The Ubiquiti USW-Pro-24-PoE is a managed Layer 2/3 switch with PoE on every port that slots neatly into the UniFi ecosystem. Coming from unmanaged Netgear PoE switches, the visibility it provides into network topology transformed how I diagnose problems—the controller’s topology view shows exactly which devices connect to which ports, turning what used to require physical investigation into a glance at the dashboard. I bought it because every port has PoE, eliminating the guesswork of which wall port maps to a powered switch port. I kept it because of that topology view. Twenty-four ports sounds like plenty until you start counting cameras, wall jacks, access points, and infrastructure devices, so plan your deployment carefully.

Port Count Reality

Twenty-four ports sounds like plenty until you start counting: cameras, wall jacks throughout the house, access points, and other infrastructure devices. I ran out of ports. Plan your deployment carefully, and don’t assume 24 is overkill for a serious home network.

The PoE power budget itself was adequate for the connected cameras and access points. A significant plus was that all the ports had PoE, not just some as is common on other switches. If you’re running a camera-heavy setup, do the math on PoE port count, not just total wattage; otherwise you might well end up cursing yourself as you try to figure out whether you wired a particular wall port into a PoE port or a normal one. Here, they are all PoE, and that was my primary selling point.

Physical Design Opinions

The port layout places all 24 RJ45 ports on one side rather than distributing them across the front panel. This is a love-it-or-hate-it design choice. It works well for neat cable runs coming from one direction, less well for installations where cables arrive from multiple angles.

One practical issue: some Ethernet cables with snagless boot protectors won’t physically fit when adjacent ports are occupied. The port spacing is tight enough that bulkier cable ends interfere with each other. The solution is straightforward—use cables with slimmer connectors—but it’s worth knowing before you crimp a batch of cables or buy in bulk.

The SFP+ ports proved useful only for adding more ports. One provides a fast direct link to the Dream Machine Pro , and the other handled a subsidiary switch on a different floor, but neither of those links were capable of making use of the 10G speeds.

For a home network, 10G might seem excessive, but when you’re moving large files between local machines or running multiple simultaneous video streams from cameras, the headroom matters.

Fan Noise

The Pro series uses active cooling. Under light to moderate load, the fan noise wasn’t bothersome in the rack location. Heavy sustained PoE draw might change that, but normal operation has been quiet enough to share a room with.

The Topology View

This is where replacing unmanaged Netgear PoE switches paid off immediately. The UniFi controller’s topology view shows exactly which devices connect to which ports. This visibility is a godsend for diagnosing network issues:

  • Bad cables: See a device flapping or showing errors on a specific port
  • Network loops: Identify exactly where the loop exists before it takes down the network
  • New DHCP clients: Locate where a newly-connected device plugged in physically
  • Cable tracing: Know which wall jack connects to which switch port without a toner

With unmanaged switches, all of this required physical investigation—walking around, unplugging cables, checking link lights. With the USW-Pro-24-PoE integrated into the UniFi controller, it’s a glance at the dashboard.

Management Integration

Like all UniFi devices, the switch adopts into the controller with a single click and receives firmware updates through the same centralized management. Port configurations, VLAN assignments, and PoE settings are all handled through the familiar UniFi interface. No separate management IP to bookmark, no different credentials to remember.

Verdict

The USW-Pro-24-PoE delivers exactly what a UniFi ecosystem needs: managed switching with PoE, 10G uplinks, and full integration with the controller’s topology and diagnostics. The port density might be tighter than expected for large deployments, and cable compatibility requires some attention, but the visibility into network topology alone justified the upgrade from unmanaged switches. Being able to see your network’s physical structure from a dashboard changes how you troubleshoot.

The two 10G ports are useful in multiuser situations, but less so in a home lab. With most ports at 1G, you only get to 10G by heavy multiuser traffic.

I bought this so I wouldn’t have to worry about which ports had PoE and which didn’t. I kept it because of the topology view.

My UniFi Ecosystem

I purchased these components together as my entry into the UniFi ecosystem: