Computing & Networking / switch
TP-Link TL-SG105
D0 No Radio — No radio at all. It cannot phone home.
The unplug test
Nothing changes, because there was never anything to unplug from except Ethernet cables. This is a dumb switch in the original sense: it forwards frames between five ports and does nothing else. No web interface, no app, no cloud account, and no firmware to update.
Why this tier: TP-Link's own product page describes this as an unmanaged 5-port switch: 'Plug and play, no configuration needed,' with no mention of the Omada SDN or Tether cloud/app ecosystem TP-Link uses for its managed and smart-home products. TP-Link's FCC grantee code (TE7) files intentional-radiator grants for its Wi-Fi routers, access points, mesh systems, and smart-home devices, and no such grant exists for the TL-SG105, consistent with a wired-only switch that contains no radio.
Specifications
| Account required | none |
|---|---|
| Works offline | fully |
| Forced firmware updates | no |
| Radios | none |
| FCC ID | no intentional-radiator grant found |
| Local control | none |
| Phones home | none |
| Parts available | no |
| Availability | in stock |
| Price band | $15-30 (seen 2026-09-03) |
| Vendor risk | 0 / 3 |
Where to buy
Open questions
- TP-Link has no entry in data/vendors.json. No incident of shipped-device function removal was found in this search, but a dedicated audit was not performed; note that TP-Link's networking equipment has separately drawn US government security scrutiny over supply-chain concerns, which is a different question from the vendor-conduct ledger this project tracks.
Sources
Class A is primary (manual, FCC filing, teardown). Class B is corroborated community reporting. Class C is never sufficient alone.
- A https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/unmanaged-switch/tl-sg105/
Manufacturer product page: unmanaged switch, plug-and-play with no configuration needed, 5x gigabit RJ45 ports, no mention of any app or cloud service, fanless external-power design. — accessed 2026-09-03 - A https://fccid.io/TE7
FCC grantee index for TP-Link Technologies (code TE7): filings are intentional-radiator grants for Wi-Fi routers, access points, range extenders, and smart-home devices. No grant exists for the TL-SG105 unmanaged switch, consistent with a device that has no radio. — accessed 2026-09-03
History
- 2026-09-03 — First published at D0.
Last verified 2026-09-03 — 3 days ago.