Power & Cabling
PoE Switches for CCTV Systems
Eight, sixteen and twenty-four port PoE switches with the power budget stated up front, plus a 250 m extend mode for the positions a standard 100 m run cannot reach.
- IEEE 802.3af/at PoE
- 250 m extend mode on selected ports
- Gigabit and SFP uplinks
- Plug and play, no configuration
Size the switch by wattage, then by ports
Port count is the easy half. A 16-camera floor needs at least 16 PoE ports, but the switch also has to deliver the total power those cameras draw, and that is where under-specification happens. Our three mainstream models carry 120 W, 250 W and 320 W class budgets for 8, 16 and 24 ports respectively.
The method: add up the draw of every device that will hang off the switch, apply roughly 25 percent headroom for start-up and future additions, and choose the model above that figure. A camera that draws 6 W in daylight can draw noticeably more when its illuminator is on, which is exactly when you need it working.
The 100 m problem and what to do about it
Standard PoE carries power and data 100 m over copper. That is a physical limit, not a product limitation, and no switch changes it. In a building it is usually sufficient if the switch sits in each floor's communications room rather than at one end of the building.
Where a run genuinely exceeds 100 m — a gate house, a car park barrier, a far corner of a yard — the extend-mode ports carry power and 10 Mbps data up to 250 m. Extend mode also isolates those ports from each other, which suits a chain of cameras along a fence. The trade is bandwidth: 10 Mbps is enough for a 5 MP stream at a sensible frame rate but not for several high-bitrate channels on one port.
Extend mode is available on the 8, 16 and 24 port models through the VLAN DIP switch. The all-gigabit model uses a fixed 0–100 m isolation setting instead.
Uplinks and what they connect to
Every switch has gigabit uplinks, and the larger models offer SFP slots so a long building-to-building or floor-to-floor link can use fibre instead of copper. The uplink is what carries the camera streams to the recorder, so it is the one link in the chain that must never be the bottleneck.
Work out the aggregate: sixteen 5 MP channels at a realistic bitrate will comfortably fit a gigabit uplink, but if several switches are cascaded, check the link back to the recorder carries the sum rather than the individual.
Switch range
PS082
entry8 PoE ports plus 2 gigabit uplinks, 120 W class budget.
- PoE ports
- 8
- Uplink
- 2 × gigabit RJ45
- Budget
- 120 W class
PS162
standard16 PoE ports plus 2 gigabit uplinks, 250 W class budget.
- PoE ports
- 16
- Uplink
- 2 × gigabit RJ45
- Budget
- 250 W class
PS242
flagship24 PoE ports plus 2 gigabit uplinks, 320 W class budget.
- PoE ports
- 24
- Uplink
- 2 × gigabit RJ45
- Budget
- 320 W class
24G02GS-P
flagship24 all-gigabit PoE ports plus 2 SFP, for mixed camera and data traffic.
- PoE ports
- 24, all gigabit
- Uplink
- 2 × SFP
- Backplane
- 52 Gbps
1011GB
entry8 PoE ports, 2 gigabit uplinks and 1 fibre uplink for a distant feed.
- PoE ports
- 8
- Uplink
- 2 × RJ45 + 1 × fibre
- Extend mode
- 250 m
All models are unmanaged and plug and play. Extend mode is set by a DIP switch on the front panel, with no software to install.
Selection guide
| Site size | Cameras | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small shop, small office | Up to 8 | PS082 (8 port) | One switch covers the site and every port is used. |
| Office floor, clinic | 9 to 16 | PS162 (16 port) | Leaves a few spare ports for a printer or an access point. |
| Large floor, warehouse, retail | 17 to 24 | PS242 (24 port) | Absorbs a full floor plus future additions without a second switch. |
| Mixed camera and data traffic | 17 to 24 | 24G02GS-P | All-gigabit ports avoid contention where computers share the switch. |
| Distant gate or yard camera | Any | Model with extend mode | Carries power and 10 Mbps data to 250 m instead of adding a switch. |
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out which PoE switch I need?
Two calculations. First, count the devices: a 16-camera floor needs at least 16 PoE ports. Second, add up the power they draw and allow roughly 25 percent headroom, then pick the model whose budget sits above that number. Our models carry 120 W, 250 W and 320 W class budgets for 8, 16 and 24 ports, so the port count and the budget rise together.
What happens if a run is longer than 100 metres?
Use an extend-mode port. It carries power and 10 Mbps data up to 250 m and isolates those ports from each other, which suits cameras chained along a fence or a distant gate. The trade is bandwidth — 10 Mbps is fine for one or two camera streams but not for a group of high-bitrate channels. The alternative is an intermediate switch closer to the camera.
Do these switches need configuration?
No. They are unmanaged and plug and play, so a camera plugged into a port comes up on the network with no software to install and no VLAN to configure. Extend mode is set with a physical DIP switch on the front panel, which means a technician on a ladder can change it without a laptop.
Is PoE+ supported?
Yes. The switches support IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at, so higher-draw devices such as PTZ domes, wireless access points and intercoms can be powered from the same switch as standard cameras. Check the individual model's total budget before adding several high-draw devices to one switch.
Can I power a camera and an access point from the same switch?
Yes, that is a common and sensible arrangement in a building — one switch in the floor communications room feeding cameras and the wireless access points. Budget the total wattage for both device types and keep the headroom at roughly 25 percent, because access points and PTZ cameras both have peak draws above their idle figures.
What is the difference between the extend-mode model and the all-gigabit model?
Extend mode carries power and 10 Mbps data up to 250 m and isolates the ports from each other, which is designed for long outdoor runs. The all-gigabit model keeps every port at gigabit speed with a fixed isolation setting, which suits a floor where cameras share the network with computers and other equipment. Choose by which constraint your site actually has.
Plan Your CCTV or Video Wall Project
Send us the building type, floor count and camera estimate — we will come back with a system layout, a bill of materials and a price.