New house = new switch - 24 ports, PoE, Gigabit, Fanless, Rackmount...

[matt_garman]

I'm in the process of buying a new house. Normally I'd just move all my infrastructure from the old to the new. However, we can't move right away so the new house will sit vacant for a while. So I need to double up the core infrastructure. I'll have Internet in the new house for security: alarm system (cellular backup) and cameras.

I haven't shopped switches in a long time. Current house has a 24-port HP unmanaged rackmount fanless switch (I forget the model number). I've had it for at least eight years with zero problems.

What I want in the new switch:

• Rackmount
• Minimum 24 RJ45 Gigabit ports
• Reliable/proven track record
• Low power consumption
• Fanless, if possible
• Unmanaged is preferable, but if managed, should have good interface and preferably ssh CLI options
• PoE for cameras (*) See below

This is my first time with PoE, so I'm not too familiar with it. From the quick skimming I did of lower-priced 24-port PoE switches on Newegg, it seems fanless and PoE are mutually exclusive... I don't need all 24 ports to be powered; I can't imagine ever having more than four cameras. And I don't know what else I would power via Ethernet. Does it make more sense to have two switches, one non-PoE (like my current one) and a second, smaller one for PoE?

As I wrote that, I thought I don't really need too many ports while the house is empty, just enough for cameras and maybe a couple extra devices. So perhaps I could start with a smaller (say 8-12 port) PoE switch, and then bring in the tried-and-true HP switch when we actually move?

...But then two devices might conflict with my "low power consumption" requirement. Not sure which is lower, one big PoE switch or a small PoE switch plus a big non-PoE switch.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[NashBrydges]

You're right. PoE and fanless are typically mutually exclusive. I'm a fan of Ubiquiti switches and have been using their bigger version of the PoE switch for over a year and love it. This smaller one may be a good option.

Ubiquiti Networks - EdgeSwitch™ 8-150w

 

[NashBrydges]

As for what else you may run on PoE, I have phones and wirelsss access points running on PoE as well as security cameras. All told using 12 PoE ports on my Ubiquiti ES-48-500W

 

[EffrafaxOfWug]

Personally it was more important for me to have a fanless switch than one with PoE - I'm only using two ports - so I've got a fanless managed switch and two PoE injectors instead. If I needed more PoE ports I'd probably keep the managed switch and use a dedicated unmanaged PoE switch like the Mikrotik RB260GSP or the Netgear GS308P.

Of course, if I could get my hands on a Jetway JBC512 then I'd probably roll pfsense and a PoE switch into one fanless lump o'glory.

 

[pyro_]

Possibly consider using a rackmount Poe injector this would then open up a number of regular non Poe switches which are fanless

 

[pricklypunter]

Just to add to what has already been mentioned, make sure your cameras and whatever else you might want to hang off the ports, are actually PoE and not PoE+, because that would be an expensive "oops". Also, for the sake of easy switch upgrades later, if you have the rack space for it, I'm with pyro here and would also go with a multi-port midspan injector that is capable of both PoE and PoE+

 

[Angus]

POE camera's should negotiate no problem.. so POE+ or regular should not be an issue..

 

[Terry Kennedy]

Also, for the sake of easy switch upgrades later, if you have the rack space for it, I'm with pyro here and would also go with a multi-port midspan injector that is capable of both PoE and PoE+

That's what I do at several locations, including my house. I use Powerdsine 9000-series units. There are a number of different models:

PD-90xxG/pppp/m/f

xx is the number of ports - 06, 12 or 24
pppp is the input power - AC, DC, or ACDC
M is management (dedicated Ethernet port), blank is no management
F is full power (36W per port) on 24-port models only. Other models are always 36W/port

The management is really handy - you can configure some ports to drop power if your UPS goes on battery, there's lots of monitoring, etc.

If you wait, you can get the PD-9024G/ACDC/M/F on eBay [advertisement link, not mine] for under $150. Just make sure it has the rackmount brackets (they are impossible to get, otherwise) and ask the seller to package it well with lots of passing around the front panel, or it will arrive with the front panel retaining clips broken and rattling around inside the case.

If someone gets one of these, drop me a PM and I can get you the documentation and management firmware, as well as the actual PoE firmware.

The reason fanless and PoE are mutually exclusive is because of the power needed for PoE - 24 ports * 36W is 865W. Even 12 ports * 18W is > 200W.

 

[Jon Massey]

HP-1810 24G is a great simple smart fanless switch that I've used extensively and would heartily recommend. I also use Powerdsine injectors and would recommend.

 

[matt_garman]

That's what I do at several locations, including my house. I use Powerdsine 9000-series units. There are a number of different models:

[...]

If you wait, you can get the PD-9024G/ACDC/M/F on eBay [advertisement link, not mine] for under $150. Just make sure it has the rackmount brackets (they are impossible to get, otherwise) and ask the seller to package it well with lots of passing around the front panel, or it will arrive with the front panel retaining clips broken and rattling around inside the case.

If someone gets one of these, drop me a PM and I can get you the documentation and management firmware, as well as the actual PoE firmware.

Awesome, thank you for all that helpful info.

Any reason (other than space-savings) why it would be better to have the PoE and switch integrated into one device, as opposed to to separate devices?

To me, I like the idea of being modular, so it seems better to me to have separate devices. Usually modular is more flexible. Am I missing something?

I think 12 PoE ports is more than enough for my planned four cameras plus a few extras for other "toys" I'll likely want to add at some point. Looks like there are a few of these on ebay right now in fact... Why the huge price discrepancy between new and used? Looks like $800ish for new and $150ish used...

I'll do a little more research and then probably grab a used one off ebay.

Thanks again!

 

[pricklypunter]

Any reason (other than space-savings) why it would be better to have the PoE and switch integrated into one device, as opposed to to separate devices?

You may or may not, depending on what you are doing, want all your power ports going through the same switch.
You can place any switch you like behind the injector.
If in the unlikely event you do have a power port failure, you can simply swap your wiring over to a working port without losing the switch port behind it.

I like the Microsemi stuff, it's robust and reliable and you won't go wrong with them. A friend of mine also had a Comnet one too, I don't know the model number, but that one was capable of 70W per port or something like that. He used it for powering up thin clients amongst other things

 

[Patrick]

I would just like to say congratulations on the new house @matt_garman

 

[matt_garman]

I would just like to say congratulations on the new house @matt_garman

Thanks Patrick!

So, FYI, switch in current house is HP 1400-24G. I can't remember exactly when I bought this, at least five years ago. It falls into the "just works, zero problems" category.

What I ended up buying for the new house:

Switch: HP 1820-24G (J9980A)
POE: Microsemi PowerDsine PD-9024G/ACDC/M/F

I got the Microsemi off ebay for about $200, brand new in box.

I haven't had a chance to fire any of it up yet, but now I'm sorta second-guessing myself. One, I realized fanless isn't all that important. This equipment will live in an unfinished basement that will remain unfinished for years (storage + gym only). And when we do finish it, we'll put all the gear into a closet anyway.

But I would like low power, for the sake of my electricity bill. I assume the HP 1820 ought to be reasonably low power. I'm assuming the Microsemi's power consumption is proportional to how much power it's providing. Initially this will only be one or two devices. (It's definitely overkill for my needs, but I kind of did an impulse buy to get a new in box deal.)

I saw the Low power layer 3 switch? thread here. And general web searching it looks like "low power" and "layer 3" are somewhat mutually exclusive.

As I said, I'm second-guessing myself, now thinking about these:

Juniper EX2200-24P-4G - one of my colleagues is using an EX2200 at home, he loves it. Expensive to buy new, but reasonably cheap used on ebay. But buying used implies no warranty, as it looks like Juniper doesn't have a transferable warranty.

Cisco 3560G - The POE version. These are a dime a dozen on ebay. But warranty? Power consumption?

Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch ES-24-250W - This looks really nice for the price. But only 1-year warranty? One of the Amazon reviews of another Ubiquity switch talked about a power supply failure just after the warranty expired, and he claims he couldn't even pay for replacement service.

Convince me I'm fine with what I got or that I should pursue one of the above options (or something different entirely)!

 

[Jon Massey]

You're all good with what you have. If you're desperate for rack space then you could consolidate into a PoE switch but if not then what you've got is more than fine.

 

[Terry Kennedy]

POE: Microsemi PowerDsine PD-9024G/ACDC/M/F

I got the Microsemi off ebay for about $200, brand new in box.

Yup - they're out there if you wait for one to come along at a good price.

AFAIK, this is the latest version:

Unit Type = PD-9024G/ACDC/M/F, Seral Number = xxxx, product number = 550
App  Ver  = 4.25.07.11, Creation date & time= Jun  6 2013, 15:22:49
Boot Ver  = 1.07, Creation date & time= Jul  8 2009, 15:34:57
Firmware  = 08012001.0550.008
Flash Size= 4MB

WEB files Rev: 11 (PDL)
PowerDsine 55xxG
PowerDsine 65xxG
PowerDsine 65xx (4MB FLASH only)
PowerDsine 90xxG(48VDC)
PowerDsine 90xxG
PowerDsine 95xxG
PowerDsine 96xxG

"Firmware" is the code running on the actual PoE chips. It han't changed in years (since 802.3at) and you probably don't want to touch it. Boot/App are running on the management processor. The version listed only supports old SSL ciphers and doesn't usually work with newer browsers. But IPv6 functionality is there and working and the software is pretty bug-free.

Check your versions and let me know if you need the update files.