The per-port budget and the total budget are two different numbers

The best PoE switches for 2026

A PoE switch carries data and power down the same cable, and it is the power side that decides whether the purchase works. Two numbers govern it and they are routinely confused. The per-port budget is what one socket can deliver, and it follows the standard the switch names: 802.3af, 802.3at and 802.3bt each raise the ceiling, and a device asking for one will not run correctly from a switch offering only the class below. The total budget, quoted in watts for the whole unit, is what every powered socket shares between them; a switch with eight powered ports rarely has eight times the per-port figure behind it, so a full complement of hungry cameras or access points can exhaust the total while each socket individually still looks capable. Note also how many ports are powered — frequently only some of them — and whether consumption is reported per port. Around that sit the ordinary switch questions: port count, port speed written as 1000BASE-T or 2.5GBASE-T, and whether the uplinks are copper or SFP cages. Managed models add VLANs and let a stuck powered device be restarted by cycling its socket, which is the feature people discover they wanted once the ladder is back in the shed. Finally the fan, because a switch dissipating a large power budget usually has one, and rack cases run louder than desktop ones. We compare PoE standard supported, per-port power budget, total power budget, powered port count, port count and port speeds, managed or unmanaged, uplink type and cooling.

By Jean-Benoit Buisson

The ones worth installing

NETGEAR GS308EP, eight-socket managed switch with all sockets powered

PoE+ named, no IEEE class printed · 62 W total · eight powered sockets · managed, with VLANs and QoS · per-port PoE control · fanless metal case · desk or wall

The only managed switch on this shelf: eight PoE+ sockets with per-port power control, VLANs and QoS, a 62 W budget and a fanless metal case — $59.99 on Amazon.com on October 26, 2026.

Best for: A small office or a home lab that wants VLANs and per-port power control for a few cameras, phones or access points.

8.2/10

≈ $60

Check price on Amazon Read the review: NETGEAR GS308EP, eight-socket managed switch with all sockets powered
VIMIN eighteen-socket unmanaged switch with sixteen powered sockets

802.3af and 802.3at · up to 30 W per socket · 250 W total · sixteen powered of eighteen · two gigabit uplinks · one-key VLAN mode · desk or rack · 4 kV protection

An eighteen-socket switch that publishes both power figures for its sixteen PoE+ sockets — 30 W each, 250 W in total — with a one-key VLAN mode and a one-year warranty, at $93.49 on Amazon.com on October 26, 2026.

Best for: A sixteen-camera recorder setup or an office of access points, where 250 W leaves room for every socket at about 15 W.

8.0/10

≈ $93

Check price on Amazon Read the review: VIMIN eighteen-socket unmanaged switch with sixteen powered sockets
YuanLey YS2080G-P, eight-socket unmanaged switch with every socket powered

802.3af and 802.3at · up to 30 W per socket · 120 W total · all eight powered · 12 Gbps backplane · unmanaged · fanless · built-in supply · mounting ears

The cheapest switch on this shelf at $45.98 on Amazon.com on October 26, 2026: eight gigabit sockets, all powered from a shared 120 W, fanless, with a built-in supply and mounting ears.

Best for: A home with a few cameras or access points, where a quiet fanless unit and the lowest price matter most.

8.0/10

≈ $46

Check price on Amazon Read the review: YuanLey YS2080G-P, eight-socket unmanaged switch with every socket powered
GigaPlus GP-GS1602P, eighteen-socket unmanaged switch with sixteen powered sockets

802.3af and 802.3at · 250 W total, no per-socket figure · sixteen powered of eighteen · two gigabit uplinks · one-key VLAN mode · unmanaged

An eighteen-socket switch with sixteen powered sockets and a 250 W shared budget, which never states what one socket can deliver and contradicts itself about how it mounts.

Best for: A building with a dozen or more cameras where the total draw is known and the switch will live in a cupboard, and where the per-socket question can be settled with the seller first.

7.8/10

≈ $100

Check price on Amazon Read the review: GigaPlus GP-GS1602P, eighteen-socket unmanaged switch with sixteen powered sockets
MokerLink POE-G162G, eighteen-socket rack-mounted switch with sixteen powered sockets

802.3af and 802.3at · up to 30 W per socket · 250 W total · sixteen powered of eighteen · uplinks numbered 17 and 18 · internal supply · fan-cooled

A rack-mounted eighteen-socket switch with sixteen powered sockets, an internal power supply and fans, which numbers its uplinks and isolates the powered sockets from each other.

Best for: A rack in a cupboard or a small server room carrying a camera installation, where fans are inaudible and an internal supply saves space.

7.8/10

≈ $120

Check price on Amazon Read the review: MokerLink POE-G162G, eighteen-socket rack-mounted switch with sixteen powered sockets
NICGIGA GS0822P, twelve-socket unmanaged switch with eight powered sockets and four uplinks

802.3af and 802.3at at 48 V · up to 30 W per socket · 120 W total · eight powered · two copper and two SFP uplinks · unmanaged · fan-cooled

A twelve-socket unmanaged switch with eight powered sockets, two copper uplinks and two SFP cages, cooled by a fan and rated at 120 W shared.

Best for: A cupboard or a small rack where cameras and access points meet a fiber run or a second switch, and where the noise of a fan does not reach anyone.

7.8/10

≈ $50

Check price on Amazon Read the review: NICGIGA GS0822P, twelve-socket unmanaged switch with eight powered sockets and four uplinks
TP-Link TL-SG116P, sixteen-socket switch with every socket powered

802.3af and 802.3at · up to 30 W per socket · 120 W total · all sixteen powered · Extend, Priority and Isolation modes · PoE Auto Recovery · 3-year warranty

A sixteen-socket gigabit switch that powers every socket from a shared 120 W, with Extend, Priority and Isolation modes and a three-year warranty — $119.00 on Amazon.com on October 26, 2026.

Best for: A camera system or a building's worth of phones and access points, where sixteen powered sockets and a long-run Extend mode matter more than a large total budget.

8.0/10

≈ $119

Check price on Amazon Read the review: TP-Link TL-SG116P, sixteen-socket switch with every socket powered
MERCUSYS MS108GP, eight-socket gigabit switch with seven powered sockets

802.3af and 802.3at · up to 30 W per socket · 65 W total · seven powered of eight · gigabit · Extend mode to 250 m · metal case · 5-year warranty

A gigabit switch that powers seven of its eight sockets and states both halves of the power question — 30 W at one socket, 65 W for all — in an Amazon.com description that is the whole page.

Best for: A small camera or access-point setup — a few low-power devices — behind a router, where a five-year warranty matters.

7.6/10

No Amazon.com offer on October 26, 2026

Check price on Amazon Read the review: MERCUSYS MS108GP, eight-socket gigabit switch with seven powered sockets
UGREEN ten-socket gigabit switch with eight powered sockets and two uplinks

802.3at and 802.3af · up to 30 W per socket · 60 W total · eight powered · two gigabit uplinks · 6 kV surge protection · Extend mode 250 m at 10 Mbps · adapter supplied

A ten-socket gigabit switch with eight PoE sockets and two uplinks whose Amazon.com page states both power figures, the cost of its Extend mode and the adapter it needs — and not its cooling.

Best for: A few low-power cameras or phones with a recorder and a router on the two uplinks.

7.8/10

No Amazon.com offer on October 26, 2026

Check price on Amazon Read the review: UGREEN ten-socket gigabit switch with eight powered sockets and two uplinks

Who buys what, across PoE switches

Cameras and access points: The published PoE standard supported has to match what the devices demand. A lower standard will not start them.
Link to the rest of the network: The published uplink type decides the connection to the core, often faster than the powered ports.
An installation to watch: The published managed or unmanaged note decides whether a port can be cut remotely.

Nothing is free: the trade-offs of PoE switches

Per-port budget against total budget: Both figures are published because neither follows from the other. The total is what bounds the whole installation.
PoE standard against existing kit: A recent standard covers more devices and costs more. The standard supported is published entry by entry.
Powered ports against total ports: Many models power only some of their ports. The two numbers are published separately.

Buyers’ questions on PoE switches

What is PoE?

Powering a device over the network cable itself. Every switch here names IEEE 802.3af/at except the NETGEAR, which says PoE+.

Why two budgets?

The per-port budget bounds one device, the total bounds the whole. The second is often well below the sum of the first.

Are all ports powered?

Not always. Powered port count is published separately from port count.

What happens if the budget is exceeded?

The behavior depends on the model and its configuration. This site publishes the budgets, not the overload behavior.

Which PoE standard should be chosen?

The one the devices to be powered demand. The standard supported is published, and devices publish theirs.

What is the uplink for?

For connecting the switch to the rest of the network, often at a higher speed. Its type is published.

Does a PoE switch use a lot of power?

It uses what the devices draw, plus its own losses. The published total budget gives the order of magnitude.

Can power to one port be cut?

Only on a managed model. On this shelf that is the NETGEAR GS308EP, with per-port PoE controls.

What to take away from PoE switches

Two budgets, two jobs: per port says what one device can take, total says how many devices hold together. Powered port count, meanwhile, is not the port count.

The gist of PoE switches, at a glance

On Amazon.com on October 26, 2026: 7 of the 9 models had an offer, from $46 to $120.
Lowest Amazon.com price on October 26, 2026: YuanLey YS2080G-P, at $46.
Highest figure for total power budget: VIMIN VM-GS1620P-EU (250 W — stated in the title and the third bullet).

A comparison of PoE switches

The table shows only the data published by four devices in five. Under that threshold, a column compares empty fields.

Model	Price	Port count	Port speed	Powered port count	Total power budget
YuanLey YS2080G-P	$46	Eight — stated in the title and the first bullet	1000 Mbps — stated in the title and the first bullet, with a 12 Gbps backplane	Eight — every socket, stated in the second bullet	120 W — stated in the title and the third bullet
NICGIGA GS0822P	$50	Twelve — stated in the title, made up of eight powered sockets, two gigabit uplinks and two SFP cages	10/100/1000 Mbit/s on the eight powered sockets and 1000 Mbps on the two copper uplinks — stated in the title and the first bullet, with the SFP cages given as 1G	Eight — stated in the title and in the first bullet as eight PoE+ sockets at 10/100/1000 Mbit/s	120 W for the unit — stated in the title and in the second bullet. It is the figure the eight powered sockets share, and it is what the sum of the connected devices has to fit inside
VIMIN VM-GS1620P-EU	$93	Eighteen — stated in the title and the first bullet	Gigabit on all sockets — stated in the title and the first bullet	Sixteen — stated in the first bullet	250 W — stated in the title and the third bullet
GigaPlus GP-GS1602P	$100	Eighteen — stated in the title and in the first bullet, made up of sixteen powered sockets and two uplinks	1000 Mbps on the sixteen powered sockets and 1000 Mbps on each of the two uplinks — stated in the title; no 10/100 steps and no BASE-T designation are printed	Sixteen — stated in the title and in the first bullet as sixteen PoE+ RJ45 sockets alongside two uplinks. The third bullet says instead that all sockets support PoE, which does not agree with the count in the title	250 W for the unit — stated in the title. It is the figure the sixteen powered sockets share between them, and with no per-socket figure published it is the only power number on the listing
MokerLink POE-G162G	$120	Eighteen — stated in the first bullet as eighteen gigabit Ethernet sockets, made up of the sixteen powered ones and two uplinks; the title counts the same unit as sixteen sockets plus two uplinks	10/100/1000 Mbps on all sockets — stated in the first bullet; no BASE-T designation is printed behind the figures	Sixteen — stated in the first bullet as sixteen gigabit PoE+ sockets	250 W for the unit — stated in the title and in the second bullet as the maximum output, with an internal supply named as making installation easier. It is what the sixteen powered sockets share
MERCUSYS MS108GP	—	Eight — 8 × 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45, stated in the description	10/100/1000 Mbps on all eight sockets — stated in the description	Seven — stated in the title and the description	65 W for all PoE sockets together — stated in the description
NETGEAR GS308EP	—	Eight — stated in the first bullet as eight 1.0 Gbps ports	1.0 Gbps with auto-negotiation, over Cat5e or Cat6 — stated in the first bullet	Eight — stated in the second bullet as eight PoE+ ports	62 W — stated in the second bullet and the description
TP-Link TL-SG116P	—	Sixteen — stated in the title and the first bullet	10/100/1000 Mbps — stated in the first bullet; 10 Mbps in Extend mode	Sixteen — every socket, stated in the first bullet	120 W — stated in the first bullet
UGREEN 35372EU	—	Ten — stated in the title and the first bullet	Gigabit — stated in the title and the first bullet; 10 Mbps on a PoE socket in Extend mode, stated in the third bullet	Eight — stated in the title and the first bullet	60 W for all ports — stated in the title and the first bullet; the bullet adds that the supplied power adapter must be plugged in

The guides devoted to PoE switches

Where the numbers are read

Specifications: manufacturer sheets for network and storage gear and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.

Most recent revision in this category: October 26, 2026.

What we look at on PoE switches

Every price named in a summary was read on the date that review carries. What a shop asks today is shown beside the product, and it moves.