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dannymcc
Asked: 2011-11-25 14:09:00 +0800 CST

Add power over Ethernet without new switches?

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I need to power 16 IP phones over their Ethernet connections. I am in the process of changing our switches and only the phones need PoE, everything else is powered by mains cables.

I have contacted the supplier of the phones and for 16 mains leads it will be close to £300. I know it's possible to get a PoE injector that goes between the mains and the phone but I would like to do this as tidily as possible and ideally in bulk.

I imagine something that looks like a switch but doesn't actually 'switch' if that makes sense. Basically I want to inject power to 16 devices at once.

networking power-over-ethernet

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    You can get multiport PoE injectors, e.g. this one:

    http://www.midspans.com/pages/15w/POE370U_15.4W_8-16-24-port_midspan.php

    (no idea if it's good or bad, first one I found with 16 ports).

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  2. I'd recommend a low-cost PoE switch or possibly purchasing a higher-end PoE switch/blade along with your switch refresh. The phones will be on their own network/vlan, correct? It may make sense to segregate them and provide a dedicated device (24 or 48 ports).

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