Best PoE Switches for Security Cameras
The TP-Link TL-SG1008P 8-port switch ($89.99) is the best choice for eight security cameras because its 126 W power budget clears the 123.2 W that eight 802.3af class 3 cameras need at their full 15.4 W per port reservation.
The specification that decides whether a PoE switch can actually run your cameras is the total power budget in watts, not the number of PoE-capable ports printed on the box. Two switches can both advertise eight PoE ports and behave completely differently once real cameras are plugged in, because one reserves enough power for all eight at once and the other does not.
Every camera negotiates a power class with the switch, and the switch reserves that class's full wattage for the port whether or not the camera is drawing that much at any given moment. Eight ports reserving 15.4 W each, the standard 802.3af class 3 allocation, adds up to 123.2 W of required budget, and a switch with less than that will start refusing or dropping ports as you add cameras.
| Switch | PoE ports | Power budget | Standard | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP-Link LS108GP | 8 | 65 W | 802.3af/at | $57.49 |
| NETGEAR GS308PP | 8 | 83 W | 802.3af/at | $69.99 |
| NETGEAR GS308EP (managed) | 8 | 62 W | 802.3af/at | $79.99 |
| TP-Link TL-SG1008P | 8 | 126 W | 802.3af/at | $89.99 |
| Linksys LGS116P | 8 of 16 | 80 W | 802.3af/at | $83.64 |
| NETGEAR GS316P | 16 | 115 W | 802.3af/at | $135.75 |
| NETGEAR GS316PP | 16 | 183 W | 802.3af/at | $159.99 |
| TP-Link TL-SG1218MP | 16 | 192 W | 802.3af/at | $169.99 |
Why port count does not tell you what a switch can power
IEEE 802.3af reserves 15.4 W per port at the switch for a class 3 device, even though the camera itself typically draws up to 12.95 W once cable loss is accounted for. IEEE 802.3at, the higher power standard used by PTZ cameras and heated housings, reserves 30 W per port for a camera drawing up to 25.5 W, and 802.3bt goes as high as 90 W for the largest devices.
Multiply the per port reservation by your camera count and you get the real number to shop against. Eight class 3 cameras need 123.2 W of switch budget, not the 60 or 65 W that some eight-port PoE switches actually carry. An 8-port switch rated for only 65 W can power four or five class 3 cameras reliably and will start dropping ports, or refusing new ones, once you add more.
- 802.3af: 15.4 W reserved per port, camera draws up to 12.95 W
- 802.3at: 30 W reserved per port, camera draws up to 25.5 W
- 802.3bt: up to 90 W reserved per port
- Eight class 3 cameras at 802.3af: 8 x 15.4 W = 123.2 W of required switch budget
Beginner pick: four cameras on a budget
The TP-Link LS108GP carries a 65 W budget across its eight PoE ports, which is a realistic fit for four class 3 cameras with margin, not eight. It is the cheapest switch here and the right choice when the camera count is genuinely four.
Intermediate pick: six to eight fixed cameras
The NETGEAR GS308PP carries an 83 W budget, enough for six to eight class 3 cameras with some headroom, which matters on a cold night when heated camera housings draw more power than usual.
Expert pick: eight cameras with no budget anxiety
The TP-Link TL-SG1008P's 126 W budget covers the full 123.2 W that eight class 3 cameras reserve at once, with margin left over rather than running at the edge of the switch's rated capacity.
What about a sixteen camera system?
Sixteen ports do not automatically mean sixteen cameras worth of power. The NETGEAR GS316P carries a 115 W budget across sixteen ports, which suits a mixed system where not every port is a camera; the GS316PP steps up to 183 W for a system where all sixteen ports are drawing power. The TP-Link TL-SG1218MP carries the largest budget here at 192 W in a rack mount body, useful when several ports are PTZ cameras or heated housings running class 4.
The Linksys LGS116P is a different shape entirely: sixteen gigabit ports total, but only eight of them supply PoE at all, sharing an 80 W budget. That fits a common case, eight cameras plus a recorder, router and a few other wired devices, but it is not a sixteen camera PoE switch.
Should you buy a managed switch instead?
The NETGEAR GS308EP costs a little more than the unmanaged GS308PP for the same 8 ports but adds VLAN support, which lets you put every camera on its own isolated network segment away from the rest of your home network. That is one of the most effective things you can do about camera firmware you do not control, and it is worth the upgrade if you are comfortable with basic switch configuration.
How we chose these switches
We did not build out these switches with a full set of cameras in a lab to load-test them ourselves. Every power budget figure above comes from the manufacturer's published specification sheet, checked against the wattage that IEEE 802.3af, at and bt actually reserve per class, not from a power draw test we ran.
The gear that matches this answer
TP-Link 8 Port Gigabit PoE Switch, 8 PoE+ Ports at 126W
$89.99A 126 W budget is enough for eight class 3 cameras at their full standards allocation of 15.4 W each, with nothing left to chance.
- PoE ports
- 8
- PoE budget
- 126 W
- PoE standard
- 802.3af/at
Prices change often.
NETGEAR 8-Port PoE Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Network Switch GS308PP
$69.99An 83 W budget across eight PoE ports, which carries six to eight class 3 cameras with the headroom that stops a switch shutting a port down on a cold night when the heaters run.
- PoE ports
- 8
- PoE budget
- 83 W
- PoE standard
- 802.3af/at
Prices change often.
TP-Link LS108GP 8 Port PoE Gigabit Ethernet Switch
$57.49The cheapest switch here that still carries a realistic budget for four cameras, and the right choice when the camera count is genuinely four.
- PoE ports
- 8
- PoE standard
- 802.3af/at
Prices change often.
NETGEAR 8 Port PoE Gigabit Ethernet Easy Smart Managed Switch GS308EP
$79.99Managed, so the cameras can be put on their own VLAN and kept off the rest of the home network, which is the single most effective thing you can do about camera firmware you do not control.
- PoE ports
- 8
- PoE standard
- 802.3af/at
Prices change often.
NETGEAR 16 Port PoE Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Network Switch GS316PP
$159.99The same sixteen ports with a 183 W budget, which is what a genuinely full sixteen camera system needs.
- PoE ports
- 16
- PoE budget
- 183 W
- PoE standard
- 802.3af/at
Prices change often.
TP-Link TL-SG1218MP 16 Port Gigabit PoE Switch
$169.99A 192 W budget in a rack mount body, for a system where PTZ cameras and heaters push several ports into class 4.
- PoE ports
- 16
- PoE budget
- 192 W
- PoE standard
- 802.3af/at
Prices change often.
Linksys LGS116P 16 Port Gigabit Unmanaged PoE Switch with 8 PoE+ Ports at 80W
$83.64Sixteen gigabit ports of which eight carry power, which fits the common case of eight cameras plus a recorder, a router and a few wired devices.
- Total ports
- 16
- PoE ports
- 8
- PoE budget
- 80 W
- PoE standard
- 802.3af/at
Check first:Only eight of the sixteen ports supply PoE, and the shared budget is 80 W.
Check price on AmazonPrices change often.
Common questions
How much power does one PoE security camera actually need?
It depends on the camera's PoE class. A standard 802.3af class 3 fixed camera reserves 15.4 W at the switch even though it typically draws up to about 12.95 W once cable loss is accounted for. A PTZ camera or a camera with a built-in heater usually negotiates the higher 802.3at class, reserving 30 W for up to 25.5 W of actual draw.
Why does my 8 port PoE switch refuse to power all 8 cameras?
The switch is very likely out of power budget, not out of ports. Many switches marketed with 8 PoE ports carry a total budget of only 60 to 65 W, enough for four or five class 3 cameras, while eight class 3 cameras together reserve 123.2 W. Check the switch's total watt budget against your camera count and class before assuming a port or cable is faulty.
What is the difference between 802.3af, 802.3at and 802.3bt?
These are the three IEEE PoE power standards, each reserving more wattage per port than the last: 802.3af reserves up to 15.4 W, 802.3at up to 30 W, and 802.3bt up to 90 W. Fixed cameras typically use 802.3af, PTZ cameras and heated housings typically need 802.3at, and 802.3bt is mostly reserved for high draw devices well beyond a typical home camera.
Should I buy a managed or unmanaged PoE switch?
An unmanaged switch is simpler and cheaper and works fine for most home systems. A managed switch costs a little more but lets you put your cameras on their own VLAN, isolated from the rest of your home network, which is worthwhile if you want to limit what a compromised camera could reach.
Can I mix PoE and non-PoE devices on the same switch?
Yes. A PoE switch only supplies power to devices that request it through the PoE negotiation process, so a non-PoE laptop or access point plugged into the same switch simply uses the port for data and draws nothing from the power budget. That budget is only consumed by the PoE devices you actually connect.
Get the system planning sheet
The camera count, storage and PoE budget worksheet, plus the wiring checklist, as one printable page.
Keep going
Before you point a camera at anything. Aim cameras at your own property and your own boundary, never into a neighbour's windows or across their garden. Cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, or anywhere else a person reasonably expects privacy are a serious legal problem, and that includes guests, lodgers and anyone who works in your home. Audio is legally different from video, many US states require the consent of every party to a recorded conversation, and several recorders capture audio by default, so check your own state before you enable it. Some places require visible notice that recording is taking place, and landlords and homeowner associations often impose their own rules on top. This is researched general information and not legal advice, and the law varies by state and by country.
And once it is installed. Change every default password, keep the firmware updated, and be clear with yourself about where the footage goes: a cloud camera means a third party holds recordings of your home, while a local recorder keeps them in your house. That is a genuine buying consideration, not a technicality.