Network gear is built for closets and server rooms, where nobody minds the fans. At home it shares a room with you, so noise and power draw decide where a box can live. This guide lists what the makers publish for the models in our catalog, and says plainly where they publish nothing. Makers measure noise in different ways, so compare figures within one maker before you compare across them.
The fanless ones
Eleven models in the catalog have no fans at all, and five of them are switches. The Cisco 3560CG-8PC-S is listed at 0 dB and still gives 124 W of PoE+ across eight ports. HP lists the 2530-24 at 0 dB with no fans, and the ProCurve 2610-24 with no fans either. The UniFi US-8-60W is fanless, and Ubiquiti rates it at 0.6 dB above a 27.5 dBA background. The MikroTik CRS326-24G-2S+RM is the big one, with 24 gigabit ports and two SFP+ cages in a 1U case and no fans.
Five of the routers are fanless too. The EdgeRouter X and EdgeRouter 4 are fanless, and the ER-4 has its power supply inside. MikroTik's hEX, RB4011 and hAP ac² are all passively cooled. The Juniper SRX300 is the one fanless firewall, and Juniper lists it at 0 dB.
Some fanned models have fanless siblings. Juniper's 12-port EX2200-C and EX2300-C are the fanless versions of its entry switches. MikroTik sold the CCR1009 as fanless desktops too, the CCR1009-7G-1C-PC and CCR1009-7G-1C-1S+PC, cooled with heat pipes. HP's 2530-48 and its 8-port 2530s are fanless like the 2530-24. Read the model code closely, because the PoE versions of the 2530-24 and 2610-24 do have fans.
Fanless still needs air
No fan means the case does the cooling. Juniper says the SRX300 cools by natural convection, so leave clear space around it and keep the vents unblocked. MikroTik warns that its S+RJ10 copper 10G module may need extra cooling in passively cooled devices like the RB4011 and CRS326.
Maker noise figures
Where a maker publishes a figure, we put it on the device page. Cisco gives the 2960S-48LPS-L 42 dB typical at 25°C, and the 3750X-48P-S 43 dB typical and 46 dB maximum with 16 PoE+ ports loaded. The ISR 2921 is louder, at 54.4 dBA typical and 67.4 dBA maximum. For the ASA 5505, Cisco quotes only 60 dBA as the maximum. The original 2960-24TT-L has a fan, and Cisco's guide gives no figure for it.
HP measures at a virtual workspace. Its figure for the 2530-24G-PoE+ is LpA 43.9 dB, the loudest of the 24-port 2530s, while the non-PoE 2530-24G is 34.0 dB. The 2920-24G-PoE+ is LpA 37.1 dB. HP rates the 2610-24-PWR at 56.6 dB of sound power, which is a different measure again.
Ubiquiti gives its numbers as decibels above a 27.5 dBA background. The US-24 runs 1.6 dB above it with its fan on the low level and 9.2 dB above on the high one. The US-48 runs 0.7 to 13.5 dB above.
Juniper rates the standard SRX210 models at 29.1 dB under EN ISO 7779, and publishes nothing separate for the MGW version we cover. For the six-fan SRX240 it only says under 70 dB(A).
Fans with no published figure
Several models have fans and no noise figure from the maker. Juniper's EX2200 and EX2300 each have two fans, and the EX3400 has two fan modules plus a fan in each power supply. Juniper says they run at moderate speed and speed up if a fan fails or the switch runs hot. MikroTik's CCR1009 and CRS328 have two fans each and no noise figure. We couldn't find a noise figure for HP's 2810-24G or Aruba's 2540 either, or anything on the EdgeSwitch 24 Lite's fans. For any of these, ask the seller for a short video with sound before you buy.
Power draw
Power matters as much as noise for something that runs all day, so here are the maker ratings, starting with the routers. Ubiquiti rates the EdgeRouter X at 5 W maximum and the EdgeRouter 4 at 13 W. MikroTik gives the hEX 10 W with USB attachments and 5 W without, the hAP ac² 21 W and 16 W, and the RB4011 33 W and 18 W. The SRX300 averages 24.9 W. The CCR1009 tops out at 39 W, and the ASA 5505 at 20 W steady and 96 W peak.
The smaller switches sit close by. The US-8-60W draws 12 W before PoE, the US-24 and EdgeSwitch 24 Lite 25 W at most, and the CRS326 24 W. Cisco rates the 2960-24TT-L at 30 W and the 3560CG at 24 W without PoE. The US-48 is rated at 56 W.
The bigger boxes climb from there. Juniper's EX2200 draws up to 50 W, the EX2300 up to 80 W before PoE and the EX3400 up to 100 W. The ISR 2921 is rated at 60 W typical, the 2960-S at about 71 W before any PoE load, and the SRX240 averages 86 W before PoE. The 3750-X draws about 134 W with its four-port gigabit module fitted. We couldn't find power figures for any of the HP and Aruba switches.
PoE changes the numbers
Every watt a switch sends over PoE comes through its own supply, so the draw rises with what you plug in. Cisco rates the 3560CG at 24 W with no PoE load and 165 W at full PoE. The 2960-S goes from 71 W to 266 W with half its 370 W budget in use. MikroTik says the CRS328 draws 44 W itself and 494 W with a full PoE load. The SRX240's 86 W above is before its PoE load too.
If you want PoE without fans, the 3560CG-8PC-S gives 124 W of PoE+ across its eight ports, and the US-8-60W gives 802.3af on four ports at up to 15.4 W each. The RB4011 has passive PoE out on port 10 only, for devices that accept passive PoE. The bigger budgets, like the 370 W on the 2960-S and the EX2300 or the 450 W on the CRS328, all come in boxes with fans.
Desk, closet or garage
For a desk or a bedroom shelf, stick to the fanless list. The 3560CG-8PC-S and the CRS326 give you a managed switch there, and any of the fanless routers will sit beside it. The UniFi US-24 and US-48 come close on paper, barely above room noise with the fan on its low level.
A closet with a door suits the fanned switches with mid-range figures, like the 2920-24G-PoE+, the 2530-24G-PoE+ and the 2960-S. The same goes for the Juniper EX switches and anything with no published figure, until you've heard it.
The garage or a proper rack is where the loud ones go. The ISR 2921 is rated at 54.4 dBA typical, and the 3750-X with its 43 dB and 134 W suits a garage more than a desk. The SRX240 has six fans and a 15-inch-deep chassis, so it lives in a rack. The CCR1009 brings the fan noise of a rack router along with its nine cores. If you're still deciding what to buy, our first router guide covers the fanless routers in more depth, and the checking guide covers what to listen for on arrival.
