POE - where do I start?

[smiffy]

I'm looking at getting a couple of POE cameras to be placed where I do not have immediate access to power, so I'm thinking that POE might be the way to go.

I've seen this switch on amazon D-Link DES-1008PA 8-Port Fast Ethernet PoE, which says PoE power budget 0 to 100W, which I'm assuming will be sufficient power for a CCTV camera, but I'm not really sure what I need.

Any help would be appreciated.

thanks

 

[fenderman]

Hey,
According to D-link. PoE budget: Up to 15.4 Watts max per port, for Ports 1-4 Only. 52 Watts Total
That is enough for almost any POE camera, most hikvisions draw 7w max. Also that switch like most 8 port poe switches only has 4 ports POE, the other 4 are standard ports and cannot supply power.

 

[networkcameracritic]

If it's a few cameras, that will work. Start getting to say over 5-6 cameras, you may want a switch that has a gigabit uplink port or is all gigabit. Also, I prefer switches that run straight of 120VAC, meaning there's no power transformer brick as it just looks sloppy. Also, some NVRs have PoE built-in if you go the NVR route. My go to brand is ZyXel for value and features. Their 8 port (4 PoE) is about the same price as the D-Link but is full 15.4W on each port and uses a standard power cable, no brick.

 

[bp2008]

I personally recommend TP-Link's PoE switch as it is cheaper and more compact, though it does have a transformer brick: http://amzn.com/dp/B003CFATT2

Here is a Zyxel equivalent that runs off 120VAC without a transformer brick: http://amzn.com/dp/B005GRETPO

If you are new to PoE, you should know that the most common PoE standards are 802.3af and 802.3at (the at version is PoE+ which is for higher-power devices). 802.3af is what people usually mean when they don't specify one or the other, and most cameras draw 8 watts or less each so a 4 port PoE switch should have a power budget of at least 32 watts and preferably more to be safe.