One of the popular approaches to meet the network deployment demands for many powered devices is a 48 port PoE switch. It is quite useful for scenarios where power outlets are unavailable to connect to cabling devices. It allows you to use your devices in hard-to-reach locations or places that are far from a power source. Usually, these switches can connect VoIP phones, IP cameras, and wireless access points (AP). You can incorporate a 48 port PoE switch to easily position those IP surveillance cameras and other PoE devices anywhere over the ceiling.
When looking for a 48 port PoE switch, there are a few key factors to consider like power budget, PoE capabilities, layer 2 and layer 3 features, form factor, management options, and more. Choosing the right switch for your needs is crucial to building a high-performing network. Those 48 port PoE switches are employed with as advanced features to guarantee reliable performance, network security, traffic control, and custom management. They automatically detect the power consumption of your PoE-powered devices. Subsequently, they only deliver the required amount of power. So, they achieve power conservation and help businesses to save money.
Whether you need a basic layer 2 PoE switch for a small business network or a fully-loaded layer 3 model for a large enterprise, this article will help you select the best 48 port PoE switch for your environment and budget.
List of The Best 48 Port PoE Switch
Check out the thorough reviews of the best 48 port PoE switch in 2023-2024 below.
1. NETGEAR 48 Port PoE+ Switch (GS348PP)
The NETGEAR GS348PP PoE switch is the best 48 port PoE switch on the list because it offers reliable, efficient, and cost-effective network connectivity for large home offices and business that needs a lot of network capacity. It offers efficient data and power transmission from a single Ethernet cable. It is also renowned for offering a superb cost/PoE budget ratio. Its non-blocking switching architecture offers maximum throughput at wire speed. You don’t need to install software or do any configurations for installation. You can mount it in rackmount desktop placement. The accessories in the pack are a rack mount kit, power cord, installation guide, and rubber feet.
Key Features
- It contains 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 24 PoE+ ports with 380W total power budget.
- IEEE802.3az compliant energy efficient design limits the power consumption.
- Its jumbo frame support is 12288 bytes.
- The MAC table size is 8K.
- The packet buffer size is 1.5 MB.
- PoE Auto balance is supported
- A 3-year limited hardware warranty is included.
Pros And Cons
2. TP-Link 48 Port PoE Switch (TL-SG3452P)
Each of the 48 PoE+ (802.3at/af) RJ45 ports in this TP-Link TL-SG3452P switch offers up to 30W power per port. The total power budget of 384W makes sure this PoE+ switch can efficiently operate power-hungry devices. Four Gigabit SFP slots are included for high-speed connections. The accessories packed along with are a power cord, quick installation guide, rackmount kit, and rubber feet.
Key Features
- Each of the PoE+ RJ45 ports can operate at 10/100/1000 Mbps speed.
- Omada SDN (Software Defined Networking) platform integrates various network devices like APs, switches, and gateways. Various control options provided are Omada Hardware controller, Software Controller, and Standalone Mode.
- The Omada app and remote cloud access help the switch achieve centralized cloud management of the entire network. The same is achieved at various sites that are regulated from a single interface anytime, anywhere.
- The list of latest security features implemented includes IP-MAC-Port binding, 802.1Q VLAN, Port Security, ACL, Storm control, DoS defend, 802.1X radius authentication, DHCP Snooping, and more.
- Static Routing directs the internal traffic to efficiently use the network resources.
- The features leading to powerful network management are CLI (Telnet, Console Port, SSH), web interface, RMON, SNMP, and Dual Image.
Pros And Cons
3. NETGEAR 52 Port PoE Switch (GS752TP)
NETGEAR GS752TP PoE switch is composed of 48 Gigabit PoE+ ports (supports a total power budget of 380W), and 4 x 1G SFP ports. You can deploy it in rackmount or desktop placement. The pack contains all the mounting hardware you may need, which includes AC power cord (with C13 connector), rubber footpads (for tabletop installation), rubber protection caps (available in the SFP sockets), screws and brackets for rack mounting, installation guide, resource CD with the software, hardware installation guide, link to the installation guide, and software user manual.
Key Features
- Smart software presents an easy-to-use interface. It provides a control for secure installation, access, and SNMP (NMS 300) management.
- IEEE802.3az compliant energy-efficient design reduces the total power consumption.
- ProSAFE Lifetime Protection and Lifetime Limited Hardware Warranty are included.
Pros And Cons
4. Cisco 48 Port PoE Managed Switch (CBS350-48P)
You can operate a network with a flexible, easy, and highly secure solution provided by this best 48 port PoE switch from Cisco. It is a fully managed switch that provides secure and reliable connectivity for small business networks. It boosts the overall network performance through its user-friendly web dashboard, Layer 2/3 functionalities, PoE+ support, and cutting-edge networking features.
It is renowned for being equipped with the latest security management abilities and network features. Being easy to deploy and configure, this Cisco PoE switch helps you to make the most of the managed network features that your business requires. Due to its compact design, you can install it outside the wiring closet of a classroom, office, retail store, etc. You get mounting hardware, a power adapter, and a quick start guide from the pack.
Key Features
- It contains 48 PoE ports (10/100/1000 Mbps) and 4 x 1G SFP ports.
- The total power budget is 370W.
- It is prepared in IEEE802.3az compliant Energy Efficient Ethernet design to control power usage and operational expense.
- It offers enhanced security with features like IP-MAC port biding and IPv6 First Hop.
- IP-MAC port biding identifies and blocks network attacks.
- IPv6 First Hop Security offers excellent protection against various address spoofing and man-in-the-middle attacks over IPv6 networks.
- You can use the built-in GUI or simple Cisco Business Dashboard to automate lifecycle management and simplify network operations.
- Limited-lifetime warranty offers peace of mind.
Pros And Cons
5. Ubiquiti UniFi 48 Port PoE Switch (US-48-500W)
This UniFi PoE switch is one of the best 48 port PoE switches to consider if you want efficient traffic management in your network. Each port on the switch can provide either PoE+ or configurable, 24V passive PoE to UniFi access points or other PoE devices. It is a fully managed, PoE+ Gigabit switch (supports a total power budget of 500W) that offers intelligent switching and robust performance for your growing networks. It allows you to effectively manage and configure your network from the intuitive UniFi web application and mobile app.
Key Features
- It has 48 Gigabit RJ45 ports, 2 SFP ports, and 2 SFP+ ports.
- The switching capacity is 140 Gbps.
- The non-blocking throughput is 70 Gbps.
- The forwarding rate is 104.16 Mbps.
- The maximum power consumption is 500W.
- The auto-sensing IEEE 802.3af/at PoE powers multiple devices on the network.
- Two SFP ports provide an uplink speed of up to 1 Gbps.
- Every port allows you to change its port name, VLAN/network configuration, PoE, operation mode (mirroring, switching, or aggregate), 802.1X Authentication, and Radius VLAN support.
- The switch seamlessly integrates into UniFi Software-Defined Networking (SDN) platform. Consequently, it creates a highly scalable system of network devices over multiple locations. All these devices are controlled from a singular interface.
- The VLAN integration into the Unifi APs is seamless and provides more visibility into your wired connections.
- Other features include remote firmware upgrade, guest portal, and 3 fan levels.
Pros And Cons
6. MokerLink 48 Port PoE Gigabit Switch
You simply need to plug in the power cord and connect the Ethernet cable to the PD devices, MokerLink PoE switch will then automatically sense those devices and feed PoE power to the network. No need to configure any setting. Typically, it is used in homes and offices or for small business networks. It is compatible with devices like PoE APs, PoE cameras, routers, and computer network devices.
You can mount it in rackmount or desktop placement. Its compact size seems perfect for installation on desktops with narrow spaces. Moreover, it can be rackmount 19 inches in length. You will get a rackmount kit and installation manual from the pack.
Key Features
- It contains 48 Gigabit ports and two Gigabit SFP ports.
- The total power budget is 400W.
- All ports 1-48 support PoE/PoE+ standard max 30W, port 1-2 also support PoE++ with maximum 90W output.
- The switching capacity is 112 Gbps.
- The maximum data speed on each port is 1G.
- The size of the Mac address table is 8K. It allows the connection and use of more devices in huge networks.
- The two industrial-grade fans are built in intelligent design to efficiently dissipate heat. These fans support features like automatic start & stop (as per the power consumed), automatic speed adjustment, energy-saving, and long runtime.
Pros And Cons
7. IPCamPower 48 Port PoE Switch for IP Cameras
This IPCamPower PoE switch is one of the best 48 port PoE switches for beginner IT professionals, business owners, and individual home users. It has a transformed-based power supply instead of a switching power supply. You can connect it to wireless APs, PoE cameras, routers, and other network devices. Being compact in size and quiet in operation, you can use it in a desk mount placement. The pack has all the hardware required to mount the switch to a server rack.
Key Features
- It can work as a PoE+ switch to deliver up to 30W power per port. So, you can use it as a PoE+ switch to power cameras or devices that need extremely high power.
- The total power budget is 400W. It is enough to power at least 48 IP cameras with a combination of both Standard PoE and PoE+ devices.
- There are 3 Gigabit Uplink ports (supports 10/100/1000 speed). Uplink Port-1 is an Ethernet Port. Uplink Port-2 & Port-3 are Ethernet/SFP Fiber Combo ports which suggest that you can select to use either a Fiber port or an Ethernet port for every uplink. You can use up to 3 uplink ports simultaneously.
- It is also compatible with devices that require low power. It only delivers the amount of power that the device requires. So, it conserves the total power budget.
Pros And Cons
How To Pick The Best 48 Port PoE Switch?
PoE capability, uplink port configuration, based speed, power budget and many more factors are involved when you plan to buy the best 48 port PoE switch. The key factors to consider are discussed below.
1. Capacity
You need to ask yourself the questions like what type of virtualization applications you are implementing and do they need high switching capacity or not. Usually, it is best to choose a 48 port PoE switch with a switching capacity in the range of 110 to 140 Gbps.
2. Managed or Unmanaged
Unmanaged 48 port PoE switches can’t be managed or modified. So, you don’t have to enable or disable the interfaces. They are suitable for companies without IT admins. They lack security features. However, they provide decent support if you use it in a home or small network consisting of 5-10 computers.
On the other hand, managed 48 port PoE switches offer the superior network security, management, and control. They are perfect for operations that need remote-access control and off-site 24×7 monitoring. Their scalability facilitates the growth of the network. Moreover, they are perfect for modern applications that need superior resiliency and network privacy. Their expensive prices are worthwhile for the functionalities they offer.
3. Uplink Configuration
In addition to standard PoE ports, you also need to focus on the uplink ports available in a 48 port PoE switch. These switches usually include several 10G SFP+ uplink ports to establish multiple switch connections. The included uplink ports help these switches to fulfill future demands of enterprise networks and data centers.
4. Power Budget
The power budget determines the power fed to each port, so it is an important factor to consider. Usually, the best 48 port PoE switches are designed to provide a total power budget in the range of 370W – 400W. The mentioned range is enough to efficiently power each connected device in the network. Each port can at least receive 30W. You need to consider how many ports support PoE and the maximum power of each port in the switch.
5. Noise
Especially in business environments, the noise generated by the 48 port PoE switch is a hassle. There are fanless switches available but their capacities may not fulfill your demands. So, it is advisable to consider the amount of noise generated before the purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions When Picking The Best 48 Port PoE Switch
1. What are the benefits of using a 48 port managed PoE switch?
The key benefit of using a 48 port managed PoE switch is the failover redundancy through which it assures low network downtime. It can be configured and can prioritize LAN traffic to deliver critical data. If an unused port exists on a 48 port managed PoE switch, you can disable it or also implement MAC address filtering to make sure unauthorized devices or users or devices can’t access the network via plugging in. So, it guarantees safe network connections.
2. Is it necessary to consider redundancy when buying a 48 port PoE switch?
If the whole network relies on a single 24 port PoE switch and if the switch encounters a catastrophic failure, the entire network would be down. For example, instead of a single 48 port PoE switch, you can use two identical 24 port PoE switches. If any of the two switches fails, only half the network will be done down. So, redundancy guarantees network reliability and is hence important to consider when buying the best 48 port PoE switch. Redundancy also proves to be beneficial when managing the personal or financial data of servers.
3. How does a managed 48 port PoE switch simplify the installation of access points and controllers?
When you use a managed 48 port PoE switch, you don’t have to install plugs near Wi-Fi locations or provide separate power cables. You simply need to connect Cat5a or Cat6 cable from your hotspot to your switch.
Final Thoughts
After reviewing the top options, it’s clear there are great 48 port PoE switches available to fit a variety of needs and budgets. You can connect lots of network devices even in places where power outlets are unavailable or difficult to access. It is easy to achieve with the choice of the best 48 port PoE switch from our best list. They ensure reliable network performance and fast data transmission on each of the 48 ports simultaneously. They prove to be cost-effective solutions for businesses because they also cut down on power consumption.
No matter which switch you choose, look for adequate power, the port types and speeds you need, and layer 2 or 3 features to match your network requirements. And don’t forget to consider size, noise, and reliability for your specific environment. With the best 48 port PoE switch powering your networked devices, you can build a scalable, high-speed infrastructure.
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We just transitioned to a VoIP phone system on our campus. We needed a PoE version of our current 48 port switch to eliminate the need for individual power adapters for desktop phone handsets. I had previously segmented the two drops in our offices so that one drop went through one switch and the other drop went through another. With that setup and 48 port PoE switch we can now manage and reboot the phone system from anywhere.
Yeah…you also saved money as the incremental cost of the PoE version was much less than the numerous power adapters you would have needed.