The Ubiquiti Switch Flex Mini 2.5G is a five-port managed 2.5GbE desktop switch that costs fifty dollars and draws power over PoE—or USB-C if you prefer. At this price point, managed 2.5GbE switching is impulse-buy territory, and the value proposition is hard to argue with. I replaced a collection of 1GbE Flex Mini switches scattered around the house with these 2.5GbE models; the upgrade was painless and immediately noticeable for local file transfers. There’s not much more to say because there’s not much more to the product: it’s a small, quiet, PoE-powered switch that integrates perfectly with the UniFi ecosystem, does one thing, and does it well. Buy several.

The Perfect Desk Switch

This is what you put on your desk when you have more than one computer. Desktop, laptop dock, NAS, whatever else lives in your workspace—they all plug into the Flex Mini, and one cable runs back to your main switch.

It just works. Adopts into UniFi with a click, shows up in your topology. No separate power adapter cluttering your desk because it draws power over the same Ethernet cable that carries your data. (You can power it with usb-c if you prefer).

The Value

At this price point, managed 2.5GbE switching is essentially impulse-buy territory. You’re getting more than double the bandwidth of gigabit for the cost of a nice lunch. The value proposition is hard to argue with.

I had a collection of the 1GbE Flex Mini switches scattered around the house. Now I have a collection of these 2.5GbE models. The upgrade was painless and immediately noticeable for local file transfers.

The Simplicity

There’s not much else to say because there’s not much else to the product. It’s a small, quiet, PoE-powered 5-port 2.5GbE managed switch that integrates perfectly with the UniFi ecosystem. It does one thing and does it well.

If you need more ports, buy a bigger switch. If you need 10GbE, that version exists too (and is a little weird—review forthcoming). But for extending your network to a desk, a media center, or anywhere you need a few extra ports without running multiple cables, the Flex Mini 2.5G is the obvious choice.

Verdict

Buy several. You’ll find places for them.