- Virtual CIO
The Virtual CIO Checklist: 20 Things to Review Annually
25 Mar, 2026




£38.40 inc. VAT
AI-generated summary
For £32 ex-VAT, the TP-Link TL-SG108E is the kind of “stop fiddling and just plug in” switch that actually makes sense for small UK offices, home workshops, and lean IT setups. You’re getting an 8‑port gigabit L2 managed unit, which is already a better fit than the usual unmanaged options if you care about basic traffic control—think separating voice and data, keeping a bit of sanity on VLANs, or tightening up how devices behave without needing enterprise gear. In day-to-day use it’s quiet, reliable, and generally painless to deploy.
That said, it’s not for everyone. If you need lots of ports, stacking, or heavy routing/advanced features, you’ll hit limitations quickly and end up shopping again. Also, “managed” here mostly means you’re buying configuration flexibility, not magic—if you don’t need VLANs/traffic priorities, an unmanaged switch can be cheaper for the same everyday connectivity. But if you want decent value with just enough management to clean up a small network, this is a solid buy.

Zyxel
Zyxel GS1005HP - Switch - unmanaged - 4 x 10/100/1000 (PoE+) + 1 x 10/100/1000 - desktop, wall-mountable - PoE (60 W)

TP-Link
TP-Link DS-LGPA-08 V1 - GPON terminal - 2.5 Gbps - PON

Netgear
NETGEAR Smart GS110TPv3 - Switch - smart - 8 x 10/100/1000 (PoE) + 2 x SFP - desktop, wall-mountable - PoE+ (55 W) - DC power

Zyxel
Zyxel - Wireless access point enclosure - waterproof - wall mountable, pole mountable - indoor, outdoor