How could I setup more Access Points than Switch Ports

RFrei
RFrei Posts: 13
First Anniversary Friend Collector First Comment
edited September 2021 in Nebula
Hey,

we need to deploy more PoE APs on a remote site. There are several floors that need to get APs but also have APs underneath them. There are thick concrete walls and floors between them so the connection just isn't good enough in the top floors.

So before I go out and buy a bigger switch and more Access Points, I just wanted to know if there is a way to set this up differently or in a better way. It's a huge house and new super long Cat cables would need to be layed, just for a few APs that would need them. So even if I buy a new Switch and APs, laying these cables just seems really inefficient.

Maybe with Y-Splitter cables or is that no good with multiple PoE?
I also need everything to be nebula cloud managed. I don't know if a Y-Splitter would inhibit cloud management.

Thanks in advance.

Accepted Solution

  • Zyxel_Bella
    Zyxel_Bella Posts: 428  Zyxel Employee
    First Anniversary 10 Comments Friend Collector First Answer
    Answer ✓

    Hi @RFrei

     

    @mMontana mentioned is correct. Because the switch port can supply up to 30w power, the AP can’t get enough full power if it is distributed to multiple APs.

    We suggest that you can consider using Nebula smart mesh function to deploy. The concern there will be attenuation problems when signal passes through the walls. And each hop will reduce 50% throughput.

    If the electric power in the house are the same circuit, you can use the PLA with adapter to deploy. But from come customer’s experience, the connection will be unstable.

    The best deployment method is to use a larger switch to ensure that each AP can get enough power with independent cables.

    Thank you

     

    Regards,

    Bella


All Replies

  • mMontana
    mMontana Posts: 1,298  Guru Member
    First Anniversary 10 Comments Friend Collector First Answer

    Maybe with Y-Splitter cables or is that no good with multiple PoE?
    AFAIK... hell no.
    Ethernet cables were designed as Point-to-Point connection. 20 or more years ago someone though was cheaper use 8 pin cables as dual 4 pin cables (and double 100MBPS connection) but crashed into interference and obtained a dual poor 10Mpbs connection for two hosts. Reversing the connection and adding a cheap switch lead to better performance instantly (2x10MPS is lower than 100MBPS/2) and 10 years later, when upgraded both switches to 1GBPS.

    Ethernet can actually be used as multi-point to multi-point connections, but it's made via software (vLANs) not hardware.

    Moreover: PoE budget. Theoretically you can have hardware that has lower power consumption than maximum PoE budget on a single port, but that does not mean that the device is constantly using less than half PoE port budget on all time, especially when booting up or trying to boost RMI power for reaching a distant/interfered endpoint.
    Some Network Equipment Producers (AFAIK, not Zyxel currently) produces PoE switches that.. are powered via PoE or via Power Adapter. And they specify how much budget/watts the PoE Switch needs to be powered up and provide power and data on the devices. But still... can't create power from nothing and this leads anyway to overhead, due to switch and transportation among cables.

    These are things that tells me that your idea might not be my idea. With causes.
    And since 10 years, network cabling... is cheap. Way more than you expect. IMVHO network cabling, ports, patch panel should be wisely and "bit abundantly" placed, when redacting a project, because every unused cable into a building is a "snap on" upgrade with minutes of operations. Install the device, install patches, configure it (if it's cannot be done automatically), then your network can do something new/better immediately .



  • Zyxel_Bella
    Zyxel_Bella Posts: 428  Zyxel Employee
    First Anniversary 10 Comments Friend Collector First Answer
    Answer ✓

    Hi @RFrei

     

    @mMontana mentioned is correct. Because the switch port can supply up to 30w power, the AP can’t get enough full power if it is distributed to multiple APs.

    We suggest that you can consider using Nebula smart mesh function to deploy. The concern there will be attenuation problems when signal passes through the walls. And each hop will reduce 50% throughput.

    If the electric power in the house are the same circuit, you can use the PLA with adapter to deploy. But from come customer’s experience, the connection will be unstable.

    The best deployment method is to use a larger switch to ensure that each AP can get enough power with independent cables.

    Thank you

     

    Regards,

    Bella


  • RFrei
    RFrei Posts: 13
    First Anniversary Friend Collector First Comment
    Okay, then we will have to lay the cables with a new switch. Thank you both for your suggestions!


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