POE switch help

[matt_decat]

Hi

I am attempting to set up an 7 camera system at my house however i have no idea about POE switches. My knowledge of POE switches is that generally speaking only half the ports in a system are POE (system dependant obviously) and you should look at the maximum output of unit as it may determine what the actual maximum output of the ports are (if they are all in use). I have seen people talking about gigabit systems, are gigabit ports also capable of powering IP cameras (from what i can make out it is essentially the same but capable of higher transfer speeds)? Because of my lack of knowledge around POE switches, I think it may be best to go for an unmanaged port so that its not a complex.

In my searches I have found a couple but not sure if they are compatible. My cameras are Hikvision ds-2cd2032-i (i think they require 5W and 7W with infra red). Can anyone please advise if the following are suitable or recommend a POE switch (i am planning to extend our house in the future so may be adding more cameras). Ideally a D-Link or Netgear POE switches because they are easy to come by here in Australia for a reasonable price.

ZyXEL ES1100-16P 16-Port 10/100Mbps Unmanage PoE Switch with 8 x PoE (Max 130W)
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/zyxel-es1100-16p-16-port-10100mbps-unmanage-poe-switch-with-8-x-poe-max-130w-zyxel/

D-Link 8-PORT GIGABIT EASYSMART 8-Port-POE SWITCH - DGS-1100-08P
http://www.mln.com.au/product/?itemID=5372

D-Link 10-port PoE/PoE+ Gigabit WebSmart Switch - DGS-1210-10P
http://www.mln.com.au/product/?itemID=5373

D-Link 16 Port Copper Gigabit Switch (Desktop Size) - DGS-1016D -
http://www.mln.com.au/product/?itemID=5357

Thanks so much for the help

 

[Michelin Man]

The typical POE switches ie consumer grade switches usually have half the ports being POE, or say not all of the ports. Such as a 8 port switch with 4 non-powered ports and 4 powered ports.

You can get switches where every port is powered, they are obviously more costly.

There are 2 standards for POE, 802.3af and 802.3at (POE+) the 802.3af standard which most if not all cameras currently use specifies a MAXIMUM of 15.4w per port. Some switches can only do say 40 odd watts for 4 ports so obviously you can't run every port at full power if you do generally the last port will not work if it exceeds the power limit.

The 2332 for example draws I believe a max of 7.5w with the IR on, the 2232 with dual IR leds will draw more.

The ZyXEL switch for example has a power limit of 130w for all 8 POE ports which means each port can supply full 802.3af power. While the DLINK DGS-1100-08P has a 64w limit for all 8 ports so if you draw off every port each port can have a max of 8 watt load (if split evenly) or basically any combination up to 64w.

You don't need a gigabit switch unless you plan to exceed 100mbps total bandwidth which it doesn't look like you will with 7 cameras. If you were to go 16 cameras I would definitely recommend a gigabit switch.

10/100 and Gigabit POE is the same regardless, so there is no issue with compatibility. If you plug an IP camera into a Gigabit POE port it will just negotiate a 100mbps connection as the end device can only go up to 100mbps.

PS: The last DLINK switch is not a POE switch.

 

[fmflex]

Another suggestion on a POE switch is the TP Link TL-SG1008PE. It has 8 ports all of which are POE+ capable of up to 30w a port with a power budget of 120w total. It's available in Australia for just over $200 depending on where you shop. Please bear in mind you'll lose one port to uplink back into your network and it does have a noisy cooling fan.

 

[matt_decat]

Thanks so much for the informative responses. Just to make sure that I have it correct, even if it has gigabit ports it doesn't power an ip camera unless it is 802.3af or 802.3at compliant. Is this correct?

Also, if I have 7 cams that run at 7w with IR then as long at maximum load the POE switch is able to produce 49W or more then it should be fit for my purpose? It will only start to be an issue if I run more cameras. Is that correct?

Fmflex, I had a look at the TP Link switch that you recommended (found for just under $220). As I may be adding a few more cameras in another 12 months or so, is there a similar switch that you recommend with more ports, or am I best of buying an additional switch when the time comes.

 

[alastairstevenson]

I am attempting to set up an 7 camera system at my house however i have no idea about POE switches.

Your summary is just fine, it looks like you have read and understood.
And good advice from the responders!

 

[fmflex]

I'm not too sure myself as I've only had cameras for 18 months or so and only had 3 to start off with. I've now got 11 and a spare. I do have the TP Link switch though and find it works great although a bit noisy. Initially I was planning on getting another TP Link switch and balance the cams across the 2 switches but I've just purchased a secondhand Cisco SG500-52P switch which is completely overkill for my needs but the price was right and I just couldn't pass it up.

Fenderman has previously mentioned Zyxell switches though not sure how readily available they are in Australia. After 8 ports they start to get very pricey though so not knowing your budget would rather not steer you towards something well out of your price range.

 

[fenderman]

Using two small switch is perfectly fine and in fact better in some instances. The smaller switches are often fanless, so there is no noise. (some of these switches are REALLY loud. Enough to make it unbearable to work in the same room.
You can also mount these separate switches closer to the cameras and only have a single ethernet going back to the network if it is difficult to run cable.
Finally, if one fails (very rare) the other still powers some of your cameras...

 

[Michelin Man]

Thanks so much for the informative responses. Just to make sure that I have it correct, even if it has gigabit ports it doesn't power an ip camera unless it is 802.3af or 802.3at compliant. Is this correct?

Also, if I have 7 cams that run at 7w with IR then as long at maximum load the POE switch is able to produce 49W or more then it should be fit for my purpose? It will only start to be an issue if I run more cameras. Is that correct?

Fmflex, I had a look at the TP Link switch that you recommended (found for just under $220). As I may be adding a few more cameras in another 12 months or so, is there a similar switch that you recommend with more ports, or am I best of buying an additional switch when the time comes.

If the switch/injector/midspan is 802.3af/at compliant it will negotiate the power requirements with the end device. The connection speed is done the same way it normally is with the ethernet protocol. The only time this may not be the case is with passive POE injectors which are not 802.3af/at compliant. They still will power the end equipment, just not the way it was intended. The cheap quality and design of some of these units are enough to stay away from.

If you know the approximate the load for the cameras you will run it may not be a bad idea to give a bit of headroom on top. With POE if you overload the switch it will just not power that last device that you try to plug in.

So say you plan to have 7 cameras now, but add 5 more to make 12 you obviously would need something with at least 12 poe ports which generally would be a 16 port switch. As long as the total budget is not exceeded it will be all good.

I'm not sure if you have ever heard some of these switches but they can be very loud. They usually run 40mm fans which spin at very high speeds and they are noisy buggers.

If you ever get a chance to go into a server room with racks full of switches you will hear what I mean.

Pretty much you just have to weigh up all the options, price, expand-ability, noise, redundancy, heat, power usage and etc. With all the information we have given you can apply them to other switches you may have in mind.