D-Link DGS-1100-8PV2 8-port, PoE+ (power over ethernet) switch – (networking review)

02/12/2024
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews Smart Home

The D-Link DGS-1100-8PV2 8-port, PoE+ smart managed switch provides up to eight PoE+ (Power over Ethernet) to PoE-capable IoT devices like security cameras and other switches.

Why is CyberShack writing about PoE and switches? Well, readers have been looking for cost-effective PoE solutions, and they are hard to find. This is perfect for home and small business use.

What is PoE and PoE+?

Simply put, an Ethernet CAT 6/7 cable can carry up to 57V DC up to 100m to PoE devices at up to:

350mA/15.4W (PoE or 802.3af)
600mA/30W (PoE+ or 802.3at)
The new PoE++ (803.3bt) can handle up to 1.4A/100W.
You can get extenders for up to 250m.

The D-Link DGS-1100-8PV2 8-port PoE+ has 64W of power to share over the eight ports. That is enough for up to 2 x 32W, 4 x 16W, 8 x 8W devices, or any combination of 64W.

It is most used where 240V power is unavailable, but you can run Ethernet.

What are examples of common PoE devices?

They must be Ethernet-connected (with an RJ-45 port) and can use

Wi-Fi extenders and some Mesh
4/5G Mobile routers
VoIP phones
NAS
Multi-touch displays
Security Cameras
Motion detectors
Spotlights
Video doorbells

You can also use a D-Link DPE-301GI to inject PoE into an Ethernet cable. A matching receiver, D-Link DPE-301GS, takes 30W PoE and converts it to 5/9/12VDC and Ethernet. These allow typical Ethernet-connected USB devices to use the same cable for power and Ethernet.

Why a managed switch, let alone a smart one?

You do not need a managed switch for typical POE devices. D-Link offers unmanaged switches starting at $109.95 (6-port/4PoE, DES-F1006P-E). They simply work out of the box.

A smart managed switch does not require a rocket scientist to set up and manage. You can leave it on default (recommended) or log in via a PC/Mac browser and change each port’s speed, power allowance/use, priority, set up VLANs, and much more.

The D-Link DGS-1100-8PV2 8-port PoE+ allows me to set up power from 4W to 64W mix and match power requirements per port.

If you are keen to learn more, read the manual.

Australian Review: D-Link DGS-1100-8PV2 8-port, PoE+ smart managed switch

Website	D-Link home page Smart Managed Switch Page Series Datasheet Product page Manual
RRP 1/12/24	The DGS-1100 family includes 5-port $129.95 with 2 PoE passthrough 8-port $229.95 with 4 PoE (80W) 8-port $349.95 with 8 PoE (64W) 16-port $779.95 with 16 PoE and 2 RJ-45 SFP (130W) 24-ports $729.95 with 12 PoE (100W)
From	D-Link online and computer or network stores here.
Warranty	This business product has a lifetime warranty (usually replaced the next business day).
Made in	Taiwan
Company	D-Link, founded in 1986, is a Taiwanese multinational networking company headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. You can trust D-Link with your privacy.
More	CyberShack D-Link news and reviews CyberShack Networking news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – Basic business black

It has a black metal case measuring 145 x 82 x 28 mm and a bank of 8 ports along the front. On the back is the power plug and a grounding point (not required for standalone use). It uses a 240V/100mA/24W power pack and is fanless, so power use is minimal.

Full-duplex Gigabit speed on all ports

The D-Link DGS-1100-8PV2 8-port PoE+ has a 16Gbps backplane that can handle up to 8 x 1000/1000Mbps full-duplex devices. Its smart switching allows it to packet efficiently slice a 1 gigabit full-duplex WAN connection. Of course, it is backwards compatible.

A green LED indicates a full-duplex gigabit; orange means a 10/100 or half-duplex connection.

Tests – Pass+

We connected eight gigabit-capable devices, and port speeds matched the host devices’ 1000/1000Mbps statistics.

We used an Ethernet cable analyser that shows PoE volts/amps/watts. A PoE-capable VoIP handset and security camera both received the correct power. Unfortunately, we currently don’t have enough PoE devices to test all ports. The analyser matched the smart switch web interface readout.

CyberShack’s view: D-Link DGS-1100-8PV2 8-port, PoE+ smart managed switch is perfect for home PoE devices

Yes, the device is outside the consumer field that we usually service. However, consumers may encounter PoE and need to know that there are excellent, cost-effective solutions, especially where you can get Ethernet cables but not 240V power points.

We won’t formally rate it as we have no benchmarks for this type of device. Suffice it to say that it is a 10/10 meeting or exceeding all performance claims.