Ubiquiti UniFi USW Flex Mini 5-Port Budget Friendly Managed Gigabit Switch

[@Pro-cheeseburger]

everytime these are in stock I tell my self I don't need one I don't need one... but they are so cute!!

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

They can be bought just on the cute factor.

[@augurseer]

Hahaha. Tempting.

[@dylannoalan615]

I'm just going to buy one for no reason for my to-go bag. Incase I need a quick wired network wherever I'm at, I can quickly just set it up and go.

[@The_Obvious_Solution]

I just went to Micro Center to buy one. Came home with 4.

[@Pro-cheeseburger]

@@The_Obvious_Solution nice I have 3 around the house.. they are great Access switches

[@reddyuda]

PoE pass through would be amazing. I just want the ability to toss a switch in when there is only 1 network drop and it is already occupied by a phone. Very common scenario for any MSP or IT guy. Definitely worth an additional $5-10 bucks to me (vs the more expensive 8-port). I rarely need 8 ports, usually 4 will suffice (1 for uplink, 1x each for PoE Phone, PC, and Printer)

[@CamiloSperberg]

I just realized there is a USW-Flex which has 1 PoE-In and 4 PoE outs... for USD 99. It definitively is not 10 bucks more, but the option is out there.

[@alonzosmith6189]

Simple Unifi little Gb switch, use for PC and TV in the basement

[@NickyNiclas]

One neat thing with USB C power is that you can just use a power bank as a UPS for these. Really handy in some environments

[@WeAreTwoDoorsDown]

The use case you mentioned at 3:44 is exactly why I'm considering this switch. I recently purchased a Unifi 24 port POE switch and ran cat5 and cat6A throughout the home, but I only ran 1 line to my grandpa's room for his computer. Now his Roku is loading slow on WiFi, but with a wired connection it works fine. I want to have the computers in the house on a separate VLAN from the smart devices / media devices so I can control what "phones home". To me this $30 switch is worth it compared to having to climb in the attic again and pull more wire.

[@vboutique2188]

Probably a stupid question but for a home network setup is it better to have one router then switches out from there or could you have say a wireless router that accepts the main internet signal then another router on the other end?

[@Zeric1]

It would be good to discuss the limitations of the Mini Flex. Here are some I found: it doesn't support 802.1x, spanning tree, link aggregation, LLDP-MED, SSH, the "experience" percentage number, and there are limitations on VLAN trunks. Also there is no web interface so it's not clear if there is a way to manually set the "inform" address. None of these are show stoppers considering the typical use case, just things to be aware of. It a nice product for the price that fills a gap in the lineup.

[@petervandebeek5980]

DHCP Option 43 will do

[@SomewhereDoingSomething]

I bought it off the cuff (because it was 30 bucks and figured it would get its use) but immediately upon getting it, needed a cheap switch that could lagg two wans for a small business. Was a little disappointed it didn't support that, but still a great quality switch for 30.

[@Mrunal4Tech]

I was waiting for them to release something smaller and cost effective. Thanks for the video!

[@bradley3549]

Just finally got a Dream Machine Pro coming. Wish I had known about this guy, what a great little unit for a desktop unit or behind the TV. Just to avoid another wall wart.

[@AppleiOSGenius]

Just to be clear POE to give it power, but the other 4 port is just switching so I can’t connect 4 more say AP’s that require Poe to those port as no Poe out - correct?

[@JuanLopez-db4cc]

Just Checked, its SOLD OUT! Everywhere! I'll be on the look out to purchase ASAP! Thanks Tom.

[@justinpacker2391]

When they become available they are usually sold out within a day or two.

[@GrassDaddy]

They are in stock right now

[@justinpacker2391]

Thankfully it looks like they re-stock every week but sell out quickly.

[@ojasray1]

I just bought Ubiquiti Dream Machine -- however, I am thinking I should return to get WiFi 6 -- Do you recommend anything? I need something that is mesh - to support large space and lots of devices.

[@VictorCaro]

I had to look it up as mine doesn't support POE.... seems the initial early access models don't have POE power :( gonna have to grab another 1 or 2

[@trevorhawk2000]

perfect timing to come out with these as I am in the midst of ordering an UniFi US-8 60W 8 Port switch and realised that I will be 2 ports short for my setup and this will save me buying a 16 port unit.

[@jalcomlinux2983]

Hey there, I love your show and reviews... I am just wondering, at home I have 3 WANS and I have a load balancer switch from TPLINK TL-R480T, but I would like to put a firewall between this switch and my home network switch, what do you recommend? Thanks in advance!!

[@friedrich1277]

Its more configurable then the build-in switch in the $379 Unifi Dream Machine Pro. Unbelievable!

[@dragngt]

I have a 'typical' home UniFi system (USG, US-8-60W, cloud key and some APs). I have run out of ports for non POE devices and just need to add some additional wired ports so I can toss in a PiHole or something. How would this work in that environment?

[@pax0707]

I bought one to try it and it does what it does. You get a few extra ports where you need them. It's missing L2 and you should've guessed it from the price.

[@zadekeys2194]

Usb 5v to 12v DC barrel adapters are great aswell! I use it with many Mikrotik routers.

[@yuraymarstewart]

could you use this with with a cloud key and access point?

[@ingens]

Is port mirroring supported? It can be a good tool for traffic analysis "on-the-go".

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Yes

[@RichardBuckerCodes]

would be interesting to know whether they included a USB-C dongle... my 3-pack did not.

[@TurpInTexas]

I have a weird problem with mine, and this happens over several computers and ports on this switch, when the computer goes to sleep, and then wakes up later, the port on the switch is off, so I have to unplug the Ethernet connection and replug it back in to wake up the switch port. Computers work elsewhere just fine, its just this switch, and doesn't matter which port. They all have the same problem. I was hoping a software update would resolve the problem but still hasn't happened.

[@DoBaMan77]

Hi Tom, do you have a cloue why I can't choose any kind of profile for the mini? The option is not available? Greetings Dom

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

There are some options not supported on the mini

[@DoBaMan77]

@@LAWRENCESYSTEMS In other words although I can see the option on your mini doesn't mean I can have the same option in my environment? Greetings Dom

[@SCP3RrY]

can this be powered of a laptop usb port? going by power consumption it should work

[@The87por924]

I've wanted one of these for awhile. I couldn't find another POE powered mini switch anywhere, let alone a managed one!

[@paoloposo]

I ordered one and was pretty disappointed that it doesn't have an SSH console. Apparently there is no way to manually set an inform address to connect it to a remote controller. Ubiquiti might fix that in the future, but then I'll still have to go through the trouble of manually updating the firmware using debug mode. Very disappointing!

[@patrickjoseph3412]

Back in stock.. Ordered one to replace a dumb switch next to my main workstation

[@oleksandrlytvyn532]

Hello, I have a question: what if I don't have UniFi controller, would you recommend using this switch with equipment from another vendors, i.e. as is, without UniFi controller? Will all the functionality work ok?

[@Zeric1]

This is meant to be used with Unifi. Without a Unifi controller, you can't configure it.

[@nickhorton5839]

Any info on the ability to configure LAG on the USW FLEX MINI? In the video and on my own config page for the mini the ability to aggregate two ports is not selectable. I have a Synology NAS at my office desk and wanted to take advantage of the IEE 802.3ad LACP.

[@Silpheedx]

The cost of their switches was my only complaint about unifi. This makes me happy ^_^

[@mattscomp]

I think I need one of these! Just got a Dream Machine and I have an old security camera DVR that I'm unable able to assign an ip address. It's getting an IP and able to ping and use it but I want to forward the ports.. And the controller doesn't see the DVR at all. So I am stuck. But this switch looks like it will do exactly the job required and for a cheap price :-)

[@larsthorwald3338]

This seems like a good option to expand the last available ethernet port on my EdgeRouter 6P. Thanks

[@zayaanm6864]

My question is if I can add an Unifi access point using it...

[@koga7349]

I just got my flex mini and I like it. Using it powered by PoE to add a few more ports in my office

[@electrohacker]

great video, now where do I get it? I cant seem to find it for sale

[@N1CH0LAS12]

Will this work unadopted?

[@norgeek]

This is perfect! Recently moved into a house with VLAN based IPTV and single network drops at the TV locations. I was about to get the 8 port switches, but at $130 each locally they weren't making it into the budget any time soon. The current, temporary US-24 doesn't have a high living room approval factor 😅 I wonder though, at 2 watts, would it be safe to PoE this thing when I don't know the quality of the cable used? Maybe 40' runs in the walls..

[@Zeric1]

Open up one of the jacks and look at the cable and termination. From what I've seen, the issues are usually with the terminations rather than the cable itself. Re-terminating is easy compared to running a cable. This switch requires very little power so there shouldn't be any issue with a 40' run.

[@Oxizee]

the way you can put it in the Unifi Controller. I am sold! @Lawrence, couldnt you show more how to actually adopt the switch, instead showing vlan, trunking and other stuff where ppl dont know shit about.

[@maciiik750]

@Lawrence Systems / PC Pickup and others - as this is a Unifi device, could one say that the corresponding UNMS/EdgeMax counterpart is the EdgeRouter-X configured as switch?

[@danmatiesanu6823]

Can I power this with passive 48v Poe?

[@AlexWilliamson-aw]

Ugh, Flex Mini does not support custom port profiles... that would be a nice limitation to mention.

[@VIPERRED229]

None in stock in UK.

[@N556ND]

These are cheaper than some of the nicer dumb switches. I'll be buying a bunch!

[@arkes9874]

Hi, one question, can this switch can be configured, managed via web ui as only one device in whole network ? Or should i buy another Unifi device(controller?)

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Only works with the controller

[@2008spoonman]

My €22 TP-Link 5 port managed switch does the same. Love your channel, keep up the good work 👍🏼

[@Zeric1]

Functionality wise, they are similar. This is really for people who are committed to the Unifi network architecture. I have several small tp-link smart switches (SG108e & SG105E) that I will be switching to these so I have a consistent management view. I wish Unifi had a cheap 8 port model like this, something under $50. The older 8 port non-poe unifi switch is still about $100.

[@CamiloSperberg]

I have two sg108e but I find them to be really unstable. Everytime I have to assign vlan ports or do something else on those switches I end up having to reset them at least once. They also won’t keep the ip from the trunk as they randomly chose a vlan and get an ip from that vlan instead of the trunk, really annoying. I even have one where it decided to change its mac address to something like 00:28:79:00:28:79. Not even resetting the thing changes it back to default now. My point? Sometimes it is worth paying just a bit extra :)

[@tobyport5873]

hope they get more soon. sold out on ubiquiti website

[@Margucci]

does this do aggregation like the regular switches or is it limited like the one on the UDM?

[@yngndrw.]

It has an aggregate option on the UI unlike the UDM-Pro, so it seems to.

[@Zeric1]

The aggregation option is grayed out on my windows based controller, only has switching and mirror.

[@thatLion01]

Damn $29 I'm buying a few for my bag. Nice review. Thanks alot

[@okloopy]

I’m using to hook up a AppleTV and a smart TV so both are connected.

[@marciobiaso]

Hey guys! Here's my setup: Dreamrouter -> Lite 8 -> Mini Flex I have the exact same port 1 configs in Lite 8 and in Mini Flex (set do "trunk" ports, untagged vlan and ALLOW ALL tagged VLANS). When I plug my Mac in Mini Flex port 2, which is set to my tagged VLAN (10), I get the right IP, DNS, etc...but NO TRAFFIC! I can't even PING the Mini itself. If I bypass the MINI and plug directly into the Lite 8 port 2, which is also set to my tagged VLAN (10), all works fine.... i.e - Something in the MINI is blocking traffic to my Mac. P.S. I've tested in Windows and all works fine! Mini and Lite. P.S. It's not Mini's Tagged VLAN limitations. I know about this. What am I missing? Is that some Mini/Apple driver stuff? Thanks!

[@augurseer]

I have the unifi switch 8 port. And unifi 8 port with poe. This makes me laugh. Very cool Tom.

[@dosmaiz7361]

Where can I buy one? Lol. Can’t find it anywhere.

[@shoebucket]

Dang... now I wish I'd waited... but my US-8 still does a nice job on my office desk. Maybe I can find somewhere else it's needed.... hmmm..... :)

[@andljoy]

It would be amazing if it had PoE pass though for one port. Some of the mikrotik switches have that and its bloody useful !

[@CamiloSperberg]

There is also a USW-Flex which has 1 PoE-In and 4 PoE-outs. It's a lot more expensive though at USD 99.

[@CamiloSperberg]

This will come in very handy for me as I'll need to put in a middle switch so that I can throw some more cables around! I have a question though: does that poe in port NEED to be trunk or can any other port work as trunk?

[@Zeric1]

From what I can tell with some minimal testing, you can uplink as a trunk from any port, HOWEVER, you can not create a 2nd trunk port with selected VLANs, only one with all VLANs. Port 1 does not have to be a trunk, it can connect to a client. It's not clear without further testing if the Mini Flex is in the middle of two other switches, rather all the VLAN tags go through untouched, or if they are being re-written/stripped. My guess it that they would be sent through tagged. There are definitely some limitations that are not present on other Unifi switches, but nothing unreasonable that I've seen so far.

[@CamiloSperberg]

Zeric E thanks for your answer, very much appreciated! From what you say, this switch will be the perfect choice for my usecase, so I'll just buy one 😂 thanks again!

[@Zeric1]

@@CamiloSperberg I just did some more testing with this setup: 24 port unifi switch Mini Flex A Mini Flex B Client(Port2) & Client(Port3). The link between the switches were initially set to a profile for all VLANs. The last one in the cascade, Mini Flex B, was indeed able to separate out an individual VLAN for the RaspB Clients, so they do seem to remain tagged after leaving Mini Flex A heading to Mini Flex B. I then changed the link between the 24 port switch and Mini Flex A to be just a subset of my VLANs (VLANs 1 & 7 & 8), and that also worked fine with traffic making it to the clients on VLANs 7 & 8, (VLAN 1 only carries management traffic). The only thing you can't do, is tell Mini Flex A to only send certain VLANs to Mini Flex B, it's either all / nothing / just one VLAN. I'm not aware of any other switch in the Unifi line that has this limitation. It will only come up when one is trying to have switches downstream of a Mini Flex which isnt going to be the typical use case, and even that limitation isn't going to a problem for most people. There are a number of other limitations on the Mini Flex, I did a separate comment to the video on all the ones I found so far.

[@CamiloSperberg]

Zeric E Oh ok, that limitation won't be a problem for me, my current setup is: switch A => switch B, which carries all VLAN's. What I want to do now is put that mini in the middle: switch A => mini port 2 => mini port 1 (poe) => switch B. I also want to connect some direct clients to it. I think this switch will be ideal for just that. Thanks again mate for your investigation!

[@Zeric1]

@@CamiloSperberg Glad to help as I'm trying to better understand the product and it's limitations. I would only consider it though if you're already using Unifi gear in your network as it does need a Unifi controller running somewhere on your network.

[@tomwhite9128]

They are kind of a PIA to adopt though...

[@Felix-ve9hs]

here in germany it still costs € 44,99 I really hope it will get cheaper soon

[@antoniocerasuolo757]

it's totally unclear to me if I buy this switch where do i go to configure it??this UNIFI control plane is there a download link??

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Yes, you need the UniFi controller software form their site

[@antoniocerasuolo757]

@@LAWRENCESYSTEMS I'm just setting up the switch as stand alone without all the other equipment can i use an app?

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

Their equipment is designed to use their software to control it.

[@raoskidoo15]

Is there an affordable PoE Router ? Can't find one

[@btw111]

The Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X...? Depends on your use case.

[@raoskidoo15]

@@btw111 ER-X-SFP would be great. I need atleast 1 PoE port. 4 Acces port and a SFP

[@Whipster-Old]

Ubiquiti kicking butt.

[@GiorgioAresu]

Unifi kind of let me down, my USW-24-250W died after 18 months with light home usage. Basically you're on your own, no schematics no nothing. Throw it away and buy a new one. Plenty of people with the same issue, maybe they're not engineered that good? Controller and everything are pretty good, which is why I'm not sure to replace it with other brands of the same price bracket :(

[@Jamesaepp]

I am also in the camp of disappointment. I can handle devices failing, but the lack of post-purchase support is what makes me untrustworthy of ubiquiti products.

[@spielp]

Take a look at Cisco 3750G-48PS switched on eBay. Been using them for years. Will take you some time to configure if your not used to ios but worth it.

[@GiorgioAresu]

@@spielp thank you! Will take a look, pricing used is not as bad is I thought, considering it's a 48 ports, I paid the same for the 24p Unifi new. I'm trying to repair the Unifi myself but hopes are not that high 😅

[@Zeric1]

A lot of Unifi gear runs hot, I add a fan to any of their gear that doesn't seem cool to the touch, blowing some air across the outside at low speed can make a huge difference.. Heat is the number one cause of failure with electronics.

[@GiorgioAresu]

@@Zeric1 yeah, but a 250w POE switch failing with only a single POE device connected seems weird

[@yngndrw.]

The only thing I think that this is missing are wall mounting keyholes on the back.

[@Zeric1]

That would be nice, but they are very light weight so one could just use "hook and loop" tape on each of the surfaces. Not as nice, but functional.

[@pedrofrade1183]

Hey Lawrence! Great video! I have an EdgeRouter-X, could I use this with that router and still be able to manage it? Or would I need specific Unifi Equipment?

[@NickF1227]

If they had a POE option for 79 or something and it is small as hell like this if be all over it like white on rice

[@alexneustadter4498]

I think the USW-Flex is more what your looking for, 1 802.3af/at/bt in, 4 802.3af out for $100

[@itsathejoey]

After shipping though its $45.

[@-Good4Y0u]

Now it's being sold at like 15% markup hhaa ..oh man

[@michaelimlay5773]

Nice, but out of stock :(

[@LIVETANKREN]

Nice device, but it's much more expensive in China, nearly $37

[@Alan.livingston]

I bet mikrotik will see a drop in sales of the 750GL after this thing came out.

[@therealb888]

If only they launch a 8 port version for $39 with POE out :(

[@Sladeofdark]

Bought 5 of em as soon as they became available

[@Zeric1]

Me too, just go them yesterday and started testing today. They have some limitations, but nothing unreasonable.

[@matts7064]

I've asked on Reddit and looked around on line... Has anyone had any luck remotely adopting these switches?

[@richardlewis1878]

I had to make sure that in DNS "unifi" resolved to the IP of the controller.

[@diavuno3835]

I'll be ordering a bunch!

[@Bill_W_N7]

Nice looking little device. In browsing the UI forums though, quite a few complaints regarding lack of STP. Some folks complained about broadcast storms as well.

[@Unc1eMike]

@2:26 control plane?

[@Zeric1]

The terminology "control plane" is historic, language you might hear from someone who has used Cisco equipment. For the purposes of the video, it's the Unifi Controller, rather cloudkey or PC or a UDM etc.

[@avenellr6993]

Control plain is also a term used for inter fabric connections to storage as well.

[@StreamingF1ydave]

Still waiting for someone to carry these that isn't trying to ship everything with DHL.

[@Zeric1]

I purchased directly from Ubiquiti, they sent it UPS. Unfortunately stock is short on these so you just have to keep watching for when they have them.

[@kingwing5963]

And its sold out

[@MukeshWani]

Out of stock... and other sites are selling it for twice the price.

[@DanielLandsverk0]

VLAN 69..... Really?

[@LAWRENCESYSTEMS]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@genemontgomery6408]

Hah!

[@fUjiMaNia]

you ain't a real network dude unless you got a ponytail and/or thicc beard lol

[@clxxcv4208]

Minimalizm in pocket, sexy ^-^

[@kallespears6432]

I hate it, will not adopt.