In this article, we’re going to look at the best 8-Port PoE Switch. There are many different types of switches, but consumers generally start out with a 10/100/1000Mbps unmanaged switch.
As time goes on, you might find that you’d like to power devices, upgrade to 10GbE Switches, or even start creating VLANs with a managed switch. All of these are examples of why you might want to or need to upgrade.
There are other examples as well, but the key point is that you generally find that the device that you own might need to be upgraded if you’re looking to do something more than connect devices.
To be clear, there are tons of options that you can purchase in this category and we’ll be looking at these options in terms of my personal favorites for varying price ranges.
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Do I need PoE, PoE+, or PoE++?
The main difference between these is the total amount of power that can be delivered to the devices that will be connecting to the switch.
The information below is for educational purposes only. Don’t get overwhelmed – all you need to do is read the specifications for the device that you’d like to power (phone, access point, camera, etc.) to determine what it requires.
- PoE (IEEE 802.3af): 15.4 watt maximum over ethernet.
- PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at): 25.5 watt maximum over ethernet.
- PoE++ (IEEE 802.3bt)
- Type 3: 51-watt maximum over ethernet.
- Type 4: 71-watt maximum over ethernet.
To be clear, PoE++ is generally not supported on consumer-grade switches, so you’ll need to upgrade to a higher-end device or purchase a Power-over-Ethernet injector if you require that.
How Much Total Power Do I Need?
Each device that you purchase will have a maximum amount of power that it can deliver to the devices that will be connecting to it. In this scenario, higher is better, but that simple statement isn’t the complete story.
If you’ll be using low-powered devices, this is less of a concern than if you’ll be using a mix of higher-powered and lower-powered devices.
The key takeaway is that the device’s total wattage must be less than the total wattage that the devices will draw. You’ll have to assess that based on the devices you’d like to connect.
Best 8-Port PoE Switch: Our Favorite Picks
The best Switches below are from least expensive to most expensive, but review the key takeaways for important details.
Aumox SG308P
This device is an unmanaged switch, meaning that it cannot be customized and is strictly used as a plug-and-play device.
The Aumox SG308P has 8 x 1GbE ports and has PoE+ capabilities for all ports with a 120W maximum power budget (30W max for an individual port). This is an extremely powerful device at a great price point, however, it comes from a brand that few have most likely heard of. That’s not to say it’s a bad device as it’s a great device for the price, but something to mention.
Click here to purchase the Aumox SG308P on Amazon
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The total power budget of this device is 120W which is actually pretty strong for an eight-port Switch, and 30W per port will be more than enough for most users. The biggest downside of this device is the name, but it’s honestly an awesome Switch with plenty of power. Quite honestly, this is the Switch that I recommend most people purchase.
TP-LINK TL-SG1008P V4
This device is a managed switch, meaning that it can be customized to act as more than a simple switch.
The TP-Link TL-SG1008P V4 has 8 x 1GbE ports and has PoE+ capabilities, but only for 4 of the 8 ports with a total power budget of 64W.
Click here to purchase the TP-Link TL-SG1008P V4 on Amazon
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I wish this device had more than four total Power-over-Ethernet ports, but if you’re looking to power a small number of devices, this is a great option. With that said, you’re probably better off going with a device that has more power and/or more PoE ports and the only reason you’d really purchase this is for the managed options (assuming you’ll use them).
NETGEAR GS108PEv3
This device is a managed switch, meaning that it can be customized to act as more than a simple plug-and-play device.
The NETGEAR GS108PEv3 has 8 x 1GbE ports and has 4 x PoE capabilities with a total power budget of 53W. The main draw with this switch is that it’s a managed switch with a limited lifetime warranty from a trusted brand, but if you need 30W capabilities, check out the TP-Link TL-SG1008P V4 above.
Click here to purchase the NETGEAR GS108PEv3 on Amazon
KEY TAKEAWAYS
This device is fairly weak from a power budget perspective, but when you consider that there are only four Power-over-Ethernet ports, you would have to be using devices that practically max out the available power to exceed the total. This is a good option, but if you’re not planning on using the managed options, just buy the AUMOX device above.
TP-LINK TL-SG1008MP V2
This device is an unmanaged switch, meaning that it cannot be customized and is strictly used as a plug-and-play device.
The TP-LINK TL-SG1008MP V2 has 8 x 1GbE ports and has PoE+ capabilities for all ports with a total power budget of 153W. If you need a lot of power in an Switch, this is the one.
Click here to purchase the TP-LINK TL-SG1008MP V2 on Amazon
KEY TAKEAWAYS
If you want a powerful PoE+ device, this is the one. A power budget of 153W will give you more than enough power for almost any Power-over-Ethernet device and you’ll probably never even go close to the max, which is important to highlight because there’s a pretty good chance this is going to be overkill for you. The power is simply too high and most people won’t need this much, but if you do, this is the one.
NETGEAR GS308PP
This device is an unmanaged switch, meaning that it cannot be customized and is strictly used as a plug-and-play device.
The NETGEAR GS308PP has 8 x 1GbE ports and has PoE+ capabilities with a total power budget of 83W. I’d recommend looking at the TP-LINK TL-SG1008MP above if you’re interested in 8 total 30W ports as the total power budget is significantly higher (153W), but this is a good device for the money.
Click here to purchase the NETGEAR GS308PP on Amazon
KEY TAKEAWAYS
This is a nice middle ground from the devices above. It doesn’t have the highest or lowest total power budget, but it’s somewhere in the middle and will be more than enough for most users. With that said, if you don’t want the NETGEAR name, I’d recommend that you purchase the AUMOX device listed above
Conclusion & Final Thoughts on 8-Port PoE Switches
After looking at he best 8-port PoE switches you can buy in various price points, these are my personal favorites that I think most consumers will be happy with. There are tons of different options in this category, but I tried to narrow it down to three choices that most users would be very happy with.
I always suggest doing your own research, as you might find that an individual item is a much better fit for you, but this is a general baseline.
