Build a small business or CCTV network on Ruijie and Reyee without buying the wrong half of the range.
Ruijie Networks sells two product lines, and the names on a quote don't always make it obvious which one you're looking at. This guide explains Reyee and the Ruijie enterprise range, then walks through routers, switches, Wi-Fi, wireless bridges and fibre modules, and finishes with how to design a small office or CCTV network around them. It's written for installers, IT managers and business owners choosing kit for one site or many.
How big is the site, and who will look after it? This decides between Reyee and the Ruijie enterprise range.
How many devices need power over the cable? Cameras, access points and phones set your PoE port count and wattage.
Do you need to manage the switch remotely? Unmanaged switches are cheaper; cloud-managed ones let you see and fix problems without a site visit.
Where does the Wi-Fi need to reach? Open offices, hotel rooms and yards each suit a different access point.
Are there buildings or cabinets far apart? Over the 100 m copper limit you need fibre or a wireless bridge.
Reyee vs Ruijie: what's the difference?
Reyee is Ruijie's range for small and medium businesses. Most Reyee routers, switches and access points can be set up and managed from Ruijie's cloud platform and the Reyee app. The Ruijie-branded range, sold under RG- model numbers such as the RG-CS83, RG-CS85 and RG-AP series, is aimed at larger, enterprise-style networks.
Both lines use the same "RG-" prefix, which is where the confusion starts. On our product pages you can tell them apart by the name: items listed as RUIJIE REYEE belong to the SMB line, and items listed as RUIJIE belong to the enterprise line or are shared parts such as SFP modules.
Reyee in practice
Routers: the RG-EG gateways, several with built-in PoE.
Switches: the RG-ES desktop and rack switches (unmanaged and smart cloud-managed) and the RG-NBS managed switches, up to Layer 3.
Wi-Fi: the RG-RAP ceiling, wall-plate and outdoor access points.
Bridges: the RG-AirMetro and RG-EST wireless bridges.
The appeal for installers is that a whole site (router, switches and access points) can sit in one cloud view. You can add a customer's site, check which port a camera is on, or restart an access point without driving out.
Ruijie enterprise in practice
Switches: the RG-CS83 access switches, RG-CS85 and RG-CS86 core and aggregation switches, and modular chassis such as the RG-CS88-08.
Wi-Fi: the RG-AP access points, including the RG-AP880-L, which is listed as a Wi-Fi 6E tri-radio indoor model.
Controllers: the RG-WS6512-L wireless access controller.
Choose this line when the network has a core and several access layers, needs features such as redundant power modules, or is being run by an IT team rather than an installer. If you aren't sure which side of that line a job is on, it's usually Reyee.
The RG-EG range is Reyee's business router line. It's the box that connects your broadband to the network, and on many models it also powers devices directly.
The model number tells you a lot:
-P means built-in PoE ports. The RG-EG105G-P-V3 is a cloud-managed router with 5 Gigabit ports and a 54 W PoE budget, enough for a couple of access points or cameras in a small shop. The RG-EG210G-P-V3 steps up to 10 Gigabit ports and a 110 W PoE budget.
GW means built-in Wi-Fi. The RG-EG105GW-X is listed as a Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 all-in-one wireless VPN router, useful where one box has to do everything.
XS means a 10G SFP+ port. The RG-EG406XS has five 2.5G ports and one 10G SFP+ port. The RG-EG1510XS is a rack-mount router with 4 x GbE, 4 x 2.5G and 2 x 10G SFP+, listed for up to 1,500 clients. The RG-EG710XS is listed for up to 700 clients.
Dual-WAN models such as the RG-EG105G-V3 let you connect two internet lines, so the business stays online if one fails.
The practical rule: size the router by users, not by ports. Port count is easy to add with a switch; client capacity and throughput are not. Where a model's page lists a client figure, use it.
PoE and unmanaged switches (RG-ES)
The RG-ES range covers desktop and rack switches, from simple 5-port unmanaged units to 28-port smart cloud-managed PoE switches. For most CCTV and small office jobs, this is where the switch comes from.
How to read an RG-ES model number
F usually marks 10/100 Mbps ports, for example the RG-ES05F and RG-ES08F. Fine for basic devices; check the camera's bitrate before using it for CCTV.
G marks Gigabit ports, for example the RG-ES08G-L and RG-ES116G-L.
FG / FGS mix 10/100 PoE ports with Gigabit uplinks, such as the RG-ES126FGS-P (24 x 10/100 PoE+ ports, 2 Gigabit ports, 370 W).
-P / -LP mark PoE. On paired models, -LP has the smaller power budget. The RG-ES220GS-LP has 130 W; the RG-ES220GS-P has 250 W.
GC / GS in the 2xx range mark smart cloud-managed switches, such as the RG-ES209GC-P and RG-ES228GS-P.
MG marks 2.5G multi-gigabit ports, such as the RG-ES209MG-P with a 10G SFP+ uplink, for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 access points that can use more than 1 Gbps.
Unmanaged or cloud-managed?
An unmanaged switch just works: plug in and go. The RG-ES110GS-P-L, for example, is a 10-port Gigabit unmanaged PoE+ switch with 8 PoE ports and 120 W. It's a sensible choice for a closed CCTV system with eight cameras and a recorder.
A smart cloud-managed switch costs more, but you can see each port's PoE draw, power-cycle a frozen camera remotely and set up VLANs. The RG-ES228GS-P is a 28-port Gigabit Layer 2 smart cloud-managed switch with 24 PoE+ ports and 370 W. On any site you'll support for years, the first saved callout usually covers the difference.
Above the RG-ES range, the Reyee RG-NBS switches add fuller Layer 2+ and Layer 3 management, 10G SFP+ uplinks and larger port counts, for example the RG-NBS3200-48GT4XS-P with 48 Gigabit ports and 4 x 10G SFP+ uplinks. See all PoE options in our PoE switches section.
Layer 3 switches (RG-CS83 and RG-CS85)
A Layer 3 switch can route traffic between VLANs itself, instead of sending everything back to the router. On a larger network that keeps camera, phone and office traffic separate without the router becoming the bottleneck.
RG-CS83: access switches. These sit at the edge, where devices plug in. The RG-CS83-24GT4XS-P is a 24-port Gigabit PoE+ Layer 3 managed access switch with 4 x 10G SFP+ uplinks. Models ending -PD, such as the RG-CS83-48GT4XS-PD, have two power module slots for redundant power.
RG-CS85: core and aggregation switches. These sit in the middle and connect the access switches together. The RG-CS85-48GT4XS-D is a 48-port Gigabit Layer 3 core/aggregation switch with 4 x 1G/10G SFP+ uplinks and an expansion slot. SFP versions such as the RG-CS85-48SFP4XS-D take fibre on every port, for when each floor or building comes in on fibre. The RG-PA150IB-F 150 W AC power module is listed for RG-CS85 switches.
RG-CS86 goes further, with 25G SFP28 and 40G QSFP+ uplinks, and multi-gigabit PoE++ on models such as the RG-CS86-24MG4VS-UP.
If you only have one switch cabinet and fewer than about 50 devices, you probably don't need a Layer 3 core: a router plus a managed Reyee switch will do. Bring the CS85 in when you have several access switches feeding back to one point.
Wi-Fi 6 and 6E access points: ceiling, wall-plate and outdoor
Pick the access point by where it goes first, then by speed. A fast access point in the wrong place gives worse Wi-Fi than a slower one in the right place.
Ceiling access points
The default for offices, shops and open areas. Mounted centrally, they cover the space below evenly. The RG-RAP2260 is a Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 dual-band ceiling access point with a 2.5G uplink and PoE+. The RG-RAP62 is the AX1800 option for lighter use, and the RG-RAP2260(H) is listed as AX6000 with dual 2.5G ports and PoE++ for busy areas.
Wall-plate access points
Built to replace a network wall socket. They suit hotels, student rooms, care homes and offices where each room needs its own Wi-Fi and a wired port or two. The RG-RAP62-Wall is a Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 multi-port wall-plate access point with PoE out, so it can power another device such as a phone. The RG-RAP1260 offers five Gigabit ports, and the store lists colour covers for it in black, grey, silver, gold and rose gold.
Outdoor access points
For yards, car parks, beer gardens and campuses. The RG-RAP62-OD is a Wi-Fi 6 AX3000 dual-band indoor/outdoor access point rated IP65 and PoE+ powered. The RG-RAP6260 models are IP68 rated, and the RG-RAP6260(H)-D is a directional version that focuses coverage in one direction, such as down a long yard.
Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7
The only Wi-Fi 6E access point in our Ruijie range is the enterprise RG-AP880-L, listed as a tri-radio indoor model. On the Reyee side, the next step up from Wi-Fi 6 is Wi-Fi 7: the RG-RAP72 and RG-RAP73Pro ceiling models and the RG-RAP72Pro-OD outdoor model. Check that your clients' devices support the newer standard before paying for it.
Type
Best for
Example
Watch out for
Indoor ceiling
Open offices, shops, halls
RG-RAP2260, RG-RAP62
Needs a ceiling cable run; place centrally
Wall-plate
Hotel rooms, flats, care homes, small offices
RG-RAP62-Wall, RG-RAP1260
Covers one or two rooms; walls block signal
Outdoor
Yards, car parks, gardens, campuses
RG-RAP62-OD (IP65), RG-RAP6260 (IP68)
Check the IP rating and use outdoor-rated cable
Wireless bridges, AirMetro and antennas
A wireless bridge links two buildings, or a building and a remote camera pole, without digging a trench. It's the usual answer where a cable run would be over 100 m or crosses land you can't dig.
Point-to-point (one link): the RG-AirMetro460G is listed as a 15 km 5 GHz 867 Mbps wireless bridge CPE with a 23 dBi antenna and a Gigabit port, sold as a single unit (you need one at each end). The RG-AirMetro460F is the same range with a 10/100 port. For shorter links, the RG-EST310 V2 (1 km) and RG-EST350 V2 (5 km) are sold as pairs.
Point-to-multipoint (one hub, several outstations): the RG-AirMetro550G-B base station is listed for 10 km with two Gigabit ports. Pair it with an antenna that matches the area you're covering: the RG-ANT13-360 (13 dBi, 360°, 2 km), RG-ANT16S-120 (16 dBi, 120° sector, 5 km) or RG-ANT20S-90 (20 dBi, 90° sector, 10 km).
Distances on bridge pages are maximums in clear conditions. You need a clear line of sight between the two ends, and trees in leaf can stop a link that worked in winter. Plan with margin, and for CCTV, check that the link's real throughput covers the total bitrate of every camera crossing it.
SFP and QSFP modules
An SFP module is the plug-in part that turns a switch's SFP port into a fibre or copper connection. Choose it by speed, fibre type and distance, and match it to the module at the other end.
Multimode, short runs within a building: the MINI-GBIC-SX-MM850 is a 1G SX module, 850 nm, 550 m, duplex LC. For 10G, the XG-SFP-SR-MM850 is listed at 300 m on OM3.
Single-mode, between buildings: the MINI-GBIC-LX-SM1310 (1G, 10 km), MINI-GBIC-LH40-SM1310 (1G, 40 km) and MINI-GBIC-ZX80-SM1550 (1G, 80 km). For 10G, the XG-SFP-LR-SM1310 (10 km) and XG-SFP-ER-SM1550 (40 km).
BiDi, one fibre core: the GE-SFP-LX20-SM1310-BIDI and GE-SFP-LX20-SM1550-BIDI work as a pair over a single simplex LC fibre for 20 km. Fit one of each, never two the same.
Copper: the Mini-GBIC-GT turns an SFP port into an RJ45 port, 100 m over Cat 5e/6/6a.
Inside a cabinet: XG-SFP-AOC active optical cables in 1 m, 3 m and 5 m lengths link 10G SFP+ ports.
40G: the 40G-QSFP-SR-MM850 is a 40GBASE-SR QSFP+ module with an MPO connector, for core switches with QSFP+ ports such as the RG-CS86.
Industrial RG-NIS switches have their own listed module, the NIS-GE-SFP-550M-MM850. Check the switch's product page for compatible modules before ordering.
Designing a small business or CCTV network with Reyee
Most small sites need one router, one PoE switch per cabinet and a few access points. The two things that go wrong are running out of PoE power and putting cameras on the same network as everyone's laptops. The points below are general good practice, not a substitute for a site survey.
1. Add up the PoE budget
Every PoE switch has a total power budget as well as a per-port limit. Add up the maximum draw of every device from its datasheet, not the typical figure, then leave headroom; around 20–30% is a common rule of thumb. For example, an RG-ES110GS-P-L has 120 W across 8 PoE ports. Eight fixed turret cameras will usually fit comfortably, but cameras with heaters, white-light or PTZ motors draw far more. Wi-Fi 6 access points listed as PoE+ need a PoE+ port, and PoE++ models such as the RG-RAP2260(H) need a PoE++ port or injector. Reyee also lists single-port injectors (RG-POE-AF15, RG-POE-AT30 and RG-POE-50-60W-MG) for one-off devices.
2. Put cameras on their own VLAN
A VLAN splits one physical network into separate virtual ones. Common practice is to give CCTV its own VLAN, so a laptop with malware can't reach the cameras, and heavy video traffic doesn't slow down the office. Guest Wi-Fi gets another VLAN. To do this you need a managed switch, such as a smart cloud-managed RG-ES or an RG-NBS, not an unmanaged one. Where the NVR records cameras over its own built-in PoE ports, those cameras are already on a separate network, which is another simple way to keep them apart.
3. Use Gigabit or faster uplinks
The link from the camera switch to the recorder carries every camera's stream at once. Use Gigabit as a minimum, and SFP or SFP+ fibre uplinks where switches are in different cabinets or buildings.
4. Respect the 100 m copper limit
Ethernet over copper is limited to 100 m per run. For longer distances, use fibre with SFP modules or a wireless bridge.
5. Keep it in one cloud view
If you're using Reyee, adding the router, switches and access points to the same cloud project means you can see the whole site, and the customer's next call can often be dealt with remotely.
Line: small or medium site run by an installer? Reyee. Multi-layer network run by an IT team? Ruijie enterprise.
Router: sized for the number of users; dual-WAN if downtime is costly; built-in PoE (-P) if it saves a switch.
Switch ports: every device today plus spare ports for growth.
PoE budget: total maximum draw of all powered devices, plus headroom.
PoE standard: PoE, PoE+ or PoE++ to match the most demanding device.
Management: cloud-managed if you'll support the site remotely or need VLANs.
Uplinks: Gigabit minimum; SFP/SFP+ where cabinets are far apart.
Wi-Fi: ceiling for open areas, wall-plate for rooms, outdoor (IP65/IP68) for outside.
Distance: over 100 m? Fibre and SFP modules, or a wireless bridge with line of sight.
Modules: right speed, fibre type and distance, matched at both ends.
Common questions
What is the difference between Reyee and Ruijie?
Reyee is Ruijie Networks' range for small and medium businesses, with most routers, switches and access points manageable from Ruijie's cloud and the Reyee app. The Ruijie-branded range, such as the RG-CS switches and RG-AP access points, is aimed at larger, enterprise-style networks.
Do I need a cloud-managed switch for CCTV?
No. An unmanaged PoE switch works for a simple closed CCTV system. A cloud-managed switch is worth it if you want to restart cameras remotely, see PoE draw per port, or separate cameras onto their own VLAN.
How much PoE budget do I need?
Add up the maximum power draw of every device from its datasheet and leave headroom, commonly around 20 to 30 percent. Cameras with heaters, lights or PTZ motors, and high-end access points, draw much more than a basic fixed camera.
Can I mix Reyee and Ruijie enterprise equipment?
Standard Ethernet, PoE and SFP connections work between them, but they are managed differently. For a small site, keeping everything in the Reyee range keeps it all in one cloud view.
Which access point should I choose?
Choose by location first: a ceiling access point for open areas, a wall-plate access point for individual rooms, and an IP65 or IP68 outdoor access point for outside. Then choose the speed to match how many people will use it.
How far can a Reyee wireless bridge reach?
It depends on the model: from 500 m for the RG-EST100-E up to 15 km for the RG-AirMetro460 range. These are maximums in clear conditions and need line of sight between the two ends, so plan with margin.
Tell us how many cameras, access points and users you need to connect, and how far apart the cabinets or buildings are. We'll suggest a router, switch and PoE budget, and we'll tell you if a smaller switch would do the job. We're a UK Authorised Ruijie Distribution Partner.
