In short
A managed PoE switch powers access points, phones and cameras through the data cable. Check two figures: power per port (PoE+ 30 W, 802.3bt 60 W or 90 W) and the switch's total PoE budget. Wi-Fi 7 access points often need more than PoE+. We size the budget, quote by part number and can install.
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PoE standards and what they deliver
The IEEE standards set how much power a switch port can supply. Vendors add their own names on top:
| Standard | Also called | Power per port at the switch | Typical devices |
|---|---|---|---|
| IEEE 802.3af | PoE (Type 1) | Up to 15.4 W | Desk phones, simple sensors and older access points |
| IEEE 802.3at | PoE+ (Type 2, Class 4) | Up to 30 W | Most Wi-Fi 6 access points, PTZ cameras, video phones |
| IEEE 802.3bt Type 3 | PoE++, Class 5 and 6 (Cisco's comparable 60 W option is UPOE) | Up to 60 W | Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 access points at full capability, thin clients |
| IEEE 802.3bt Type 4 | Class 7 and 8 (Cisco's comparable 90 W option is UPOE+) | Up to 90 W | Digital displays, high-power access points and lighting |
Vendor terms you will see in the model tables: FPOE is the Fortinet full-PoE variant of a FortiSwitch model (every port powered, larger budget); UPOE and UPOE+ are Cisco's 60 W and 90 W options on Catalyst 9300 and Smart Switches; HPE descriptions give the PoE class per port (for example "Class 4 PoE" or "Class 6 PoE").
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See all 12 products- Catalyst 1200Cisco
16 models: C1200-8T-D, C1200-8T-E-2G, C1200-8P-E-2G, C1200-8FP-2G
- Catalyst 1300Cisco
36 models: C1300-8T-E-2G, C1300-8P-E-2G, C1300-8FP-2G, C1300-16T-2G
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Per-port power versus the total PoE budget
A switch can usually power any single port at its rated maximum, but not every port at once. Cisco puts it clearly for the Catalyst 1200: PoE+ models give "Maximum power of 30.0W to any Gigabit Ethernet port until the PoE budget for the switch is reached".
So a 24-port PoE+ switch with a 195 W budget can run six access points at 30 W each and still have power for phones, but not 24 access points at full power. The full-PoE models in each range (Cisco -FP, Fortinet -FPOE, the higher-wattage HPE options) exist for exactly that case. Our PoE budget guide has worked examples.
PoE budgets by range
The smallest and largest total PoE budget among the part numbers we list in each range, taken from the vendor's own wording. Open a range for every model:
| Range | Vendor | Total PoE budget, smallest to largest (part number) |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco Catalyst 1200 Series | Cisco | 67 W (C1200-8P-E-2G) to 375 W (C1200-48P-4X) |
| Cisco Catalyst 1300 and 1300X Series | Cisco | 67 W (C1300-8P-E-2G) to 740 W (C1300X-48P-4X) |
| Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series (9200, 9200L, 9200CX) | Cisco | 240 W (C9200CX-12P-2X2G-A) |
| FortiSwitch Secure Access Series (100 and 200 Series) | Fortinet | 65 W (FS-108F-POE) to 780 W (FS-124G-FPOE) |
| FortiSwitch Secure Campus Series (300, 400 and 600 Series) | Fortinet | 420 W (FS-324G-FPOE) to 1800 W (FS-648F-FPOE) |
| FortiSwitch: T-Series and Rugged | Fortinet | 240 W (FSR-112F-POE) to 421 W (FSR-424F-POE) |
| HPE Aruba Networking CX 6000 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 67 W (S4R23A) |
| HPE Aruba Networking CX 6100 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 139 W (JL679A) to 740 W (R9Y04A) |
| HPE Aruba Networking CX 6200 Switch Series (6200F and 6200M) | HPE Networking | 370 W (JL725A) to 740 W (S0M85A) |
| HPE Networking Instant On 1830 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 65 W (JL811A) to 370 W (JL815A) |
| HPE Networking Instant On 1930 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 124 W (JL681A) to 370 W (JL684B) |
| HPE Networking Instant On 1960 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 370 W (JL807A) to 600 W (JL809A) |
Where a vendor's part-number wording gives no wattage, the row covers only the models whose wording states it, and a range with no stated totals has no row. That is the case for most Catalyst 9200 and 9300 descriptions, the HPE Aruba Networking CX 6300 and the HPE Juniper Networking EX switches, whose descriptions give the PoE class per port (for example Class 6 or Class 8, or 802.3bt) rather than a total budget. Each range's page links the vendor data sheet or hardware guide with the full figures, and we confirm the budget for your devices at quote.
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Multigigabit ports and Wi-Fi 7 access points
Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 access points have 2.5G, 5G or 10G uplink ports and often need 802.3bt power to run every radio. To use them fully, the switch port needs to supply both the speed and the power:
- Cisco: Catalyst 1300 MGP and 1300X models (2.5G and 5G, with 60 W PoE++ on 1300X UPoE models), Catalyst 9200 PXG models, Catalyst 9300 UX/UXM/HX models and C9350 Smart Switches.
- Fortinet: FortiSwitch 110G, 124G, 324G and 600 series models with 2.5G or 5G ports and 802.3bt PoE.
- HPE: Aruba CX 6300 Smart Rate models with Class 6 or Class 8 PoE, and Juniper EX4100 and EX4400 multigigabit models.
The Wi-Fi 7 access points page covers what each access point needs.
PoE switches by range
| Range | Vendor | Models | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco Catalyst 1200 Series | Cisco | 9 | C1200-8P-E-2G, C1200-8FP-2G, C1200-16P-2G, C1200-24P-4G, C1200-24FP-4G, C1200-48P-4G and more |
| Cisco Catalyst 1300 and 1300X Series | Cisco | 22 | C1300-8P-E-2G, C1300-8FP-2G, C1300-16P-2G, C1300-16FP-2G, C1300-24P-4G, C1300-24FP-4G and more |
| Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series (9200, 9200L, 9200CX) | Cisco | 24 | C9200-24P, C9200-24PB, C9200-24PXG, C9200-48P, C9200-48PL, C9200-48PB and more |
| Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series (9300, 9300X, 9300L, 9300LM) | Cisco | 28 | C9300X-48HX, C9300X-48HXN, C9300X-24HX, C9300-24P, C9300-48P, C9300-24U and more |
| Cisco C9350 Series Smart Switches | Cisco | 8 | C9350-48HX, C9350-48HXN, C9350-24HX, C9350-48HM, C9350-48U, C9350-24U and more |
| FortiSwitch Secure Access Series (100 and 200 Series) | Fortinet | 13 | FS-108F-POE, FS-108F-FPOE, FS-110G-FPOE, FS-124F-POE, FS-124F-FPOE, FS-124G-FPOE and more |
| FortiSwitch Secure Campus Series (300, 400 and 600 Series) | Fortinet | 7 | FS-324G-FPOE, FS-324G-FPOE-1G, FS-348G-FPOE, FS-M426E-FPOE, FS-624F-FPOE, FS-648F-FPOE and more |
| FortiSwitch: T-Series and Rugged (hub rows) | Fortinet | 3 | FSR-112F-POE, FSR-216F-POE, FSR-424F-POE |
| HPE Aruba Networking CX 6000 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 1 | CX 6000 8-port |
| HPE Aruba Networking CX 6100 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 3 | CX 6100 12-port PoE, CX 6100 24-port, CX 6100 48-port |
| HPE Aruba Networking CX 6200 Switch Series (6200F and 6200M) | HPE Networking | 2 | CX 6200F 24-port, CX 6200F 48-port |
| HPE Aruba Networking CX 6300 Switch Series (6300M, 6300F, 6300L) | HPE Networking | 4 | CX 6300M 24-port, CX 6300M 48-port, CX 6300F 24-port, CX 6300F 48-port |
| HPE Networking Instant On 1830 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 3 | Instant On 1830 8-port, Instant On 1830 24-port, Instant On 1830 48-port |
| HPE Networking Instant On 1930 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 2 | Instant On 1930 8-port, Instant On 1930 24-port |
| HPE Networking Instant On 1960 Switch Series | HPE Networking | 2 | Instant On 1960 24-port, Instant On 1960 48-port |
| HPE Juniper Networking EX3400 | HPE Networking | 1 | EX3400-48P |
| HPE Juniper Networking EX4000 | HPE Networking | 7 | EX4000-8P, EX4000-12P, EX4000-12MP, EX4000-24P, EX4000-24MP, EX4000-48P and more |
| HPE Juniper Networking EX4100 and EX4100-F | HPE Networking | 7 | EX4100-24P, EX4100-24MP, EX4100-48P, EX4100-48MP, EX4100-F-12P, EX4100-F-24P and more |
| HPE Juniper Networking EX4100-H (hardened) | HPE Networking | 2 | EX4100-H-12MP, EX4100-H-24MP |
| HPE Juniper Networking EX4400 | HPE Networking | 6 | EX4400-24P, EX4400-24MP, EX4400-48P, EX4400-48MP, EX4400-48XP, EX4400-48MXP |
How to order PoE switches
How ordering works. Press Add next to a part number and it goes into your basket; where the hardware needs a subscription, you pick the tier and term in the same step. Add accessories, then View basket and Request a quote. We check every line, quantity and term against your plans and come back with a personalised quote by email. Nothing is charged online. We can also design, supply, stage, install and configure the switches as a project, with the scope confirmed at quote (see network installation).
Send us your list of powered devices with Contact us if you would like us to check the budget first.
How we can help with your network
Forever Systems can design, supply, stage, install and configure the network around the hardware you buy here, as a project or one step at a time.
- Design: we look at your sites, users and existing kit and size the switches, wireless and firewalls to fit
- Supply: every order gets a personalised quote by part number, with the subscriptions and support each product needs
- Stage: we can pre-configure and label equipment before it reaches site
- Install: we can rack and mount switches, access points and firewalls on site
- Configure: VLANs, wireless, firewall policy, VPNs and management platforms set up and documented at handover
Scope is confirmed at quote, so you only pay for the parts of the project you need.
Frequently asked questions
What is a managed PoE switch?
A managed switch that also supplies power to devices over the Ethernet cable, so access points, phones and cameras need no separate power supply, and you can still set VLANs, security and priorities per port.
How much PoE budget do I need?
Add up the maximum power class of every powered device, then allow headroom for growth. Our PoE budget guide walks through examples; we check the figures when we quote.
What is the difference between PoE+ and PoE++?
PoE+ (802.3at) gives up to 30 W per port. PoE++ (802.3bt) gives up to 60 W (Type 3) or 90 W (Type 4), which many Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 access points need at full capability.
What does FPOE mean on a FortiSwitch switch?
FPOE is the Fortinet full-PoE version of a model, with every copper port powered and a larger total PoE budget than the -POE version.
Is UPOE the same as 802.3bt?
UPOE is Cisco's 60 W PoE option and UPOE+ its 90 W option, comparable to 802.3bt Type 3 and Type 4. Check each model's data sheet, linked from its range page, for the exact IEEE classes it supports.
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