Are POE Switches Better Than non-PoE Switches?

A non-poe switch is a switch that provides network connectivity only, and does not supply DC power to connected devices. These Ethernet switches are suitable when there are a large number of non-powered network devices on the network, such as PCs and laptops. Such Ethernet switches are commonly deployed in offices, as well as in hotels, student housing, assisted living, and other multi-dwelling unit (MDU) environments where there is a wired Ethernet wall jack in each unit.

 PoE switches (Power-over-Ethernet) provide both DC power and data connectivity over a single Ethernet wire. These are extremely useful for connecting powered network devices to a network, as only one cable needs to be run to the device, as opposed to separate cables for data and for power. Per the IEEE standards, ethernet switches are able to detect whether a connected device is powered or not, and will therefore only provide power to devices that are not being powered by an alternate power connection. When using managed POE switches, the connected device can also be rebooted remotely by turning off and on the power on the Ethernet port, which is very useful when doing network troubleshooting.

PoE switch has some advantages over the non-PoE switch,as following:

Flexibility – The PoE switch is powered through existing PoE network infrastructure and eliminates the demand for additional electrical wiring. This gives you flexibility to employ the switch wherever you need.

Good performance – PoE switch is designed with advanced features like high-performance hardware and software, auto-sensing PoE compatibility, strong network security and environmental adaptability. It provides better performance for users.

Cost-efficient – There is no need for users to purchase and deploy additional electrical wires and outlets with PoE switch. Therefore, it makes great savings on installation and maintenance costs.

After the comparison of PoE switch vs non-PoE switch, do you know which one to choose? Actually, it depends on your real needs.