PoE switch is gaining the increasing popularity for home use in the market. Therefore, there are many questions about choosing a suitable PoE powered switch for home. For instance, should I buy a managed or unmanaged PoE switch? Should I take an 8 port or a 24 port PoE switch? Or what kind of PoE switch do I need? Here will have a thorough introduction to the PoE switch and how to choose it.
What is PoE Switch?
PoE switch is a networking device with PoE passthrough which has multiple Ethernet ports to connect network segments. It not only transmits network data but also supplies power via a length of Ethernet network cable, like Cat5 or Cat6. Most PoE switches offered in the market can provide the speed of 10/100/1000Mbps. Moreover, PoE switches are mainly used with IP cameras, VoIP phones and wireless access points (WAP).
How to Choose a PoE Switch for Home?
When choosing PoE switches for the home network, you can consider the following factors.
Unmanaged PoE switch, as a plug & play switch, has limited performance and doesn’t support any configuration interface or options. The smart PoE switch is designed to cater for smaller size network and cost-saving demand. The managed switches own more functions than unmanaged switch and smart switch. Managed PoE switches can offer good protection of the data plane, control plane, and management plane. Besides, it enables more bandwidth to be contributed through the network. This function brings higher network performance and better transmission of delay-sensitive data. If you don’t need such functions, you can choose the unmanaged or smart switch.
Power budget is a significant factor to ensure the device can get enough power. There are two standards for PoE powered ethernet switch. One is the PoE standard (IEEE802.3af) which provides up to 15.4 watts of power. The other is the PoE+ standard (IEEE802.3at) which actually provides up to 25.5 watts. Between them, the PoE standard is more commonly used for home use.
The noise from PoE switches is so disturbing. So the degree of noise caused by PoE switches is also an important factor that many users care about. There are some fanless PoE switches in the market. The fanless design not only helps reduce the noise but also power consumption.
The number of the main ports often comes with 8, 12, 24 or 48. Among the various port designs, the 8 port PoE switch now is very popular for home and the 24 port PoE switch is considered as a decent option for both business and home network. You can choose a suitable one based on your network design.
The PoE switches from famous brands like Cisco, HP, and Dell are usually costlier in the market. While some 3rd-party vendors like FS can offer low price but quality switches. If you have limited costs or want to get cost-effective products, you can consider buying switches from reliable three-party vendors.
Summary
The best PoE switch is the one that satisfies your needs most. When buying PoE switches for home use, remember to consider the factors mentioned above. FS is a good place to go for a reliable and cheap PoE network switch. If you have any needs, welcome to visit FS.COM.
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