Help choosing the right switch for new house

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Loren

New Member
Dec 23, 2018
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My wife and I are in the process of building a house. Part of the process is adding a security system which means that we will need a bigger switch to handle the cameras as well as our two servers. Our current setup looks something like this:

AT&T Modem-> PFSense Firewal -> Unifi 8 Port POE Switch-> Unifi AP-AC Lite WAP

For the new house we plan to have two Unifi AP-AC Lite WAPs which we could power with the Unifi switch. We will add up to 6 Reolink RLC-420 cameras (12v drawing 8W according to their site). Ideally one switch would power both the cameras and the WAPs.

I'd like to strike a balance between finding something that's budget friendly and has the ability to be configured through a GUI. I like Ubiquiti's eco system but know that I may be paying a little extra for the flashy interface. I've also worked with Cisco equipment too.

The servers will live in a spare bedroom that we will treat as a storage area. My plan was to pull fiber to that room from wherever the switch ends up residing. That also means that the switch should also have one or two SFP ports.

I had budgeted $300 planning to watch Ebay and Craigslist for the next few months in hopes that I could find a deal on something.

Are there any switches that would fit all of the criteria mentioned above that I should be looking at?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Loren
 

JSchuricht

Active Member
Apr 4, 2011
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Powerconnect 5524P would work and is plentiful on ebay starting around $100. It has 2 SFP+ ports that could do 1 or 10Gb and 24 POE Gb ports. It has a GUI or CLI for config, you would need to use CLI from a serial port for first time setup mainly for setting an IP.
 

int0x2e

Member
Dec 9, 2015
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For anything apart from the flashy GUI, brocade are hard to beat.
The 6610 is the most full featured device that is cost effective, but there are a few other models that might be even more suited to your situation.
Do check out the amazing thread by fohdeesha.

You could also consider an Aruba s1500/S2500/S3500 (do your research though).

Either way, do monitor eBay. I've seen devices go for different prices within weeks. I picked my own Brocade 6610 for 229$ and my Aruba S3500 for just 60$. The deals are out there if you're patient.
 

Loren

New Member
Dec 23, 2018
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Thank you both for your input. All of that is super helpful.

I've done some more digging and the devices that I will be using are the 802.3af standard. If I have a switch that is the 802.3at standard would that still be able to power the devices? If I understand what I've read correctly the 802.3at standard is simply capable of providing more current correct?
 

BoredSysadmin

Not affiliated with Maxell
Mar 2, 2019
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I suggest you double-check the POE for your UBNT Lite WiFi APs. Lite doesn't support 802.3at PoE+, only 802.3af/A PoE & 24V PoE.
I went with Pro mainly for that reason