place that and the broadband router on a UPS, the entire system will remain operational for a period during a power outage, enabling it send warning messages out and also configure the system for maximising battery running time.

Even if you use the Cloud version to administer a collection of remote sites, having local hardware controllers has some useful advantages, especially if the internet has a wobble.

For the largest installations, it's possible to create profiles for all Omada switches, access points, and routers, and execute them across the network and via the Cloud on other networks you control.

That makes rolling out new security strategies and VLAN plans easy, and adding a new Wi-Fi SSID will make it propagate across all access points automatically. But it’s important to say that you can make granular changes also, if those are deemed necessary.

• User experience: 4/5

TP-Link Omada SG3218XP-M2: Final verdict

If you are considering deploying TP-Link Wi-Fi 7 hardware, like the TP-Link EAP725-Wall, then this is the switch designed to make the most of that technology.

There is little point in investing in Wi-Fi 7 if they connect to the internet via 1GbE, since the backhaul to the network becomes the limiting factor.

The Omada SG3218XP-M2 could easily support a 20GbE broadband connection and distribute it to eight PoE+ Access Points, and still have extra capacity for wired connections.

My only small concern is that just arrived on my desk is the Omada EAP787, and it needs 10GbE PoE++ ideally. That's fine for those who have an SX3832MPP or the POE380S 10GbE POE++ injector to connect it. But the Omada SX3832MPP alone is four times the price of the SG3218XP-M2, so going down that rabbit hole could get expensive.

Unless you’ve been chugging the corporate Koolaid and only do extreme deployments, the SG3218XP-M2 provides something significantly better than the many 1GbE PoE switches; its L3 credentials are excellent, and it slots effortlessly into the Omada controller infrastructure. And, given all its capabilities, the price is highly affordable.

Should I buy a TP-Link Omada SG3218XP-M2?

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