As a consultant, customer budgets are almost always KING. Sometimes PoE switches aren’t in the budget for the WLAN deployment. So what options do you have?
Managed power switches, also called “midspans” have been around for a longtime. In fact they are the
cost alternative to PoE switches. A Cisco PoE switch will set you back some heavy green, especially if it’s enhanced power, 802.3at. Also, customers don’t like the mess of power injectors and the lack of management. You can’t easily power cycle an access point that is hooked to an injector, which means a certain visit to the IDF closet.
Over the years, I’ve worked with and deployed projects with PoE Power Switches / midspans. These are simple data pass through devices, similar to PoE injectors. The difference is these come in small 6 to 48 ports, 1u switches. Also, certain models are managed, which means you log into the Power Switch and simply power cycle the port.
There are a number of vendors and options when selecting a power switch. Personally, I've used and deployed Microsemi PowerDsine in a number of accounts. I also use a 9000G in my home lab.
PowerDsine has a real nice product line with a number of models and options. They start off with the simple 1 port PoE injector to a PoE extender that pushes power and data to 200 meters! PowerDsine models provide 802.3at and 802.3af power. They also provide a Cisco “Splitter” for devices that are only Cisco PoE compatible.
These also come in handy when you need to stage a large deployment and prime your access points.