GOOD 16 or more port POE switch (does not have to be managed)

JanJ

I now realize I screwed up. Bought the Wrong Product!
Few months back, I went from a 4 port GB POE Switch/4 port GB network switch (Used as 4 POE/3 POE Inserter’s for 3x more cameras & a GB uplink to main switch) to a new:
GOALAKE 16 port 100Mb POE switch with GB uplink.
With that installed with 10 devices (2x NOT POE-feature that was selling point)…. ALL WAS FINE & HAPPY!
I added an 11th device (out of 16), and 10th device became intermittant! Lots of testing, culminating in addition of 2 more POE devices (13 out of 16 ports used) and that made 6 devices that worked fine before, now become intermittent! Obviously I’m hitting a limitation in ‘resources’ prior to filling all the ports on the switch!
Either POE Power, or Network power was insufficient! More testing confirmed 10 devices is max that the GOALAKE 16 port POE switch could handle!
Contacted seller-Twice, with NO RESPONSE!

Ok, downshifted this switch to a maximum of 9 devices (9, as a ‘make damn sure’!) and added the old 4POE/4network POE Switch back on network, for the 4 POE cameras that were needed. Entire System now solid, but GOALAKE switch is not working as it claims it can!
All cameras are 100Mb, fixed focal length lenses, not PTZ or ‘high current’ devices! I calculate I’m well within GOALAKE’s claimed POE power limits!

THE GOALAKE 16 PORT 100Mb and GB uplink switch CANNOT Support more that 10 devices correctly without at least one device becoming intermittent!!! ( and 2x devices are not POE!)

What MFG 16 or greater POE Switch will work with ALL PORTS FILLED??? Looking for input from others!
Does NOT have to be managed!
Please post only if you have a filled switch and history of good operation!
Thank You!

PS: AVOID GOALAKE POE SWITCHES!!!

HELLFIRE

JanJ What MFG 16 or greater POE Switch will work with ALL PORTS FILLED???

If I’m reading you right JanJ , then the key metric you’re looking for is the max power output(?) / budget of said POE switch.

I don’t know the make/model of Goalake you got, but at least according to this – https://www.newegg.com/p/0XP-06E8-00039?srsltid=AfmBOoreTJ3ZDVDVn2N7fmO8CR073mhe6tpNq6k-fyVXAyrf72zh-c_X – 200W is what you should expect. Assuming a 15.4W POE draw, 11 or 12 devices is probably borderline.

If you have 13 or more POE devices, or said devices draw more than 15.4W (802.af) – there’s 30W (802.3at) and 90W (802.3bt) draws as well – you’re going to be looking for something with more than 200W ompf to it.

Also expect the price for a higher accordingly.

My initial 00000010bits

Regards

GrumpyCanadian

JanJ I mentioned this in your other thread, but some switches are just terrible. I had one of these off-brand PoE switches that couldn’t even manage to keep one simple PoE camera powered consistently. As part of my testing, I tried adding a second camera, and noticed that both would lose power and reset at exactly the same time, every time. I couldn’t spare the cash for a reputable PoE switch, so opted for separate power injectors for now.

Related to this, I find it infuriating how many manufacturers simply claim to sell PoE switches, without any more details; mode A, mode B, voltage per device, active versus passive, etc.? In my testing, I found that that switch put out 52V on the same pairs of the cable for every device that it thinks is a PoE device, whether that’s their ideal voltage or not, and regardless of cable length; in short, there was no per-port negotiation or other active logic to it.

It would be a good idea to start by looking at the specifications for your devices, and making a note of what they need, in terms of voltage and active versus passive support. I still plan to test with a few more separate injectors, just for the sake of curiosity, before I ever try another new switch.

HardlyWorthit

IMHO your learning curve here is analogous to your experience with cable quality and certification.
You will do fine.

bighorn1

JanJ

As HHELLFIRE already said, you need to pay attention to POE standard and POE budget when looking for POE switches.
POE switches have total POE budget and POE budget per port.
Let say 16 ports POE++(802.3af/at/bt) switch will give you about 60W max per port and have total POE budget of 250W.
So, you could use all ports if connected devices are 802.3af, 8 ports if devices are 802.3at, 4 ports if devices are 802.3bt, or any combo of af/at/bt as long as you don’t exceed total POE budget.

Finding 16 ports POE switch with enough total power to cover all ports is difficult because cheaper ones have usually too small of total POE budget and the ones with enough budget are more expensive.

Unmanaged 16 port switches with enough power are all in $300 or more range.
Example: NETGEAR 16-Port Gigabit Unmanaged PoE+ Switch (GS516PP). Total power P0E budget is 260W.
Which means it would be capable of powering 16 802.3af devices, which most cameras are. Or any combo of 802.3af and 802.3at (low end PTZs) that doesn’t exceed total POE budget (2060W). Like 10 POE and 3 POE+ devices, for example.

HELLFIRE

Just to put it out there :

what’s your budget for this piece of kit?
10/100 or 10/100/1000 interfaces?
copper interfaces or copper / fiber mix?

FWIW, I haven’t dealt with this dealer in awhile but I had a good experience with them found they list this on their site for $174.99USD : https://www.cablesandkits.com/networking/equipment/switches/cisco-switches/cisco-2960-series/ws-c2960s-24ps-l/pro-6916/

Crosschecking with Cisco’s official documentation : https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/catalyst-2960-s-series-switches/data_sheet_c78-726680.html

Part Number : WS-C2960S-24PS-L
10/100/1000 Ethernet Interfaces : 24
Uplink Interfaces : 4 SFP
Cisco IOS Software Feature Set L LAN Base
Available PoE Power : 370W
FlexStack Stacking : Optional

Switch Model : Cisco Catalyst 2960S-24PS-L
Maximum Number of PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at) Ports* : 12 ports up to 30W
Maximum Number of PoE (IEEE 802.3af) Ports* : 24 ports up to 15.4W
Available PoE Power : 370W

…just to put it out there.

Regards

HardlyWorthit

HELLFIRE
While I wholeheartedly agree that the Cisco Catalyst 2960S-24PS-L is by far the best kit and bang for the buck at $175, I think you should make the OP aware of the learning curve he will encounter with configuration of a Cisco enterprise device. I’m sure he’s up to the challenge, but should be aware of it.

HELLFIRE

HardlyWorthit I think you should make the OP aware of the learning curve he will encounter with configuration of a Cisco enterprise device

Valid point, but i should point out on all “fixed config” Catalysts – 2950 series, 2960 series, 2970 series, 3750-any series, 3850 series – so long as the IOS boots the unit will work fine as a dumb layer 2 switch without a configuration.

Either way, hopfully gives @JanJ something to consider.

Regards

HELLFIRE

ADDENDUM In the interests of full disclosure : the WS-C2960S-24PS-L is COMPLETELY End of Life / Sale / Support by Cisco, updated IOS won’t be available through official channels, nor will any replacement hardware.

If you just want a box will all-port POE capacity though, I don’t think you can lose here…

shrugs

Regards

HardlyWorthit

HELLFIRE
At minimum he needs to know that there is not a web interface and Cisco command line syntax is needed for any config edits, even naming the switch, or open/shut individual ports.
Other than that, Cisco layer 2 switching = easy peasy . . .

JanJ

I had calculated the power draw of each camera and I was not outside Max of what GOALAKE POE said it can support, according to mathematics….. I do have 4x individual POE inserters, and with 12 or 13 ports used (2x non POE) when 4 POE Devices were removed from GOALAKE, powered individually, and then re-inserted back into GOALAKE as same or other port NON-POE connections only, I still had some intermittency in random cameras, which might suggest that the issue is as much in the Networking and GB Upload side, as much as POE side….. !! Seller did not respond to either of 2x communications….

The GOALAKE 16 port was purchased to retire a 8 port (4Gb POE, 4 GB network) Trendnet TPE-TG44g switch, that had been fully used for years (4 POE, 3x POE inserters, and 8th as an uplink).. That supported everything without an issue fully stuffed for years… Why I figured if I hadn’t exceeded POE Power, I’d be good! POE Camera’s on GOALAKE became somewhat intermittent starting at 11 ports used (9 POE)…. 12 was worse, 13 – worse yet!

In order to reduce the workload on GOALAKE switch, I re-installed the Trendnet, the same 4 cameras that seemed to overload GOALAKE were moved back to TrendNet POE switch, reducing the workload of GOALAKE to 9 devices, of which only 7 of 9 used POE…. That stabilized the GOALAKE… (Hey! I’m just riding this bucking bronco! I’m glad to have enough spare hardware to have done those tests! I can imagine a new user, with no spare hardware, would react to this!).. That was ALL done & Tested - 2 to 3 weeks before I posted this thread…. TrendNet is happy! Goalake is (now, with reduced POE & Network Work-Load): happy. So I have a successful “work-around” for now….. BUT……..

I’m not interested in a Cisco Product… Way over my learning curve (78 here) capabilities….. Doesn’t have to be managed.. Further info: ALL CABLES have been verified using Cable test routine in the Netgear managed switch I do have!

Still interested in anyone with a “full up POE and fully operational”, switch recommendation….

Also interested: Is the feature the Goalake had: Can connect to devices NOT NEEDING POE a feature on all POE Switches, or just Goalake???

Contact me privately if you’d like to see drawing of wiring here…. I’d say I’m 6 months from having the $$ set aside for a purchase…. (retired, fixed income, Yada-Yada!) Thanks again for your replies! 🙂!

bighorn1

JanJ Still interested in anyone with a “full up POE and fully operational”, switch recommendation….
Also interested: Is the feature the Goalake had: Can connect to devices NOT NEEDING POE a feature on all POE Switches, or just Goalake??? Contact me privately if you’d like to see drawing of wiring here…. I’d say I’m 6 months from having the $$ set aside for a purchase…. (retired, fixed income, Yada-Yada!) Thanks again for your replies! 🙂!

Yes, every POE switch should work with non-POE devices, as long as they are af/at/bt (POE, POE+, POE++) compliant. Some older passive POE may or may not have port power on all the time, so avoid those.

As for recommendations, stick to known brands, they usually do what’s on the spec sheet, and have warranty of some kind.
You know, Neatgear, TP-Link at minimum. Forget all those funny names cheapo switches. They aren’t worth the risk.
Buy at retailers that have easy returns. If it doesn’t work, return and get something else.

PS
Since you’re on budget, TP-Link TL-SG1218MP (16x POE+ (802.3at/af) 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45 ports providing up to 30W per port and total POE power budget of 250W, together w/ 2x Gigabit Non-PoE Ports and 2 Combo SFP Slots). is currently on sale for $150 on Amazon.

bighorn1

Forgot to mention, if you’re planning to buy something, buy soon. With possible upcoming tariffs it may become really expensive, definitely it won’t get cheaper.

JanJ

Thank you very much for the hardware suggestion.

HELLFIRE

JanJ I’m not interested in a Cisco Product…

Fair enough. Good luck in your search!

Regards

JanJ

Though I appreciate your suggestions, I am not in a position to consider Cisco gear.
I need something easier to understand.

JanJ

Decision made: 6-8 months wait for switch won-out, vs immediate switch purchase.
Due to no additional camera or other POE device is immediately planned, and: funds to cover drive failure, presently available, for 2 drives (SHR), would still be available. As opposed to only 1 drive (I prefer 2 identical drives in a raid). Wife suffered through drive failure once, always leaves room for them in budget now! Now IF the GOALAKE POE switch further degrades….. we will revisit this decision.
In 6-8 months $ would be there for both. Downloaded POE manual, looks good.

JanJ

Spoke with Wife again. She’s good with a combo Birthday/Christmas purchase, if no greater degradation of POE switch occurs, without breaking the “Hard Drive Replacement” Bank!

So far GOALAKE 16 port POE switch, stuffed with 7 POE, 9 Total connections is hanging in there…. (As is old TrendNet POE switch returned to service as a ‘Fix for the FIX!’).
So, I’m officially on a 8 month timeframe for this (‘fix #2!’)

At that point “FIX#2”: I’ll have 11 POE, 13 total connections, and 3x Spare POE Ports! (Where I intended to be 2-3 months ago!

GOALAKE is CRAP!

JanJ

This post was going to be a week ago, a follow up about the success or failure of reducing the active POE & Non-POE ports on the GOALAKE 16 port POE switch.
I’m at 9 inputs (7 POE), and it is holding….. But I was suddenly directed ‘elsewhere’!
‘Holding’ is a good thing, because I may have to live with it this way it for quite a while!!

Last Fall, Hurricane Helene dumped 14.75” of rain here in two days, here in the mountains - far, far from the coast! At that time, we thought we got away Scott Free. This Spring’s heavy rains caused more issues to begin to show up: A few more water leaks popped up in the front yard. It Got spongy. Then….. Part of front yard “Slipped”!!! A well known fellow, who does this sort of thing, was working at neighbors on a roadway, and we had discussed this, and what could be done, but that was in passing, no plans or quote, was hoping it would just dry up on its own. That conversation was: prior to the “Slip”.. The “Slip” changed the timing to address the issue, and all our priorities.
It was ‘addressed’….

HardlyWorthit

JanJ GOALAKE is CRAP!

I don’t disagree, but I do wonder what is the difference between their stated output and the load you were trying to give it?