PoE Switch vs PoE Power Supply vs PoE Network Video Recorder vs PoE Fiber Transceiver

As we know, the devices in PoE networks can be divided into two categories: PoE powered sourcing equipment (PSE) and PoE powered devices (PD), of which, there are a wide variety of PoE powered devices, commonly IP phones, IP cameras, wireless access devices, video phones, video conferencing equipment, etc., while the variety of PoE powered devices is relatively much less, mainly including PoE switches, PoE power supplier, PoE network video recorder and PoE fiber transceiver. In addition, PoE splitters are also commonly used to facilitate the integration of devices that do not support PoE power into the PoE network.

What are PoE Switches, PoE Power Supplies, PoE Network Video Recorders, PoE Fiber Transceivers?

PoE switch is a network switch that supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), which can realize the data transmission function of a normal switch and also supply power to the terminal PoE powered devices at the same time.

PoE power supply can only supply power to PoE powered devices through the network cable, without the data processing and filtering functions of a switch. Its main role is to inject its own power and data signals from a normal switch into the network cable and transmit them together to the terminal PoE powered devices.

PoE network video recorder is a video recorder with Power over Ethernet function, mainly used in IP video surveillance system, responsible for the storage and forwarding of video streams.PoE camera and PoE network video recorder can be connected through a network cable for DC power supply and data transmission at the same time, no additional power supply to the camera.

PoE fiber optic transceiver is to add the function of Power over Ethernet to the ordinary fiber optic transceiver, so it can convert the short distance twisted pair electrical signal to long distance optical signal, but also through the network cable to the IP phone, IP camera and other PoE powered devices.

PoE Powered Devices Comparison

Among the four types of PoE-powered devices mentioned above, PoE switch is the most commonly used class of products. With the advantages of cost saving, convenience and efficiency, it is the PoE powered device of choice for home and office deployment of PoE networks. Nevertheless, PoE power supply, PoE network video recorder and PoE fiber transceiver are still frequently used by people with their own advantages.

PoE Switch vs. PoE Power Supply

Before PoE switches became popular, ordinary switches without Power over Ethernet were used in home and business networks. What should we do if we need to add some PoE powered devices in these networks now? Replacing ordinary switches with PoE switches is a feasible method, but it is certainly more costly. In fact, you can solve this problem by simply equipping each PoE powered device with a PoE power supply, because PoE power supply is specifically designed for networks without PoE switches but with a small number of PoE powered devices. It should be noted that if there are a large number of PoE powered devices in the network, then using a PoE switch will be a more cost effective solution.

PoE Switches vs. PoE Network Video Recorder

In IP surveillance systems, PoE network recorders act as both a video recorder and a PoE switch, so if a PoE network recorder is used, there is no need to additionally equip PoE cameras with PoE switches. However, PoE network video recorder lacks the management functions of PoE switch such as device control and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and is only suitable for use in small PoE surveillance networks with low requirements for network management.

PoE Switch vs. PoE Fiber Transceiver

As we know, the data transmission and power supply distance of PoE switch is usually only 100 meters without using PoE network extender, PoE fiber transceiver can break through this limitation, it can extend the distance by connecting fiber network to copper Ethernet through optical port, and then inject data signal and its own power into the network cable together to transmit to IP phone, IP camera and other PoE powered devices. power devices such as IP phones, IP cameras, etc. It should be noted that PoE fiber optic transceiver also does not have the data processing function of a switch, so the network needs to be equipped with a common network switch.

PoE Provider vs. PoE Splitter

As mentioned above, a PoE splitter is the opposite of a PoE provider. It is typically used at the network endpoint to separate PoE signals into data and power signals for non-PoE devices. In a PoE network, the PoE splitter and non-PoE devices together form a PoE powered device (e.g., PoE splitter + webcam = PoE webcam).

Conclusion

In the future, with the release of the new generation PoE power supply standard and the emergence of more and more new PoE powered devices, PoE will still gain great development with its advantages such as easy deployment. We hope that the detailed introduction of PoE switch, PoE power supply, PoE network video recorder, PoE fiber transceiver and PoE splitter in this article can enlighten you to choose PoE products and build PoE network.