{"id":8234203,"date":"2026-10-24T17:26:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T17:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scn.eu\/?post_type=scn_guide&#038;p=8234203"},"modified":"2026-10-24T17:29:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T17:29:29","slug":"managed-vs-unmanaged-switch","status":"publish","type":"scn_guide","link":"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/guides\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\/","title":{"rendered":"Managed vs unmanaged switch \u2013 and when you need TSN"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"scn-guide\">\n<h1>Managed vs unmanaged switch \u2013 and when you need TSN<\/h1>\n<p class=\"g-lead\">An unmanaged switch connects devices without any settings. A managed switch lets you control, prioritise and monitor the traffic. This guide explains the differences, what industry demands and when Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is worth choosing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"g-short\"><b class=\"t\">Short answer<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Unmanaged<\/b> \u2013 plug and play with no settings. Enough for a small, isolated machine or cell.<\/li>\n<li><b>Managed<\/b> \u2013 VLANs, prioritisation, IGMP snooping, redundancy and diagnostics. Needed when the network grows or connects to the plant network.<\/li>\n<li><b>Smart switch<\/b> \u2013 a middle ground with the key functions and simpler setup.<\/li>\n<li><b>Ring<\/b> \u2013 with a ring protocol the network recovers in milliseconds after a cable break.<\/li>\n<li><b>TSN<\/b> \u2013 guaranteed latency on standard Ethernet. Relevant when control, video and IT share one network.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What is the difference?<\/h2>\n<p>A switch sends each Ethernet frame to the right port. An unmanaged switch does just that: it learns the addresses by itself and works straight away. A managed switch can be configured via a browser, command line or SNMP. You can then split the network, prioritise important traffic, build in redundancy and see what is happening on each port.<\/p>\n<div class=\"g-tbl\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Function<\/th>\n<th>Unmanaged<\/th>\n<th>Managed<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"n\">Settings<\/td>\n<td>None<\/td>\n<td>Web, command line, SNMP<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"n\">VLAN<\/td>\n<td>No<\/td>\n<td>Yes, IEEE 802.1Q<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"n\">Prioritisation<\/td>\n<td>Sometimes fixed<\/td>\n<td>Yes, configurable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"n\">IGMP snooping<\/td>\n<td>No<\/td>\n<td>Yes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"n\">Redundancy<\/td>\n<td>No<\/td>\n<td>RSTP, MRP and ring protocols<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"n\">Diagnostics<\/td>\n<td>LEDs, sometimes alarm relay<\/td>\n<td>Port statistics, alarms, logs, port mirroring<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"n\">Security<\/td>\n<td>None<\/td>\n<td>User accounts, port lock, IEEE 802.1X<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"n\">Price<\/td>\n<td>Lower<\/td>\n<td>Higher<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>In between are smart switches, sometimes called lightly managed. They offer a selection of the functions, such as VLANs, RSTP and PROFINET or EtherNet\/IP support, but are easier to set up.<\/p>\n<h2>The functions that matter in industry<\/h2>\n<h3>VLAN<\/h3>\n<p>A VLAN splits one physical network into several logical ones. Control systems, cameras and office traffic can share the same switches without seeing each other. This limits disturbances and improves security.<\/p>\n<h3>Prioritisation (QoS)<\/h3>\n<p>Traffic is tagged with a priority under IEEE 802.1p, so I\/O data goes ahead of file transfers and video when a link is heavily loaded.<\/p>\n<h3>IGMP snooping<\/h3>\n<p>The switch only sends multicast to the ports that have asked for it. This matters in EtherNet\/IP networks and for video streams, where multicast would otherwise flood the whole network.<\/p>\n<h3>Redundancy<\/h3>\n<p>RSTP (IEEE 802.1w) is a standard that works across brands, but recovery can take from under a second to several seconds in larger networks. Ring protocols such as MRP (IEC 62439-2) and vendor protocols such as Moxa Turbo Ring recover within tens to hundreds of milliseconds. HSR and PRP (IEC 62439-3) send traffic two ways at once for seamless redundancy, for example in substations.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/scn-guide-switch-f1-en.webp\" alt=\"Four switches in a ring. The link between switch 2 and 3 is broken, and the blocked backup link between switch 4 and 1 opens so that traffic takes the other way\" width=\"1520\" height=\"520\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption>A ring of four switches: when a cable breaks, the blocked backup link opens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Diagnostics and PoE<\/h3>\n<p>A managed switch shows link status, errors and traffic per port and can raise alarms via SNMP, email or a relay output. PoE powers cameras, access points and sensors over the network cable: up to 15.4 W per port with IEEE 802.3af, 30 W with 802.3at and up to 90 W with 802.3bt, measured at the switch.<\/p>\n<h2>What does industry require of a switch?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Temperature<\/b> \u2013 industrial switches are available for \u221240 to 75 \u00b0C, without fans.<\/li>\n<li><b>Mounting<\/b> \u2013 DIN rail or wall with a metal housing, and 19-inch racks for backbones.<\/li>\n<li><b>Power<\/b> \u2013 dual DC inputs, for example 12\u201348 V DC, and an alarm relay for power loss.<\/li>\n<li><b>Connectors and sealing<\/b> \u2013 M12 instead of RJ45 where there is vibration, and IP67 for vehicles and outdoor use.<\/li>\n<li><b>Approvals<\/b> \u2013 EN 50155 for rail vehicles, IEC 61850-3 for substations and Class I Division 2 or ATEX Zone 2 for hazardous areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Which switch fits where?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"g-tbl\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>If you \u2026<\/th>\n<th>\u2026 choose<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>build a small machine with few devices and no plant network<\/td>\n<td>Unmanaged switch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>supply machines that connect to the customer\u2019s network<\/td>\n<td>Managed or smart switch with VLANs and PROFINET or EtherNet\/IP support<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>have many EtherNet\/IP devices or video streams<\/td>\n<td>Managed switch with IGMP snooping<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>run a process where a cable break must not stop production<\/td>\n<td>Managed switch with a ring protocol or MRP<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>power cameras and access points in tunnels, car parks or ports<\/td>\n<td>Switch with PoE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>build networks in trains and trams<\/td>\n<td>M12 switch to EN 50155<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>build substations and switchgear<\/td>\n<td>Switch to IEC 61850-3, often with PRP or HSR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>build vehicles, ships or defence systems<\/td>\n<td>Sealed IP67 switch or VPX switch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>need to mix control, video and IT with guaranteed response times<\/td>\n<td>TSN switch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What is TSN and when does it matter?<\/h2>\n<p>Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a set of IEEE 802.1 standards that make ordinary Ethernet deterministic. Without TSN, a large video stream or file transfer can briefly delay control data. With TSN, time-critical traffic gets guaranteed latency even when the network is full of other traffic.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>IEEE 802.1AS<\/b> \u2013 a common clock in all devices.<\/li>\n<li><b>IEEE 802.1Qbv<\/b> \u2013 scheduled time slots for time-critical traffic.<\/li>\n<li><b>IEEE 802.1Qbu and 802.3br<\/b> \u2013 long frames can be interrupted when an urgent frame needs to get through.<\/li>\n<li><b>IEEE 802.1CB<\/b> \u2013 frames are sent two ways for seamless redundancy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/scn-guide-switch-f2-en.webp\" alt=\"TSN timeline: every cycle begins with a reserved slot for control data, then video and IT traffic\" width=\"1520\" height=\"430\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption>TSN reserves a time slot in every cycle, so control data never has to wait for other traffic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>TSN matters when control, video and IT must share one network with strict timing, when motion control has to run over a shared network, and in vehicles, aerospace and defence, with many systems on one backbone. PROFINET and OPC UA have TSN variants, and IEC\/IEEE 60802 defines a common TSN profile for industrial automation.<\/p>\n<p>A typical machine or production cell does not need TSN today. PROFINET and EtherNet\/IP work well with ordinary managed switches. If you are building a plant meant to last 15\u201320 years, it can still be wise to ask for TSN support.<\/p>\n<h2>Common mistakes<\/h2>\n<ol class=\"g-pit\">\n<li><b>Unmanaged switch in an EtherNet\/IP network.<\/b> Without IGMP snooping, multicast goes to every port, and simple devices can receive more traffic than they can handle.<\/li>\n<li><b>A loop without a redundancy protocol.<\/b> If two ports are connected by mistake, a broadcast storm can bring down the whole network. RSTP or storm protection prevents it.<\/li>\n<li><b>Different ring protocols in one ring.<\/b> Vendor ring protocols rarely work across brands. If you mix brands, choose a standard such as MRP or RSTP.<\/li>\n<li><b>The PoE budget is too small.<\/b> Check both the power per port and the switch\u2019s total budget. Eight cameras at 30 W need 240 W.<\/li>\n<li><b>The default password is still there.<\/b> A managed switch with a factory password is an open door into the control system. Change passwords and disable unused services.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Switches from SCN<\/h2>\n<p>We supply unmanaged, managed and TSN switches from Moxa, Axiomtek, Yaskawa, Duagon, Diamond Systems and Enercon, among others. The range runs from small DIN-rail switches to Layer 3 rack switches, M12 switches for trains and VPX switches for defence systems.<\/p>\n<h3>Examples from our range<\/h3>\n<div class=\"g-prod\"><a class=\"g-pc\" href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/product\/eacsw\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/winmate-eacsw-main.webp\" alt=\"Winmate EACSW 8-Port Marine Ethernet Switch\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><span class=\"g-pb\">Winmate<\/span><span class=\"g-pn\">EACSW 8-Port Marine Ethernet Switch<\/span><span class=\"g-pw\">Unmanaged 8-port switch \u2013 plug and play, redundant 12\u201348 VDC inputs, DIN rail or wall mounting.<\/span><\/a><a class=\"g-pc\" href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/product\/pn5-rd-pn8-rd-managed-profinet-switch\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/yaskawa-pn5-rd-pn8-rd-main.webp\" alt=\"Yaskawa PN5-RD \/ PN8-RD Managed PROFINET Switch\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><span class=\"g-pb\">Yaskawa<\/span><span class=\"g-pn\">PN5-RD \/ PN8-RD Managed PROFINET Switch<\/span><span class=\"g-pw\">Managed PROFINET switch (Conformance Class B) with Turbo Ring, VLAN, QoS and IGMP snooping for the DIN rail.<\/span><\/a><a class=\"g-pc\" href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/product\/tsn-g5016\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/moxa-tsn-g5016-main.webp\" alt=\"Moxa TSN-G5016 16-Port Gigabit TSN Switch\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><span class=\"g-pb\">Moxa<\/span><span class=\"g-pn\">TSN-G5016 16-Port Gigabit TSN Switch<\/span><span class=\"g-pw\">Managed TSN switch with IEEE 802.1AS time synchronisation and IEEE 802.1Qbv scheduling.<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"g-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/product-category\/products\/network-products\/ethernet\/managed-switches\/\">Managed switches<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/product-category\/products\/network-products\/ethernet\/unmanaged-switches\/\">Unmanaged switches<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/product-category\/products\/network-products\/ethernet\/time-sensitive-networking\/\">Time-Sensitive Networking<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/product-category\/products\/network-products\/ethernet\/mil-ethernet-switches\/\">MIL Ethernet switches<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/product-category\/products\/network-products\/ethernet\/\">Ethernet switches<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"g-cta\">\n<p>Unsure which switch your network needs? Describe the installation to our engineers \u2013 you get an answer within 24 hours.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/contact\/\">Ask an engineer<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<details>\n<summary>Can you mix managed and unmanaged switches?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes, they work together in the same network. But VLANs, IGMP snooping and redundancy only apply in the managed switches, so place them where traffic converges.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What is IGMP snooping?<\/summary>\n<p>A function where the switch keeps track of which devices want a multicast stream and only sends it to their ports. Without it, multicast goes everywhere.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Does PROFINET need a managed switch?<\/summary>\n<p>Not always. Conformance Class A works with ordinary switches, but Class B requires switches with PROFINET diagnostics, including topology information via LLDP and SNMP.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What is the difference between RSTP and MRP?<\/summary>\n<p>RSTP is a general IEEE standard that works in any topology, but recovery can take up to a few seconds. MRP is designed for rings in industrial networks and recovers within a guaranteed time, usually 200 ms at most.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Do ordinary devices work in a TSN network?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes, TSN switches forward ordinary Ethernet traffic. The latency guarantees only apply to scheduled traffic, though, and every switch on the path must support TSN.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An unmanaged switch connects devices without any settings. A managed switch lets you control, prioritise and monitor the traffic. This guide explains the differences, what industry demands and when Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is worth choosing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":8234085,"template":"","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"managed vs unmanaged switch","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Managed vs unmanaged switch: how they differ on VLAN, QoS, IGMP snooping, redundancy and PoE \u2013 and when an industrial network needs TSN.","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"hide","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"hide","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","_scn_guide_cats":[871,870,873,864],"_scn_guide_sectors":[1011,1080,10762],"_scn_guide_type":"tech","_scn_guide_order":18,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8234203","scn_guide","type-scn_guide","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Managed vs unmanaged switch \u2013 and when you need TSN | SCN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Managed vs unmanaged switch: how they differ on VLAN, QoS, IGMP snooping, redundancy and PoE \u2013 and when an industrial network needs TSN.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/guides\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Managed vs unmanaged switch \u2013 and when you need TSN | SCN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Managed vs unmanaged switch: how they differ on VLAN, QoS, IGMP snooping, redundancy and PoE \u2013 and when an industrial network needs TSN.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/en\/guides\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SCN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-24T17:29:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scn.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/scn-guide-switch-f1-en.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/en\\\/guides\\\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/en\\\/guides\\\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Managed vs unmanaged switch \u2013 and when you need TSN | SCN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/en\\\/guides\\\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/en\\\/guides\\\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/scn-guide-switch-f1-en.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-24T17:26:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-24T17:29:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"Managed vs unmanaged switch: how they differ on VLAN, QoS, IGMP snooping, redundancy and PoE \u2013 and when an industrial network needs TSN.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/en\\\/guides\\\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/en\\\/guides\\\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/en\\\/guides\\\/managed-vs-unmanaged-switch\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/scn-guide-switch-f1-en.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scn.eu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/scn-guide-switch-f1-en.webp\",\"width\":1520,\"height\":520,\"caption\":\"Four switches in a ring. 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