A PoE Switch is a type of firewall, but unlike a traditional firewall it doesn’t have to block all traffic. Instead, it allows traffic to flow between two or more ports on a switch. A switch can be configured to allow traffic from any source to access ports on the switch. For example, a VoIP service (voice over internet protocol) might use port forwarding to allow outside VoIP calls to be made locally rather than over the public internet. A router might also use port forwarding to allow traffic from an internet to access a local VoIP service.
A PoE injector is a simple firewall that uses logic to allow and deny traffic on ports. A non-poe switch does not have an injector. A non-poe switch does not use a dedicated firewall to manage traffic, but rather relies on the inbuilt mechanisms of the supervisor to control traffic. A supervisor is a software layer that sits between the virtual machine (the OS) and the hardware. When the OS boots up, it executes the virtual code within the hypervisor, and this code controls how the OS requests traffic from the hardware.
An injector permits the administrator to make rules that govern which traffic goes through ports. If a certain type of traffic cannot get through a port, it won’t go through the rest of the Ethernet cable. If a port is open, it just won’t accept any traffic. To allow traffic to go through, the injector makes use of algorithms. Many companies make their own internal, customized PoE injector for each type of Ethernet network they support. In some cases, an injection may be disabled for all non-network traffic to reduce vulnerability to external threats.
On the other hand, a proprietary PoE injector allows for the unrestricted use of a port by any PoE enabled device. This has significant advantages when compared with the unmanaged PoE switches. For one thing, a private network’s security can be significantly improved by allowing access to the local area network (LAN) wirelessly.
On the other hand, some businesses still find a need for their old non-poe devices, even though they can easily go with a new, fully managed PoE switch and its PoE injector. In those cases, it’s possible to add lighting to non-poe devices. In a nutshell, this brings me to the final benefit of using a PoE switch – the increased flexibility for your business. By allowing for the unrestricted use of all PoE enabled devices, you increase the number of ports you have at your disposal and give yourself room to grow as your needs grow.
Of course, the most important benefit of all is the increased power source. Switching over to a PoE enabled device gives your business the freedom and flexibility to run all PoE applications from a single power source, saving money on both hardware and electricity. By removing the requirement for two separate power sources, the only expense required is a one-time investment in a switch and an IP camera PoE injection.