NetGear PoE Switch Priced Right

“If you’re hooking up laptops, desktops and other equipment in a small office, you don’t have to have a complex network setup,” Desai said. “You can do a lot with the PoE where you’re using a DSL line [or another Internet connection].”

etGear is touting the one-two punch of its new Power-over-Ethernet switch and complementary wireless gateway as an easy, cost-effective way for small businesses to deploy wireless LANs.

The eight-port FS108PoE switch, released in December, costs $130. Four of the ports are PoE, which are power sources, said Kevin Allan, director of product marketing for the Santa Clara, Calif., networking equipment vendor.

Connecting to a PoE port eliminates the need to actually plug in to an outlet the AP attached to the port, Allan said, which gives small businesses logistical flexibility when setting up a WLAN.

“What’s great about Power-over-Ethernet is instead of having to set up access points sitting someplace out in the open, you put them up in the ceiling or someplace more discreet with better signal quality without having to put in new power plugs,” he said.

The switch’s complementary WG102 gateways, also released in December, cost $150 each. The combination of the FS108PoE switch and four WG102 wireless gateways creates an easy-to-install WLAN to cover a small office for less than $750, he said.

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“We’re seeing a lot more interest in Power-over-Ethernet from the small-business guy that doesn’t have dedicated IT guys,” Allan said. “They want a quick, inexpensive solution that is bang, up and running.”

PJ Desai, vice president of sales for solution provider Axcelerate Networks, Santa Clara, said his company has implemented WLANs comprised of the WG102 gateways and the FS108PoE switch for small-business customers.

The switches also are conducive for VoIP phone deployments and other uses, he said.