Which model POE Switch did you end up going with that allows individual ports to be powered on/off? I am investigating the use of POE currently and want to make sure not to buy the wrong stuff... Looks like the tp-link TL-SG108PE V2 supports individual port power control via a web UI. Any others that are good choices?
I would like to go with the Ubiquiti Unifi US-8-60W, but it appears you need a Unifi Controller to manage it? Anyone know exact what that means? I do not want to buy the Unifi USG and Cloud Key at this time.
Does the 'Controller Software" have to be running 24x7 for the switch to function correctly? Or just fire it up when needed to make a change or view some data?
I ended up getting the one below. Mainly because I have a Netgear router, it has POE+ ports in case I need it in the future....and...because it went on sale a couple days after I added it to my Amazon wish list. I got it for $170.
Technically no the controller does not need to run 24/7. However without it you don't have the advanced traffic analysis and traffic statistic reports that it builds from the switch data. If you only have 1 switch then Unifi may be overkill and costly for a single POE switch. I use Unifi and TP-Link for the lower end gear. The TP-Link gear is decent and has a web interface to enable/disable ports.
I have a full Unifi setup for my primary stuff and have it all (except Protect) integrated into my HA system.
Anyone know if the Multi-Port POE injectors can be triggered to power off a port depending on if the switch port it is plugged into is active? I have a Cisco SG300-28 which does not have POE, but I would like get rid of multiple POE injectors and also put my HE on POE. Since this a good managed switch I do not want to spend $400+ to replace it with a new switch just for POE.
I was looking at the one below. But I suspect the negotiation is with the POE device, so even if I disable the switch port to that device, the injector would still negation the needed power since the device would still be plugged in.
The more I think about it, this wouldn't work. Still significantly cheaper to buy the injector. For the time I need to power cycle the devices, which is seldom I can just pull the patch cable.
I haven’t bought one yet. Still rocking a power strip full of wall warts for now.
This is the one that seemed to strike the best balance between price and capabilities (I.e. ease of use).
At work I have been using some Ubiquiti Unifi hardware for a test system. Seems to be really nice stuff, but a bit too pricey for my home usage requirements. A basic two AP Unifi system will set you back about $600-$700. I’ll be sticking with my ASUS RT-AC86 router and inexpensive switches for now.
@stephack:
Thanks for pointing out this thread. I switched my dev/backup Hubitat C5 over to my POE using a "YaeCCC" almost-no-name splitter from Amazon. A 4 pack was too cheap to pass up though. So far so good but I will have to see how they last in the long term.
For switches... you can often find OLD but perfectly functional POE switches on Ebay. I have a 48port Gigabit managed switch I got a few years ago for ~$40 with free shipping. A firmware update later and it is still working just fine. Plus I still have some extra ports as I remodel rooms and add Cat6 in each time.
UAP-AC-LR $95 (these are better than the Pro in my experience with phones, tablets, console systems and IoT devices with embedded wifi chips). Get the model at this price that comes with the POE injector and you're all set without a new switch requirement.
Get 2 of those and run the Unifi controller on a rPi and you're all set for what $200 bucks give or take? Or put the controller on another PC.
If you go all in with Unifi switches, Cloud Key, etc then yeah you're looking at $500+++ easily
I'm not following/understanding something. The cloud key is not required and you can run the Unifi controller on another system.
Now having Unifi AP's all by themselves without any other Unifi gear is almost pointless yes. However the Unifi AP's have very nice/strong radio's providing good coverage areas.
But again I think to your point. To really get the full benefits of a Unifi setup you need at minimum the AP, switch, USG which is now running you into that $300+ range very quickly.
Exactly...and if you're going all in, the cloud key seems to make things a whole lot easier, as I'd prefer to not rely on a RPi or other system to be the controller. So, in my opinion, it is a very nice, albeit very expensive solution. It would also be a challenge for anyone else my my home to try to learn and manage.
An Asus router, on the other hand, works very well for all of my needs and is a nice, simple, all-in-one solution. Want a mesh node, just add a second Asus router, attach it to the network, and then add it as an AIMesh node from the main router. It takes about 5 minutes to add a AIMesh Node. I have Cat5e strung through the house, and simple 8-port unmanaged switches for most devices to connect to. For now, this is as complicated as I need my home networking to be.
There is not many other solid AP options at the prices for the UniFi equipment. There are not even many options for consumer AP only equipment. I run a PFsense firewall, so buying a consumer router would be pointless as I would just set it up in AP mode. The Pfsense setup has been rock solid for many years and blows away any consumer router in features and power for no more cost then most mid range consumer routers.
I have a UniFi-AC-Pro that has been working well for years and was very reasonably priced, I just run the UniFi controller software on my Freenas server in its own jail, since the server is always on anyways.
I do have to say though there are a lot more mesh options now then there was couple years ago when I purchased the UniFi AP.
I completely agree that the Ubiquiti Unifi hardware is very nice, and very reasonably priced for what you're getting. For me, I just think it adds too much added complexity and is another thing that I'd spend time trying to keep up to date with firmware releases as well as tinkering with - because I can! I do like the fact that it provides so much control and information about the network.
I do worry that if something were to happen to me, my wife and kids would just throw it all in the trash the first time something went wrong.... and just buy a consumer grade router/mesh network system anyway.
Sure there is added complexity, but I have to say once I setup everything it has been rock solid with basically 0 maintenance to my setup aside from the occasional firmware update, which is no different then any other consumer router.
One big plus's for me with UniFi was the ability to use Vlans, because I wanted to separate my IOT devices from my other equipment.
The mesh options now are a huge plus for the home environment though, because before that extending WiFi without something like UniFi in a home environment with consumer equipment was not fun.
I finally picked up a POE switch... Ended up with a Ubiquiti Unifi US-8-60W switch. I am running the Unifi Network Controller software on my always on Win10 "Server" machine, instead of using a Cloud Key. I like that I can use the Unifi App on my phone to remotely manage the switch, including cycling power to individual POE ports (just in case )
So far I have a Raspberry Pi and my Lutron Smart Bridge running off its POE ports. I am going to buy a few more POE splitters for my two production Hubitat Hubs.
I just picked up a two pack and have my newest hub on it. It's nice, but bulky. The splitter is a different form factor, but it might have as many cubic inches as the Hub itself.
I also have one of these from Anker...
10 USB power sockets and all of my hubs are using that, as well as charging kids gear.
That is about the same size (space it consumes) as the 2 POE splitters.
I do like the fact that it provides so much control and information about the network.
