CONCLUSION

   In a market filled with “basic” switches the Linksys LGS318P with its very good build quality, 16 PoE+ compatible ports, available features and excellent performance really stands out. Unfortunately I never really expected it to be just as large as the XS712T 10GbE switch by Netgear nor did I expect it to come with a rather loud fan (at least when things are starting to get hot) but the massive number of available settings that give you almost complete control over each and every single one of its aspects/features are actually more than enough to make us forget about these two. At the same time however not even we can ever hope to use all available settings (to make things easier to understand we’ve been using this switch since May and yes we didn’t even end up using half of them at most) so for consumers who care not about getting a smart or a managed switch one of the unmanaged solutions like the LGS116P might be a better and a far more “affordable” choice.

   The LGS318P 18-Port Smart PoE+ Gigabit Switch by Linksys has but a single drawback and that’s its rather high price tag which is currently set at USD360.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 346Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Of course most of the time you get what you pay for and honestly the LGS318P is the sturdiest and most feature-rich switch to ever come through our lab (minus 10GbE connectivity) so we did expect it to cost quite a bit just not as much and this is also why we feel that most consumers and even professionals might just be better off with one of the unmanaged models like the LGS116P (costs half as much). At the end of the day however Linksys does market the LGS318P as a Business model and in that segment of the market performance and features is all that matters and since it does exceptionally well in both it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Excellent Performance
- 18 RJ45 & 2 SFP Ports
- 16 PoE+ Compatible Ports
- 125W Maximum Power Output (For PoE+)
- Available Settings / Features
- Power Consumption
- Lifetime Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Somewhat Loud Fan (At High Temperatures)