Unmanaged, web-smart or fully managed?

• Unmanaged: plug in and go, nothing to set up. Right for a few cameras on one recorder: the SMCGS501 5-port Gigabit, the SMCGS801P 8-port Gigabit PoE+, and the GEP-0523 and GEP-0823 Gigabit PoE switches.
• Web-smart: a browser screen for VLANs, per-port PoE control and remote camera reboots. The fanless ECS2100-10P (8 PoE+ ports, 125 W, two SFP slots) suits an office or shop. The ECS2100-28P and GEP-2651 take 24 cameras.
• Layer 2+ and Layer 3 managed: for multi-building sites, fibre rings and stacking. The ECS4210-28P (400 W PoE budget), ECS4100-52P, ECS4510-52P (780 W, 10G SFP+ uplinks) and the ECS4620-28T Layer 3 core switch.

How do I size the PoE budget?

Port count tells you how many devices you can plug in. The PoE budget in watts tells you how many you can power. Add up the maximum PoE draw on each device's datasheet. A fixed IP camera with infrared is usually in the 802.3af (15.4 W) class. PTZ cameras, cameras with white-light illumination and video door stations often need 802.3at PoE+ (30 W). Then leave room for cameras you'll add later. Our PoE switch guide works through the sums.

Starting small? The Fast Ethernet FEP-0812 and FEP-0931 are enough for a few cameras. Once more than eight high-resolution cameras share one switch, choose Gigabit camera ports and an SFP or Gigabit uplink to the recorder.

Cable runs and the rest of the kit

Ethernet and PoE both stop at 100 m per copper run. Beyond that, use a PoE extender, or an SFP module and fibre into a switch with SFP slots. Pair the switch with Cat5e or Cat6 bulk cable, patch leads and a patch panel from the same Excel Networking range. Check the NVR has a spare Gigabit port for the uplink.