PoE denotes the capability to simultaneously supply both power and data via an Ethernet cable. In any network, whether it’s your office network or personal home network, you have to install a specific switch or multiple switches to seamlessly connect all devices. A decent PoE switch includes multiple Ethernet ports that help you to connect a wide range of devices. The 16 port PoE switch can connect up to 16 devices such as IP cameras, wireless access points, and VoIP phones.
They simplify the cabling process and decrease network costs. Moreover, PoE switches provide network connectivity and the power to drive the PD (powered device) over the Ethernet cable. If you want to connect multiple devices to your PoE switch simultaneously, you can go through the following list and choose the best 16 port PoE switch for your needs.
List of The Best 16 Port PoE Switch
Check out the thorough reviews of the best 16 port PoE switch in 2023-2024 below.
1. NETGEAR 16 Port Unmanaged PoE+ Switch (GS316P)
Your devices can get the power they need anytime with this best 16 port PoE switch from NETGEAR. It is implemented with NETGEAR FlexPoE integrated technology that enables you to raise the PoE budget anytime to feed your devices with enough power. This is possible with the interchangeable external power adapter.
You can use this NETGEAR switch if you want to power up your PoE cameras and other power-hungry devices. It provides enough power output to drive all the power-demanding devices at once. It can also connect to external PoE WiFi extenders. Moreover, you can use the switch for getting Internet access for pool automation. The pack contains components like a wall mount kit, rack mount kit, power adapter, and installation guide.
Key Features
- The total power budget is 115W.
- It comes with an easy plug-and-play setup; no need to install any software or configure anything.
- It supports wall mount and desktop placement.
- It comes in an energy-efficient design compliant with IEEE802.3az.
- Its quiet operation makes it perfect for noise-sensitive environments.
- A 3-year limited hardware warranty is included.
Pros And Cons
2. TP-Link 16 Port Gigabit PoE Switch
TP-Link TL-SG1218MPE PoE switch follows the 802. 3at/af PoE+ standard. It provides up to a 30W power supply on every PoE port. The total PoE power budget is up to 192W for its 16 PoE ports. So, it works perfectly for small and medium business applications. All the 16 PoE+ ports support 10/100/1000 Mbps speed. Two Gigabit Non-PoE ports and two combo SFP slots are included for supporting high-speed connections.
Key Features
- PoE Auto Recovery feature allows the switch to automatically detect and reboot the unresponsive or failed PoE-powered devices. No need for manual resetting or testing.
- The smart configuration utility and easy-to-use web-based management interface offer ease of setup and easy smart management. They also allow you to easily monitor your network.
- Various VLAN features are implemented to boost network security through traffic segmentation.
- When connected devices’ net power consumption equals to exceeds 250W, lower-priority ports are disabled to avoid overloading.
- The professional heat dissipation design and a durable metal casing guarantee reliability when using your devices in a broad range of operating temperatures (0 – 50℃).
- IGMP Snooping and port-based 802.1p/DSCP QoS assures superior quality video/voice data transmission and also prioritizes your traffic.
Pros And Cons
3. Aumox 16 Port PoE Gigabit Switch with 2 Uplink Ports
This Aumox PoE switch offers 18 Base-TX RJ45 ports that include 16 PoE ports that automatically recognize and drive PoE devices. The built-in power supply removes the need for an adapter. The high-speed transmission makes it one of the best 16 port PoE switches from Aumox. It is ideal for IP phones, PoE cameras, WiFi access points, and gaming devices.
The efficient industrial-grade fans and robust metal casing lead to efficient heat dissipation. The fans work quietly and contribute to long-lasting operation in various temperature environments. Hence, the switch operates steadily.
Various available installation options are wall mount, desktop, and rack placement. The 19-inch length is compatible with several switch racks. So, you benefit from more mounting options. The plug-and-play interface simplifies setup. The Aumox PoE switch automatically detects devices. You only need to connect the network cable and the power cord, no configuration is needed.
Key Features
- Each PoE port supports 10/100/1000 Mbps speed.
- Each of the two Uplink ports supports 10/100/1000 Mbps,
- The output power of a single port is 15.4W/30W. The total power output of the whole switch is 250W.
- They include a power pin is 1/2 + 3/6-.
- The power distance is up to 100 meters.
- The switching capability is 128 Gbps.
- The Forwarding Mode it supports is Store and forward.
- The MAC address is 8K.
- The temperature range is 14 ℉- 131℉.
- IEEE802.3af/at network standards are supported.
Pros And Cons
4. SODOLA 16 Port Gigabit PoE Switch
This SODOLA PoE switch is composed of 16 PoE ports (10/100 Mbps) and two Gigabit Ethernet Uplink ports. An SFP slot interface is also added. All the included ports provide more bandwidth and can connect to various devices. Various speed port combinations explore the maximum benefit of the switch at an affordable cost for use in a surveillance system. The SODOLA PoE switch can automatically detect the devices and establish the connection. The accessories included are a power cord, a user manual, several screws, and a pair of brackets.
Key Features
- It operates on 300W built-in power supply.
- It complies with 802.3at/af protocol.
- The power budget per PoE port is up to 30W and the total power budget is 300W.
- You can enable the Extend Mode to extend the transmission distance of all the ports to 250m (at a speed of 10 Mbps).
- The Mac Address is 2K.
- The switching capacity is 9.2 Gbps and the throughput is 6.884 Mbps.
- The switch attains 4KV/8KV Lightning Protection level to assure safety.
Pros And Cons
5. Ubiquiti UniFi Lite 16 Port PoE Switch
If you want to virtually monitor your network then this Ubiquiti PoE switch can be one of the best 16 port PoE switches for you. It is a fully managed Layer 2 switch equipped with 16 Gigabit ports that help you to connect RJ45 Ethernet devices. It is easy to integrate with Unifi App and USG routers.
Key Features
- The 16 Gigabit RJ45 ports include 8 auto-sensing 802.3at PoE+ ports that offer up to 45W of PoE wattage. These eight ports can connect UniFi Access Points or other PoE devices.
- With the help of the UniFi Network Controller and mobile app support, admins can configure and virtually monitor all the switch features in a GUI from anywhere.
Pros And Cons
How To Pick The Best 16 Port PoE Switch?
You can speed up your buying decision for the best 16 port PoE switch if you take into account the following considerations.
1. Bandwidth capacity
Most PoE switches provide remote access through dedicated software and apps. It implies that you can watch video footage on the Internet. This is only possible when the switch offers a high bandwidth capacity and doesn’t bottleneck the performance of the NVR. The high bandwidth capacity also results in the delivery of intact video and audio recordings from the camera.
Some 16 port PoE switches provide bandwidth capacity ranging from 10 to 100 Mbps whereas some include Gigabit ports with up to 1 Gbps speed. High bandwidth PoE switches let you install better quality cameras like 2K or 4k cameras.
2. Wattage capacity
In addition to transferring data, the PoE switches provide power input to the camera. So, you must carefully check the wattage capacity of the PoE switch before buying it. Make sure that it can power all installed CCTV cameras in the system. It is nice to buy a 16-port PoE switch with 40–50W power capacity.
3. Total power budget
You need to consider the power accessible at each port and ascertain that it is adequate for a single device in the system. You also need to consider the overall power budget of the PoE switch and make sure it can power all the connected devices in your system.
If the PoE switch can’t deliver adequate power to the cameras and other connected devices, there may be improper output from the devices. Specifically, this is a huge drawback for a surveillance system if cameras are connected. So, you need to choose a PoE switch with a high power budget so that it can power your existing system and also allow upgrades in the system in the future.
4. Managed or Unmanaged PoE switch
Managed and unmanaged PoE switches vastly differ from each other depending on the features and price range. Unmanaged PoE switches are plug-and-play type switches, they don’t need any configuration during installation. You simply need to plug in the cables to use these switches. On the other hand, managed PoE switches offer great features because the user can configure them. Your applications may not need such great features. So, you need to wisely choose the most appropriate type of PoE switch.
5. Standalone or Stackable configuration
The standalone PoE switches are managed and configured distinctly. If you want to connect more switches, the network must be improved. On the other hand, stackable PoE switches provide scalability, flexibility, and ease of installation to the office network.
6. Reliability
The overall performance of your PoE system depends on the performance of the PoE switch because it connects all the devices. If the PoE switch fails or certain ports malfunction, there will be an instant failure in your system. So, it is always better to buy a reliable 16 port PoE switch with durable build quality and enough warranty period to obtain a decent value for your money.
Further Understanding of PoE Technology
PoE (Power Over Ethernet) refers to the technology that provides DC power to IP-based devices such as IP phones, wireless LAN access points, APs, network cameras, etc., while transmitting data over the existing Ethernet Cat.5 cabling infrastructure without any changes. PoE technology can ensure the normal operation of existing networks while ensuring the security of existing structured cabling and minimizing costs. A complete PoE system consists of PSE (Power Sourcing Equipment) and the PDs (Powered Devices).
- Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE): Ethernet switches, routers, hubs or other network switching devices that support POE functionality.
- Powered Device (PD): In the monitoring system is mainly network cameras (IPC).
Is the PoE power supply stable?
From a technical point of view, PoE technology has been developed for many years and is currently at a very mature stage. The standard PoE power supply is stable and safe enough. However, due to the cost pressure in the current monitoring market, if the quality of the selected PoE switches or wires is too low, or the design of the solution itself is unreasonable, the power supply distance is not arranged properly, or too many high-power devices are connected, and the power supply will become shortage, especially for night monitoring equipments when their heating mode is on. Therefore, some project engineers have the opinion that PoE power supply is unstable.
The network monitoring project is different from the ordinary network integrated cabling. The data transmission volume is very large, the power is high, and it requires 24/7 uninterrupted work. The use of quality-guaranteed PoE equipments and cables is the guarantee for the stability of the entire system.
Is the PoE switch energy-saving?
As we all know, one of the advantages of PoE power supply is energy saving, but in what aspects does it actually reflect? Take the standard PoE switch as an example to solve your doubts.
PoE switch will automatically adjust the power according to the power supply equipment. For example, when the temperature of an infrared video camera is low, the power of the heating function is turned on to 30W max, and the power is 24W max under normal circumstances. The PoE switch will automatically adjust the power supply according to the operating status of the camera.
In general, the standard PoE switch can set the PoE power supply cycle, and it can automatically stop power supply to the terminal of the designated port during holidays and nights, which not only saves energy, but also sets flexible usage methods in certain scenarios.
The standard PoE switch will monitor the status of all ports in real time. If the port status is down, the system will automatically stop power supply to the port and enter the energy-saving mode, which not only saves energy, but also ensures the stable operation of the device.
Advantages of PoE switch solutions
1. Simplify wiring and save labor costs.
A network cable transmits data and power at the same time, and PoE eliminates the need for expensive power supplies and the time it takes to install power supplies, saving costs and time.
2. Security and convenience.
The PoE device will only supply power to the equipment that needs it. Only when the equipment that needs power supply is connected, the Ethernet cable will have voltage, thus eliminating the risk of leakage on the line. Users can safely mix legacy devices and PoE devices on the network, which can co-exist with existing Ethernet cabling.
3. Easy remote management.
Like data transmission, PoE can monitor and control the device by using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). This feature can provide functions such as night shutdown, remote restart, etc.
The disadvantages of PoE switch solutions
- Insufficient power, the power receiving end cannot move: the 802.3af standard (PoE) output power is less than 15.4W, which is enough for general IPCs, but for high-power devices such as video cameras, the output power cannot reach to request.
- The risk is too concentrated: Generally speaking, a PoE switch supplies power to multiple front-end IPCs at the same time. Any failure of the power supply module of the PoE switch will lead to all cameras to fail to work.
- High equipment maintenance costs: Compared with other power supply methods, PoE power supply technology will increase the workload of after-sales maintenance. From the perspective of safety and stability, the stability and security of independent power supply are the best.
FAQs When Picking The Best 16 Port PoE Switch
1. Is the higher the power of the PoE switch, the better for your PoE system?
Due to the emergence of high power devices such as HD video cameras and live video phones, network switch manufacturers are scrambling to develop PoE switches with higher total power. However, many PoE switches developed only pursue the increase of the total power, ignoring the relationship between power and the number of ports, which inevitably causes the overall cost of the equipment to increase while the power is high. The result is that users choose PoE switches with low practicality and low cost performance. Therefore, in the actual network deployment, the power and number of PD devices should be determined first, and then we can pick the most suitable PoE switch accordingly.
2. What is the safe transmission distance of PoE?
The safe transmission distance of PoE power supply is 100 meters. It is possible to transmit DC power very far with standard Ethernet cables, so why is the transmission distance limited to 100 meters?
The fact is that the maximum transmission distance of a PoE switch mainly depends on the data transmission distance. When the transmission distance exceeds 100 meters, data delays and packet loss may occur. Therefore, in the actual construction process, the transmission distance is preferably not more than 100 meters. But now there are already some PoE switches with a transmission distance of up to 250 meters to meet long-distance power supply. It is believed that with the development of PoE technology, the transmission distance will be extended to a greater distance in the near future.
3. How many APs or IP Cameras does a 16 port PoE switch support?
It depends on the maximum wattage of your 16 port PoE switch, the maximum wattage of each port, and the individual power consumption and total power consumption of APs and IP Cameras (single power consumption * number of APs and IP Cameras). Theoretically, as long as the power consumption of a single AP or IP Camera is less than the maximum power supply of a PoE port, and the total power consumption of APs and IP Cameras is less than the maximum power supply wattage of your 16 port PoE switch, then your 16 port PoE switch can supply power to 16 APs or IP Cameras at the same time.
Final Thoughts
These 16 port PoE switches can be extensively used to simultaneously power up to 16 devices including laptops, computer monitors, TVs, IP cameras, video phones and VoIP phones, audio devices, wireless AP, remote computer terminals, etc. They facilitate a simple network management protocol (SNMP) that provides an easy way to administer and manage the switch. They don’t involve complex installation procedures. The best 16 port PoE switch provides powerful network connectivity and versatility in addition to the discussed benefits.
Enjoyed this article on the best 16 port PoE switch? Then be sure to check out our other guides.
TP-Link TL-SG1218MPE is perfect for small PoE needs like a few access points and cameras, or for a Raspberry Pi Kibernetes cluster. This TP-Link PoE switch has been very robust and reliable, and it’s a great price for 16 PoE ports and a pair of uplink ports as well.
TP-Link’s products are always affordable and work just as well as more expensive ones.