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millenium7
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NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:35 am

I can't actually wrap my head around the design philosophy of this design, it just seems so incredibly......... rubbish.... many known issues such as non isolated ground, no 24/48v switching capability etc
Nevertheless we have some in stock and are trying to find a use for them. The main issue is the way our network typically grows is we we roll out a site, then find down the track as that site grows we need more radio's. So whats the most logical solution when you only have X number of cables? You remove a radio, install something like a PowerBox in between, then reconnect the radio to the powerbox and you also have another 3 ports available. Easy logical straightforward expansion

Yet the netpower has no PoE input whatsoever? Why!?!? This is the single most stupid aspect of its design. If we have a site with ethernet runs, we then need to run new cabling for DC input!? At what point does this make sense in anyones mind?, if we need to run new cable we'd just run more ethernet for each radio we need. Netpower is not saving any labor time at all

Is it possible to power the device via existing ethernet cabling? I'm thinking passive PoE injectors that can then 'unsplit' the PoE at the other end as a DC jack, but would have to retain gigabit capability
Then can we split and either step-up or step-down the voltage to provide both 24v and 48v? And do all this with a single ethernet cable and injector?
Otherwise I think most appropriate place for the Netpower is straight into the bin and just use Netonix
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Mon Sep 13, 2021 4:15 am

So you are trying to feed 16x PoE out ports from a single PoE in port ?
 
millenium7
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Mon Sep 13, 2021 4:27 am

Don't need to run all 16 ports no. I'm fully aware of current limitations

However current design is stupid. Ideally this device should support DC jack input as well as PoE-In with voltage switching
Since it doesn't do the latter, it should at least have 24v-in on Ether1 and 48v-in on Ether2 (ideally 4-pair power support to allow 1.25A on each) so you can use existing ethernet cabling on a site to power more radio's
Most radio's however will only consume 4-7w during use so this would still let you run 4x 24v and 8x 48v comfortably
Maybe you only need to have 5 radio's connected, or as little as 1x24v and 1x 48v based radio but with the possibility of expansion down the track. In that case you either have 2x PowerBox or a single NetPower. You don't NEED to use all 16 ports to justify its existence
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:21 pm

It's quite easy to remedy, run a 14-4 or 12-4 with fiber up the tower to the np16 and remove the existing cat5 cabling that you can't use. It's a great product, you just have to use it properly. If you think netonix is a better option then you should probably just open a taco truck
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:03 pm

I love those 16P switches, I run 4 Core power cable up to it. Use 48V and 24V Meanwell redundancy modules so I have power from 2 different sources. One trough battery bank and one from mains.
I wish it was able to put more power trough it on 48V as I can't power 16 devices on 48V with the draw we need.
Otherwise very happy with it.
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:28 pm

I love those 16P switches, I run 4 Core power cable up to it. Use 48V and 24V Meanwell redundancy modules so I have power from 2 different sources. One trough battery bank and one from mains.
I wish it was able to put more power trough it on 48V as I can't power 16 devices on 48V with the draw we need.
Otherwise very happy with it.
+1 as I also appreciate this product

@DrJanis:
When using both 48V and 24V power supplies, you are not using PoE-powered devices, are you ?
If positive, are your PoE-devices capable of running from either a 24V or 48V power source or is your NetPower 16P capable of delivering 48V while being powered at 24V ?
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:42 pm

Simply read specification on the product page???
https://mikrotik.com/product/netpower_16p

4th phrase:
Device itself does not have an onboard voltage converter. You need 24V PSU to have 24V PoE out and/or 48V PSU to have 48V PoE out (IEEE 802.3 at/af).
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:18 pm

or is your NetPower 16P capable of delivering 48V while being powered at 24V ?
These devices don't have a way for you to select what the power source is for the switch itself. It will use the source with the highest voltage.
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:25 pm

70% of what @olivier2831 have wroted is logically uncomphrensible...
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:49 am

I love those 16P switches, I run 4 Core power cable up to it. Use 48V and 24V Meanwell redundancy modules so I have power from 2 different sources. One trough battery bank and one from mains.
I wish it was able to put more power trough it on 48V as I can't power 16 devices on 48V with the draw we need.
Otherwise very happy with it.
+1 as I also appreciate this product

@DrJanis:
When using both 48V and 24V power supplies, you are not using PoE-powered devices, are you ?
If positive, are your PoE-devices capable of running from either a 24V or 48V power source or is your NetPower 16P capable of delivering 48V while being powered at 24V ?
The devices I'm powering up accept both 24V and 48V, but the only reason I need 24V power supplies or down convertors is because of the power limitation in the switch it self as I could use only 48V PSU if the switch was able to put trough enough amps trough the 16 ports on 48 volts.
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Mon Apr 18, 2022 11:40 pm

Today I have found that it cannot power PoE devices connected with only 2 pairs from the Ethernet cable ( the same pairs used for data ) … very annoying and unexpected behavior! Now, you’ll ask me why only 2 pairs and not all 4 ?! It happens to get in this kind of situation at old hotels, where they were using 1 pair from the same Ethernet cable for phones and also you cannot demand from them to run new cables because you can see that it is an impossible task , at least until they will renovate the building.
I was using at other places some dumb PoE switches and everything was ok using 4 pairs .
I’m using 2 power adapters , 24v and 48v with no luck; I was thinking to connect a 52v power adapter but I don’t think that it will make any difference! It is not a PoE+ switch, unfortunately!
I was trying to put the option for PoE “forced on” , with high and low voltage but nothing happens!
actually is my fault because I didn’t read the specifications more carefully.
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Tue Apr 19, 2022 8:24 pm

[...]
I was using at other places some dumb PoE switches and everything was ok using 4 pairs .
[...]
4 PAIR needed also from "dumb PoE" eh? What surprise....
And now you complain than on 2 pair not work?

All this bllsht only to reveal your ignorance?
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:15 pm

Actually was a mistake , what I wanted to write was 4 wires , 2 pairs ( you could have understood from the context) , and yes , switches with a price tag of 50€ will actually work with 2 pairs of wires .
I ended up buying a 24G+4SFF PoE+ jetstream switch ( lower price tag than mikrotik ) and everything is ok.
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:18 pm

Aaahhhh understand, you post here just for Jetstream AD!!!...
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:22 pm

And thanks for pointing to my ignorance… and to the bulls..t. Very kind of you.
You comment thou is very sharp and gives a lot of solutions . Could they make you “forum guru of the month” maybe?
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:30 pm

Another user just registered for publicizing another company.
Your posts are really useless, just put in evidence your ignorance,
my posts help you to understand that, and for confirm how much I'm dummy.
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Tue Apr 19, 2022 10:04 pm

Where is my ignorance?! That I made a mistake, typing 4 pairs instead of 4 wires ?! Did you even knew that there is PoE+ type A?! Have you ever walked from your desk and tried to find solution for a customer having a deadline?!
I was posting here so that anyone how will try to find a solution will know that this particular model of switch will not do! And, so you know, the other’s company products are my last resort…. but I live in the real world and I making a living from installing and setting up networks and I cannot afford to be a fanboy!
You really don’t have anything better to do then posting inflammatory posts ?
Give me a solution for my problem if you wish or live it!
Being a rude forum guru doesn’t make you any special!
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Tue Apr 19, 2022 10:31 pm

Your posts still useless, just for example, you omit to specify what equipment must be powered on...

Solution: cut the "stolen" pairs from the analog phone, use them for ethernet / poe and use VoIP
And the latter is not a joke ...
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Wed Apr 20, 2022 4:50 am

I mount this inside the netpower and supply with 48 volts. the output goes to 24 volt input. the 48 volts goes to 48 volt input. direct replacement for ubnt. works awesome.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/110730441396?h ... XQigBR7Mve
 
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Thu Apr 28, 2022 8:25 am

So whats the most logical solution when you only have X number of cables? You remove a radio, install something like a PowerBox in between, then reconnect the radio to the powerbox and you also have another 3 ports available. Easy logical straightforward expansion

Yet the netpower has no PoE input whatsoever? Why!?!? This is the single most stupid aspect of its design. If we have a site with ethernet runs, we then need to run new cabling for DC input!? At what point does this make sense in anyones mind?, if we need to run new cable we'd just run more ethernet for each radio we need. Netpower is not saving any labor time at all
Go and read the specs for PoE, then think about the power required to power devices, then think about what you asked again. Then again, you want to go and run 300W+ of power over CAT5, go right ahead I guess...
 
millenium7
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Re: NetPower 16p.... Rubbish PoE design. Workarounds?

Thu Apr 28, 2022 2:44 pm

I mount this inside the netpower and supply with 48 volts. the output goes to 24 volt input. the 48 volts goes to 48 volt input. direct replacement for ubnt. works awesome.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/110730441396?h ... XQigBR7Mve
This is a step in the right direction but the netpower is still a stupid design IMO
This should be built in. But even without it the absolutely minimum should be to allow PoE-in via ethernet. As I stated earlier, the most common use case (at least what we find, i'm sure its extremely common for many other companies) is growth over time. You don't run half a dozen cables on a site that has 1 or 2 radio's and may never see any more expansion, especially when you might just squeeze 1 or 2 in and running more will require new drilling, fireproofing, waterproofing etc. It can significantly add to material and labor costs
So as before..... often there's limited cables and the entire purpose of something like a NetPower is to EXPAND upon that existing capacity. But if it's got ethernet and you have to then run additional power cabling, you aren't saving on labor. It's really, really, really stupid to not AT LEAST include PoE-in like the powerbox does

It hurts my head to think about what life would be like if I was working at MikroTik and present in design meetings
MikroTik just seems to... i dunno, they do legitimately have some fantastic products both hardware and software, yet often it feels like a great idea pitched on Thursday afternoon that got half ass implemented by end of Friday and then forgotten about. Many great products that just seem held back but in the really easy and silly ways, not in the complicated and difficult ways. 95% of the potential and hard work is done yet they seem to give up on the last little bit that would let them dominate many market segments if it was just finished off and polished. I can't wrap my head around why. This netpower is a prime example of the mind boggling oversight, CRS PoE products are another (PoE Mode B is a borderline retarded decision, why!? this is more complicated and expensive to implement and it is immensely less compatible in the marketplace), 72 core CCR that practically only exists for virtualizing multiple routers into a single RU, yet never got virtualization support... etc etc etc

In the case of outdoor power we use products like Netonix because it allows us to use a single ethernet cable to provide 4-pair PoE input, and it'll then allow 48v or 24v output on 4-pair or 2-pair. But their products aren't outdoor they require external enclosures and they are far more expensive. TBH we would be way more than happy to pay the same or even somewhat more to have a fully integrated waterproof solution, then it puts Netonix entirely out of business in our segment
We use the powerbox because its we don't have to spend any labor hours assembling and waterproofing outdoor enclosures. Its cheap and good enough in a lot of cases, but it only does voltage passthrough and it doesn't do voltage step-down, hence we need 2 of them and sometimes when powering high draw devices just isn't viable at all. We would happily spend 3x as much just for the ability to feed 48v in with more ports and 48/24v switching. This isn't a particularly difficult task to overcome in the design or manufacturing phases, it really isn't, the same for many MikroTik products really. So much unrealised potential left on the table

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