How long should POE switch last?

[Billyjack5]

I'm been running a Netgear 16-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged PoE+ Switch (GS316PP) since Feb. 2021 that appears to have just gone bad. The switch is a fanless design and worked great up until it didn't and powered 14 POE cameras and one POE illuminator. It just under three years within the realm for a lifespan for this type of switch? Or should I consider another brand or one with a fan for the replacement?

 

[wpiman]

Did you have any lightning recently? I have a Netgear switch and after a lightning storm I lost one of the ports. I have a surge protector on it now.

 

[TonyR]

I'd stay mum about any lightning or surges and contact Netgear for a RMA, likely after you register it. IIRC, that model has a limited lifetime warranty.

 

[biggen]

The cheap prosumer stuff (netgear, tplink) seems to last a few years. I lose ports on them over time and eventually have to replace the whole switch.

I purchased two used HP enterprise switches off eBay nearly 15 years ago. One is PoE and one isn’t. Both are 48 ports and cost $100 each. Both are still going strong. Amazing how much better enterprise gear is.

 

[samplenhold]

I have had the following Netgear POE switches with no issues. They have been working 24/7/365 since purchased.

 

[bigredfish]

Happy with my Netgear switches over the years

 

[samplenhold]

When you say it is not working. What EXACTLY do you mean? One port dead? POE port dead? Whole switch dead? No lights?

Could it be the power supply/wall wort?

 

[mat200]

Wall worts seems to die more often in my experience than the switches

 

[fenderman]

I have never had a poe switch die on me...various brands cheap trendnet and tp-link to a bit more expensive netgear, zyxel, ubiquiti....all of these are fanless except the ubiquiti...
Like every piece of electronics some die before others naturally and some die when exposed to external factors such as switches...

 

[Mike A.]

I've only had one Netgear switch fail. That was one where they apparently had a bad run and they replaced it no problem under lifetime warranty. The replacement's still going after 10+ years. Looks like a couple of others have been here running full time since I got them in 2007. I have replaced some older 10/100 switches for gig but nothing wrong with them when I did.

 

[Billyjack5]

When you say it is not working. What EXACTLY do you mean? One port dead? POE port dead? Whole switch dead? No lights?

Could it be the power supply/wall wort?

It's a remote computer so I won't know until a friend of mine stops by to check it out, but all of the cams on that switch are showing no signal on Blue Iris. I have another switch powering 10 cams on the network that are working fine. My Blue Iris computer is connected to the suspect switch and I can remote into that fine, so the switch is getting at least some power. I assume that the power for some or all ports is the problem.

 

[mat200]

Switches .. power surges and lightning strikes seem to be a big killer.

I have had 1-2 8 port switch die on me .. one was a "green" model that powers off ports or something to reduce power consumption ... not certain if the extra features = less reliable as it was the only data point I had

Enterprise quality switches last a long long time ..

Temp and humidity also make a big difference.

NVRs .. had those also die on my .. typically the PoE parts ( power seems to be what dies often besides HDDs )

In general, I like to have one spare 8 port PoE switch around to play with things .. so if an emergency happens I can swap that in to support 8 cameras while I order a new PoE switch.

 

[looney2ns]

Never had an issue with Netgear Pro safe switch's I've used.
If one has a fan, take it apart and clean the crude out of it once a year.
That goes for your BI machine as well.

 

[Sybertiger]

My cheap Chinese 8 port fanless POE switches are 5 years old and are working fine. All electronics are subject to component failures at any time and sometime you get a lemon. I know the electronics with electrolytic capacitors can be the first failure component. I had a WD Purple Drive die on me after only 3.25 years. Brand name isn't always everything.

 

[CCTVCam]

In general, I like to have one spare 8 port PoE switch around to play with things .. so if an emergency happens I can swap that in to support 8 cameras while I order a new PoE switch.

I've had one die - cheap TP Link. When I replaced it with a another brand - Netgear, I also purchased a POE injector for emergency testing. This should provide a way of eliminating the camera as a cause should an apparent failure ever repeat itself.

 

[Billyjack5]

Well, it turns out it wasn't the switch after all, but the cable. About 30 feet of the cable run is on the roof and after only 2 years, the cable showed significant wear on that part of the run. The jacket was split in sections but I didn't see any exposed wires, but the cable was nonetheless the failure point. The cable I installed was TruCable Cat5e with a UV rating, but the color of the cable is gray, which I have to assume increases the sun damage in southern Nevada summers more than it would a white cable.

Other than using a white UV rated cable, any tips for prolonging roof cable runs like this? I've seen wire loom tubing on Amazon that I presume would provide some protection for cables exposed to sunlight.

 

[Mike A.]

The split tubing like that I've used outdoors hasn't lasted very long. Several years then gets brittle and cracks and pretty much falls apart. Mine's just been in the yard among landscaping to protect some lighting wires from errant weed whacking. Doubt it would hold up very well directly exposed on a roof.

 

[TonyR]

Well, it turns out it wasn't the switch after all, but the cable. About 30 feet of the cable run is on the roof and after only 2 years, the cable showed significant wear on that part of the run. The jacket was split in sections but I didn't see any exposed wires, but the cable was nonetheless the failure point. The cable I installed was TruCable Cat5e with a UV rating, but the color of the cable is gray, which I have to assume increases the sun damage in southern Nevada summers more than it would a white cable.

Other than using a white UV rated cable, any tips for prolonging roof cable runs like this? I've seen wire loom tubing on Amazon that I presume would provide some protection for cables exposed to sunlight.

For only 30 ft. I 'd consider pulling in outdoor and UV-rated cable again but this time pull it into 3 sticks of 1/2" schedule 40 PVC conduit.

 

[CCTVCam]

Or you could go steel conduit if there's somewhere to fasten it to. The only bit you need to protect then is the very ends where it exits the conduit.

Another option might be an amoured cable. I have one for internet that was designed for use on oil rigs. That said, it's very stiff and doesn't bend easily. I can't remember where I bought it from now.

 

[Evroul]

I have a Cisco WS-C3560CX-12PC-S

Its still going strong and is ( Ihope ) built to last