TP-Link TL-ER3228ET: Dual 10G SFP+, Four 2.5G Ports, and RTL8198XB

ACWiFi published its TL-ER3228ET teardown on 2025-08-12.[3] This business router has four 1G ports, four 2.5G ports, and two 10G SFP+ ports, so the useful part is the chip/data-path layout and forwarding measurements rather than the port count alone.[3]

Chassis and first access

The source lists dimensions of 440 × 180 × 44 mm.[3] The label identifies model TL-ER3228ET and hardware version Ver:1.0.[3] For the first setup, the computer should use an address from 192.168.1.2 through 192.168.1.255 and connect to the MGMT port, described as 2.5GE4.[3]

The router-side design combines four integrated gigabit ports with four 2.5G ports and two SFP+ uplinks.[3] Vent openings run along the chassis; inside are two aluminum heatsinks and a broad thermal pad below the main controller.[3]

Silicon and connections

• The main SoC is RTL8198XB, identified by ACWiFi as a quad-core A55 at 1 GHz.[3]
• RTL8198XB integrates the four gigabit ports.[3]
• The four 2.5G ports use the RTL8372N switch, with four 2.5G PHYs and two USXGMII interfaces.[3]
• One USXGMII connects to a 10G SFP+ port; the other links RTL8372N to RTL8198XB.[3]
• The board traces show one SFP+ branch coming from RTL8198XB and the other from RTL8372N.[3]

This explains why “two 10G ports” should not be read as one undifferentiated path: the two ports travel through different silicon branches.[3]

Memory, flash, and forwarding tests

The RAM chip is GDQ2BFAA-CJ, DDR4-3200 Mbps, with 512 MB capacity.[3] The W25N01KVZEIR flash has 128 MB.[3]

In the source's simultaneous bidirectional LAN transfer across the two SFP+ ports, each port exceeds 9 Gbps but does not reach 9.45 Gbps; the stream ramps slowly at the beginning and the author does not identify the cause.[3] PacketMaster's 64-byte results are:[3]

• One-way WAN-to-LAN: 14.21 Mpps, close to the 14.88 Mpps line rate.[3]
• Bidirectional: 13.76 Mpps in each direction.[3]

These are results from the stated test conditions, not a guarantee for every firewall, QoS, NAT, or traffic mix.[3]

Concurrent connections and software features

The source quotes TP-Link support at a maximum of 150,000 concurrent connections.[3] For comparison within the same article, ER2260T and ER6260T are mentioned at 600,000, while ER3220T is listed at 100,000.[3] Those figures are product information, not independent teardown measurements.[3]

The interface includes a hardware-acceleration switch that the source says is absent from earlier ER3220T, ER2260T, and ER6220T interfaces.[3] TL-ER3228ET supports 易展 2.0; it is disabled by default, and automatic roaming also needs to be enabled manually.[3]

The source pairs a 7DR3630 over Ethernet, presses its 易展 button, waits for it to appear in the pending authorization list, and clicks 授权.[3] After enrollment, the ER3228ET can control the node's RF parameters.[3] I do not treat this as proof of compatibility with every other device.[3]

Practical meaning and limits

The source adds an idle power measurement of 3.2 W.[3] Its price was 1,399 yuan on JD and above 900 yuan through some other channels at the time of publication.[3]

The TL-ER3228ET makes sense for a lab that needs multiple 2.5G and SFP+ branches, but the 1U chassis, MGMT workflow, and business firmware matter as much as the silicon.[3] The source is not a long-duration thermal test, a VLAN test across every configuration, or a throughput guarantee with every feature enabled.[3] Another revision may also change the BOM.[3]

Conclusion

The teardown shows a layered platform: RTL8198XB handles the CPU and four 1G ports, RTL8372N handles four 2.5G PHYs and the USXGMII links, while 512 MB RAM and 128 MB flash support the software.[3] The 14.21 Mpps one-way and 13.76 Mpps bidirectional results are notable, but in deployment I still verify firmware, MGMT port mapping, and the actual need for SFP+.[3]

Source

Original source: [TP-LINK新款企业路由 TL-ER3228ET 拆机双10G+4个2.5G+4个1G]¹, published/updated 2025-08-12.[3]

Sources

[3] https://www.acwifi.net/32134.html — TP-LINK新款企业路由 TL-ER3228ET 拆机