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May 09PoE Switches can provide all the power I need or will need.
Today most switches are merely PoE-enabled. This means the majority rely on power management to share available power across the switch ports. The switches are designed with a smaller power supply that is typically capable of powering the switch itself and providing the required 15.4 watts of power over a limited number of ports.
For example: A 24-port PoE Switch with power management typically has a 195-watt power supply. After the 40 watts needed to power the switch, you have approximately 155 watts remaining. If 12 of the 24 ports are used to connect end devices using 11.5 watts each, you would only have 17 watts remaining to provide power on the last 12 ports. The math doesn’t match the ports: 195W – 40W (switch) – 138 (12 devices @ 11.5W/ea) = 17W left for power on 12 ports
A PoE Switch is often not the best and most cost effective solution.