TP-Link TL-SG108 8-Port Switch

The TL-SG108 is an unmanaged eight-port gigabit switch — the kind of piece that quietly holds a small network together without asking anything of you. In a live-audio rack its job is simple: give your Dante devices, a laptop, a wireless system, or a remote control app somewhere to talk to each other. It draws 5 watts at most, weighs next to nothing at 300 grams, and at $24 it's genuinely disposable enough to carry a spare. That price point tells you exactly what tier of rig this belongs in.

Unmanaged means plug-and-play and nothing else. There is no web interface, no QoS configuration, no VLAN tagging — the switch forwards traffic and that's the entire feature set. For a small Dante network carrying a handful of channels between a stagebox and a console, or a control network linking a few wireless receivers to a laptop, that's often enough. Where it breaks down is under heavier multicast load: without IGMP snooping, all Dante multicast floods every port, which on a larger network chews into headroom fast. Keep your device count modest — think four to six Dante endpoints max — and this switch handles the job cleanly. The 100mm depth is genuinely short, which matters when rack real estate is tight.

Pick this switch if you're running a small IEM or playback rig where the network is a convenience layer — remote control, a channel or two of Dante, maybe timecode over IP — and managed features would be overkill for the gig. It's also a solid choice as a dedicated control-only network isolated from your main Dante infrastructure. Skip it if you're routing double-digit Dante channels, mixing multicast-heavy workflows, or need any level of traffic prioritization. For those situations, a managed switch with IGMP snooping — a Cisco SG series or similar — is worth every extra dollar. The TL-SG108 is a tool for the right job, not a budget shortcut for a job that needs more.