When you’re setting up a network for a multi-story location with a large area, you need a more complex network architecture, which will likely include smart switches with Power Over Ethernet (PoE) capabilities. These switches are valuable because they can provide both network connectivity and power to access points and IoT devices. If you create such a network using ASUS ExpertWiFi routers and access points, you will likely need the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 smart managed PoE+ switch. This device is designed to enhance your network and support the needs of your organization. Here’s how it works and what it can do:

ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15: Who is it good for?

This switch is a suitable choice for:

• Medium-sized businesses that need easy-to-use networking solutions
• Internet connections up to 1 Gbps
• Locations that require a complex networking infrastructure

Pros and cons

Here are the things I like about the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15:

• Can be mounted on walls or placed in areas that are hidden from view
• It has four LAN ports with Power Over Ethernet up to 60 Watts
• Well integrated into the ASUS ExpertWiFi ecosystem
• Easy to add to the network and manage

As for downsides:

• While it can work with routers from other brands, you don’t get the best experience

Verdict

I found the ExpertWiFi EBP15 smart managed PoE+ switch to be a capable networking device that provides extensive network coverage in locations with multiple rooms and floors, such as hostels, company offices, medical clinics, or schools. It works great with other ExpertWiFi networking equipment and is easy to detect, install, and manage. Its features and capabilities make it a great choice for mid-sized organizations that want to lower the number of cables necessary for setting up their network.

Unboxing the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15

Like all the other ASUS ExpertWiFi networking equipment, the EBP15 smart managed PoE+ switch comes in a white cardboard box sourced from FSC-certified responsible forestry. The device is pictured on the top cover alongside the product name and a list of its most important features.

The packaging for ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15

On the back and sides of the box, ASUS offers more details about the switch, the device’s VLAN capabilities, device management features, Power Over Ethernet budget, and Quality of Service (QoS) feature. You can also check its hardware specifications and get details about what’s inside the box.

When you take everything out of its packaging, you’ll find the ExpertWiFi EBP15 switch, its power adapter, and power plugs for the EU, UK, and US. Because this switch has PoE capabilities, its power adapter is large and heavy, similar to a laptop's. You also get an ethernet cable, a quick setup guide, a warranty card, a guide on mounting the router on walls, and safety information about the product.

Everything you find inside the box

Many users will appreciate the unboxing experience for ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 and the level of information they receive about the product, its features, and how to use it.

Hardware specifications and design

The case of the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 switch is made of aluminum and painted white, while the company logo and product name are printed in black. It’s not a big device, having just 121 x 75 x 26 mm or 4.7 x 2.9 x 1.02 inches in width x depth x height. Its modest size makes it ideal for fitting into low-voltage wiring boxes. It’s also relatively lightweight, at 248 grams or 0.54 lb. On its back, you find all the ports and LEDs:

• The PoE/Alert LED signals when the system is powered on, fails, or when the power output exceeds the maximum 60-watt PoE power budget. Remember that this switch can deliver a maximum of up to 30 Watts per port.
• The Power/System LED signals when the switch is booting, when it is powered on or off, and when it fails.
• Four LAN ports with PoE capabilities, up to 60 Watts.
• One Ethernet LAN port without PoE capabilities. You’ll want to use this port to connect the switch to an ExpertWiFi router.
• The Power jack.
• The Reset button.
• Above each port, LEDs signal whether the port is disconnected, what its connection type is, and whether it is transferring data.

The ports found on the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15

On the front side of the switch, you’ll find only a warranty seal and a screw for removing its metal cover.

The front side of the switch

On the sides, you’ll find the ventilation grids, which help cool the hardware inside the switch. Unfortunately, ASUS did not communicate the SoC (System-on-a-chip) powering the ExpertWiFi EBP15. We only know that it has 4 Mbits of buffer memory and that its PoE ports comply with the 802.3 af/at standard.

ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 can operate in temperatures ranging from 0℃ to 40℃ (32℉ to 104℉) and in humidity ranging between 10% and 95%.

The ventilation grids are on the sides

On the bottom of the switch, you'll find four rubber feet and two holes for mounting it on walls. There is also a sticker with information about where and when it was manufactured, its default access IP address, MAC address, and more.

ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 can be mounded on walls

For more technical information about this product and its capabilities, check its official webpage: ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15.

Setting up and using the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15

To use and set up the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 switch, you first need to install and configure a router, like the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBG15 that I recently reviewed. While the switch can work with routers from other brands, it was designed to integrate perfectly with the ExpertWiFi line-up of business networking devices. Therefore, after installing my router, I went to the AiMesh section of the user interface to add the ExpertWiFi EBP15. It was detected and added to the network in seconds.

Adding ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 to the network

From that point onwards, I could change any settings I wanted on the router, and they would get replicated by the switch and applied to the network. ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 is designed to work great with other networking devices that require Power over Ethernet delivery. You can connect to the switch devices like PoE access points (like the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBA63 that I was using), phones, surveillance cameras, and other IoT devices. In my review experience, ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 worked great with ExpertWiFi access points.

There aren't many settings that you can change for this switch. You see whether each ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 is connected to the network, as well as the uplink type and port status.

The settings available for ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15

You can set the PoE priority, change the allocated power budget, and see the actual power currently used for all the ports with Power Over Ethernet enabled.

Setting the PoE budget and priority

The ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 can be accessed and managed from the ExpertWiFi mobile app, too, but there isn’t much you can configure about its functioning. Ultimately, the router does the heavy lifting, not the switch.

ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 can be managed from the ExpertWiFi app too

ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 is compatible with the Adaptive QoS service available on all ExpertWiFi equipment and can correctly apply the rules you set for all the devices connected to it.

Adaptive QoS works with ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15

Many organizations will also appreciate its VLAN capabilities and how easy it is to set them from the ASUS firmware and apply them to the ExpertWiFi EBP15 and its connected devices.

Setting up VLAN

Performance-wise, there isn’t much to say about the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15. Its LAN ports work at 1 Gbps. A quick test I made to confirm whether this is the case was to connect a desktop computer via a cable to an ASUS ExpertWiFi EBG19P router. Next, I ran a SpeedTest to see the maximum speed I could reach when downloading and uploading data to and from the internet. Then, I connected the same computer to the switch (connected to the router) and repeated the same test. As you can see, the download and upload speeds delivered by ExpertWiFi EBP15 were similar to the router I was using for this test.

ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 in SpeedTest

As I said before, the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 is designed to work great in tandem with other ExpertWiFi products. However, you can connect it to a router from another brand and use the ExpertWiFi EBP15 to control the devices connected to it separately from the router. This choice isn’t ideal because it involves using multiple admin interfaces. The management overhead lowers the product's value and makes things more complicated than they should be.

The ExpertWiFi EBP15 smart managed PoE+ switch is a capable networking device that provides solid network coverage for locations with multiple rooms and floors, such as hostels, offices, medical clinics, or schools.

What is your opinion about the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15?

I hope that you now have a good understanding of the ASUS ExpertWiFi EBP15 switch and what it can do for you and your organization. If you have any questions left unanswered by my review, don’t hesitate to ask using the options below. And if you want to know more about other ExpertWiFi products, don’t hesitate to read the articles recommended below. 🙂