Aug 4, 2026 · Networking
A camera that works at commissioning and dies after dark is usually not a “bad camera.” It is a power budget that was never calculated.
PoE class on the datasheet is a starting number. IR LEDs, heaters, and long cable runs all eat margin. A 24-port switch that is “802.3at” is not a 24-camera switch. Add the actual draw, derate for temperature, and leave headroom for the port you will add next year.
We put PoE on the same sheet as the camera schedule. If the IDF cannot feed it, the design changes — a midspan, a closer switch, a different camera — before anyone pulls cable.
If your integrator cannot show a watt column next to each camera, ask for one. It is not extra. It is the job.