What is a PoE switch?
A PoE (Power over Ethernet) switch is a network switch that also powers the devices plugged into it, so an IP camera takes its video and its power over one Ethernet cable and needs no separate power supply. Most of Videoline's IP cameras can be powered this way. PoE is part of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards.
The switch connects the cameras to the NVR through an uplink port. Videoline's PoE switches need no configuration: each port supplies power automatically to equipment that accepts it.
How far can a PoE camera be from the switch?
Up to 100 m on a standard Ethernet copper run, for both data and power. Videoline's PoE switches extend that to 250 m in Extend mode. Beyond 250 m, carry the network over fiber with a media converter.
The 100 m is measured along the cable from the switch port to the camera, patch leads included, so measure the cable route rather than the straight-line distance.
What does Extend mode do on a PoE switch?
Extend mode lets the PoE ports reach cameras up to 250 m away by running them at 10 Mbps. It is chosen with a DIP switch on the switch, and suits cameras whose video stream fits within 10 Mbps.
- Default mode works as a standard switch, within the usual 100 m.
- VLAN mode, on the 4- and 8-port switches, isolates the PoE ports from each other so that each one talks only to the uplink.
- PoE priority runs from port 1 and is on by default, so put the most important cameras on the lowest-numbered ports.
Which PoE switch do I need for my cameras?
Choose by the number of cameras and the uplink you need. One PoE port powers one camera, so count the cameras and allow spare ports; then choose gigabit or fiber uplinks if many cameras share the link to the recorder.
| Switch | PoE ports | Uplinks | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V900-AF-41N | 4, at 10/100 Mbps | 1, at 10/100 Mbps | VLAN, Default, Extend |
| V900-AFG-8NS | 8, gigabit | 2, gigabit | VLAN, Default, Extend |
| V900-AFG-162NS | 16, gigabit | 2 gigabit, plus 2 gigabit SFP | Default, Extend |
The 16-port model fits a standard 19-inch rack in 1U and has its power supply built in. Every model has 4 kV common-mode surge protection and ESD protection to 8 kV (air) and 6 kV (contact), for cable runs that reach outdoor cameras.
How do I connect a camera more than 250 m away?
Over fiber. The MC7100-10C gigabit media converter carries the network over fiber-optic cable for up to 120 km. Fit a converter at each end of the run, and power the far cameras from a PoE switch there, since fiber carries no power.
- It connects by SC or ST as standard, or by LC with an SFP transceiver.
- Link fault pass-through tells the equipment at each end when the link on the other side drops.
- For fiber between switches, the 16-port V900-AFG-162NS has two gigabit SFP ports of its own.
For pricing, tell us how many cameras you have and how far each is from the recorder through the enquiry form.