Need a POE switch that works well with fast, gigabit internet?
Need a POE switch that works well with fast, gigabit internet?
I have 1 gigabit speed in my network, but I really need a Gigabit switch and Power over Ethernet (POE). The problem is that where it should be connected, it won't get power. All I actually need is a small switch with POE that can handle full gigabit speeds. Should I buy two separate switches? One for the main building and another for the secondary one?
It will be very difficult if there is no power at all in the remote building. PoE power is usually very limited even when it works best, so it cannot run a computer like a PC. In most cases you have electrical power, switch, and PoE devices plugged into several ports. They do make switches that can get power from PoE but they are not common. So those would go in the order: electrical power, then a PoE injector, then a PoE input switch, followed by devices with their own power source. There are some very unusual switches that can be powered via PoE and also can power one remote device. They are quite expensive things. Also they have extremely limited how much they can power. The total allowed power for the switch itself and the remote PoE device is 25 watts. So you could maybe hook a 15-watt remove device. What people on this forum often discuss using them for is to power a remote ethernet camera or weather station that is more than 100 meters from the main location. By placing a switch half way, you can run 200 meters and still power a small remote device. If your condition is say you have a remote building with no power and a number of battery powered laptops that need internet, you can use a special PoE power switch to get multiple ethernet ports in the remote building. If you want to power anything other than just the switch it is likely going to work.
To get gigabit speeds and PoE, you need a switch with five ports that do both. If you want to connect to another building later, pick one main switch and run cables up to 100 meters, or buy separate switches for each building linked by fiber or wireless. Think about where you might add new rooms before picking the right gear. Make sure your switches work with Gigabit Ethernet and have enough power left over for all the devices in your setup, like those following 802.3af or 802.3at rules.