Is it a practical choice to use Openwrt router as Managed Switch

I am considering to buy a L2 Managed Switch directly, or use another router with openwrt as a managed switch. Is the latter choice a practical & valuable option? Will it introduce great burden on network and speed? Please give your any comments freely.

If you go for speed, there are managed switches for less than 30€, for example the TL-SG108E or under 20€ the SG105E.
So I don't think it's worthy.

100% agreed with @trendy.

It's cheaper and better to buy a managed switch. I use the Netgear S350 (GSD308T) range, but the TP-Link ones are perfectly good as well.

Thanks trendy & dl12345 's opinion. Although your recommended models are Smart Managed Switch, which just simulate functions of Managed Switch by software, I have really overlooked them, because Openwrt Router also run as Managed Switch by software. In this perspective, I agree that:
Smart Managed Switch > Openwrt Router as Managed Switch,
if the former can be as stable as Openwrt under heavier loading.

Either one just uses the CPU to set up switch hardware, so they are quite stable under heavy loading. I'm a little concerned about the security of units like the SG108E because their web interface always listens on all the VLANs and there's no way to change that. In an environment where everyone can be trusted it would not be a big problem.

When I create this topic, the Managed Switch in my mind is TP-Link TL-SG3210 v4, since I have a way to get it in low price. TP-Link is competitive in cost & quality. But considering the it is a Chinese company, and I cannot burn another OS into this switch as I burn Openwrt into its router, the security concern has become my core struggle, because I can selectively block a device or VLan from accessing Internet, but I can never block a Switch to do so, since I need to allow some of its monitoring ports / devices to access Internet.

I had bad experiences with the TL-SG108E resp. TL-SG105E. I bought one of them in December 2019, as far as I remember version 5. Both switches lost their config data, when powered off. So after power on they have their factory settings. I was not amused.

I returned them to Amazon-DE and ordered a Zyxel GS1200-8 and a GS1200-5 (same hardware, only difference is 5 or 8 ports). The Zyxels were 4 € more expensive then the TP-Links and keep their config data over a reboot and a power on/off cycle.

With the Zyxel switches I'm now a happy camper. :slightly_smiling_face:

The Netgear switch has some decent security settings. I happily pay the premium for them over the TP-Link ones. Have a look at the manual on the GS308T

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