This is a review of the Linksys 16 Port Business Desktop Gigabit POE Switch. (Metal Cased.)
A review and instructional - informative article in one!
Summary – I am using this and could not be happier. My home Ethernet network has been growing as I have been moving my WIFI devices to hard wire for reliability, speed and security reasons. Some of my Ethernet items are POE such as my VOIP phone and IP Cameras when most of my other devices are normal non POE Ethernet. I wanted a switch that was future speed –gigabit that would allow me to grow even further with my home network. The switch is 100% plug and play. No drivers to install, no interface to mess with. Simply plug your uplink cable into this and then plug in your other devices. It should also be noted it does not get hot, is silent and does not require special venting. (Max temp is 122 degrees F.)
Note – Your uplink cable – feed from your router can be connected to any port on this switch. Some switches have a dedicated port, but this one does not. I recommend a port on the right side so that you do not use up the more valuable POE ports.
What I like about this switch if that you have the ports divided.
The ports labeled 1-8 are your POE ports. This means they are the ports which can connect your POE devices. The total power you have available in the 8 ports is 80watts (77 according to some reading.). When your POE devices consume less than 67 of the watts, the light on the front left of the switch marked POE Max will remain off. When your power consumption exceeds 67watts, it will light up an amber color.
There is a blue led on the left side of the switch which glows when the unit is on and functioning.
The ports labeled 9 through 16 are non POE ports. (Normal Ethernet ports.)
In terms of speeds-connections, this is a gigabit POE switch and offers up to 1000mb/s and a non-blocking bandwidth of 32Gbps.
In terms of the leds aside each port, here is the quick run down of the colors you may see.
Ports 1-8.
Left side will be amber for 10/100 or green for 1000mb/s connections.
Right side will be green if the device is using POE from the port.
Ports 9-16
These only have leds on the left side. Left side will be amber for 10/100 or green for 1000mb/s connections.
In terms of power use, this is on par for any poe switch. The last switch I used drew 180w or 1.8A. This one only draws 1.5A at 100-240V and outputs 54V at 1.66A DC to the switch. (So yes, you can use this on a 220V service.)
Mounting can be done using two screws-sinks (included.) As this has two screw mounts on the bottom, you can hang vertically or horizontally.
Overall this is performing like a champ, rock solid and would recommend. Linksys has never let me down ever now that I can recall.
As with all my reviews, I will update this review should there be issues that develop with ongoing use.
| Switch Type | Metal |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 1.77 Pounds |
| Platform | Windows |
| Voltage | 54 Volts |
| Case Material | Metal |
| Upper Temperature Rating | 70 Degrees Celsius |
| Interface Type | PoE |
| Data Transfer Rate | 1000 Megabytes Per Second |
| Wireless Type | 802.11n, 802.11b, 802.11g |
