Time to choose my poe switch...

[nbstl68]

I'll just toss this in: Get a switch with at least twice as many POE (camera) ports as you think you need. Believe me, it is extremely likely that you will find places to add more cameras in the future. And it is nice to be able to just add one here and there as you wish.

So true! I bought the 48 port POE switch for 4 cameras just because it was cheap. I now have 8 plus decided to direct connect my VOIP, 2 computers, 4 TVs, an extra AP and plans for a few more cameras...Apparently adding cameras can become addicting, much to the annoyance of the wife. But once you see one area of your home, you really start wondering...Hmm, what could be going on at the other side? I may be missing something important like how many times opossums or the neighbors cat pass by.

Be careful purchasing old enterprise POE switches, some of them are huge power hogs and sound like a jet engine running 24/7.

This can be true. My SRW248G4P fan noise is "not bad", you can hear it through a wall if you are very close to the wall, but I still would not want it say in my bedroom or living room. Mine is in unfinished basement so not a big deal but that is a definite consideration.

 

[taz420nj]

The Watchdog is your firewall/router, I presume?

The three red patch cables from it to the switch, VLANS, or?

Watchguard. Yes, it is running pfSense. And yes, those are for the VLANs. I could have put them all on one port but it was just easier for me to structure it that way.

So true! I bought the 48 port POE switch for 4 cameras just because it was cheap. I now have 8 plus decided to direct connect my VOIP, 2 computers, 4 TVs, an extra AP and plans for a few more cameras...Apparently adding cameras can become addicting, much to the annoyance of the wife. But once you see one area of your home, you really start wondering...Hmm, what could be going on at the other side? I may be missing something important like how many times opossums or the neighbors cat pass by.

Exactly. Look how many ports are populated for my 2BR apartment...

This can be true. My SRW248G4P fan noise is "not bad", you can hear it through a wall if you are very close to the wall, but I still would not want it say in my bedroom or living room. Mine is in unfinished basement so not a big deal but that is a definite consideration.

I haven't gotten around to it yet but the fans in old equipment will probably be on their last leg anyway, louder than they were new, and should be replaced. You can replace them with much quieter fans and still have plenty of airflow.

 

[wetto]

Thanks for the tips. Ive been in communication rooms before and i know how loud poe switches can get. I plan on having 4 cameras to start with and around 8 total. I know im not going to use all 8 poe ports right away because the cameras are somewhat expensive. 8 is my "future number" so thats why i aimed for a 16port switch. But yeah of course i would want more if the price is right.

The only problem im seeing is that the larger 24+ port switches all seem to be 10/100 with only the uplink ports gigabit. Can anyone explain like im 5 why i would need ALL of the ports to be gigabit? The 24 port 10/100s seem to go for less than 60 while the gigabit ones start at about double. If i really need gigabit then id prefer to just buy new with fewer ports. If i dont then 40-60 bucks isnt all that much of a loss even if i purchase a used 10/100 and it craps out.

 

[nbstl68]

You don't need gigabit ports for cameras.

 

[taz420nj]

You don't need gigabit ports for cameras.

True. And unless your home internet speed is 100Mbps or higher, or you transfer files between computers, you wont need gigabit. However, you say your rather "buy new".. rather than spend a hundred bucks on a used one.. Keep in mind those used switches cost a couple thousand dollars when they were new, and have the features, quality, and longevity that goes with it. Unlike the SoHo piece of crap you can get new for $100. Just sayin.

 

[Whoaru99]

You don't need gigabit ports for cameras.

Agreed. The only time you'd need gigabit access ports on a cam switch is if it did double duty for other networking requiring higher bandwidth capability.

A lot of broadband ISP the speeds are 100Mb/s or more. E.g., I have Charter/Spectrum and the base speed is 200/10 Mb/s so 100Mb/s access ports for Internet connectivity would be a material degradation in download/downstream capability. Therefore, I use gigabit switches/router for my general network but 10/100 (with gigabit uplink) switches where just IP cams. Frankly, for damn near everything except a computer where one does frequent and or large download/file transfer, 10/100 ports are fine. Afaik, all my other Internet connected stuff besides computers have 10/100 ports anyway...smart TVs, Hue lighting hub, media player/networked receivers, etc.

 

[wetto]

To anyone wondering, I ended up going with the 16port gigabit (8poe) linksys. It went on sale for $99 so I bought it. It's not a fancy industrial switch but hopefully it gives me a few years of use. I also looked on eBay for those "Enterprise pulls" and the vast majority we're like 10 years old, I had no idea if they actually worked, some had custom formware, and I had to pay shipping extra which brought the totals to around $60 minimum. So basically I'm just a noob that it seemed like buying new was an easier option as it wasn't too much more than buying used. Im looking for cameras now so I'll problably make another thread but the the advice here was helpful.