Should I Buy Managed or Unmanaged 24 Port PoE Switch

With the increasing popularity of PoE switch, the issue of network switch selection has aroused heated discussion in forums. For the question - should I buy managed or unmanaged 24 port PoE switch? It seems that people one-sided speak for the managed one. However, this post is dedicated to dig the edges of each one for your selection guide.

Optimal Situation for Unmanaged 24 Port PoE Switch Solution

Unmanaged switch is somehow a low-grade switch in the current market. It is a plug-and-play network switch with configuration set up by OEM (original equipment manufacturer), which let your network run in the most basic form. Though not allowing customization, it spares green hands the trouble to configure and manage the switch. Therefore, unmanaged 24 port PoE switch is suitable for any business networks requiring for simplified management. Also, it can best satisfy the demand for home and small office usage for desktop powered devices (PDs).

Optimal Situation for Managed 24 Port PoE Switch Solution

Compared to unmanaged one, managed PoE switch is an optimized version in terms of advanced administrative control and security management. In another way, it can be called a user-defined switch counting you to take in charge of the whole. Before operation, this kind box needs you to configure everything up. During the process of running, it allows you to implement control over traffic, management, surveillance and replacement. For example, you can program each port individually and disable those unused ports for power saving and network intrusion forbidden. It is exactly the control feature that secure your network. By monitor, once found you can easily prohibit those unauthorized users, which can largely protect sensitive internal data. Besides, managed 24 port PoE switch provides you with failover and redundancy, which maintains network stability due to less downtime. Besides, managed switch has built-in Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), which offers backup paths to prevent from endless looping in the case of some devices’ failure. Moreover, some managed PoE switches is equipped with SFP slots. For instance, FS.COM S1400-24T4F managed 24 port PoE switch gives you 4 SFP ports to allow network expansion with flexibility.

 S1400-24T4F 24 port PoE+ managed switch, 4 SFP, 400W by FS.

·Smart PoE Switch vs Fully Managed PoE Switch

For managed 24 port PoE switch option, it is noted that there are two versions of PoE switch available in the market: smart PoE switch and fully managed PoE switch. Generally speaking, fully managed switch is targeted at providing optimal network performance and reliability, especially in large and complex data centers. Smart switch is slightly managed to cater for smaller size network and cost saving demand, which is best fit for home and office usage.

Buy Managed or Unmanaged 24 Port PoE Switch Selection Guide

After explaining each one respectively, we can come to the following conclusion. Managed 24 port PoE switch is designed for optimized network performance, which is best suitable for organizations with heavy workloads, high traffic and requiring for custom management and troubleshoot remotely and securely. Unmanaged 24 port PoE switch is best fit for anyone who just want to simply set up a network and let it run automatically or starters to get rid of the configuration trouble. Thus it is commonly used in home and small offices. Simply put, the former is for advanced users whereas the latter is specially for beginners.

Conclusion

Should I buy managed or unmanaged 24 port PoE switch? Don’t indiscreetly make decisions. Before asking this question, figure out the exact network environment and the degree you want to take control of your network. Because each solution has its edges over the other and respective optimal situation for usage.

Related article: 48 Port PoE Switch Managed vs Unmanaged