Switches quote a total watt budget, and cameras with heaters eat it fast. Here is how to size one so nothing reboots in January.
Three tiers, in practice
Standard PoE delivers about 15W per port and covers most fixed cameras, desk phones and readers. PoE+ at roughly 30W handles access points, PTZ cameras and displays. PoE++ goes higher for heated enclosures and multi-radio hardware.
Add it up before you buy
Total the worst-case draw of every device, not the idle draw. A camera with an integrated heater pulls far more at 20 degrees than it does in October, which is exactly when you cannot afford it to drop offline.
Leave headroom and back it up
We size switches with about 30 percent spare budget for growth, and put the switch on a UPS. A PoE network is only as available as the power feeding it.
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