1. The web interface is optimised for surveillance networks like yours, and it’s easy to use.

Quickly gain access to the switches you need to manage the network. Having the ability to access the intuitive interface through a web browser provides means your whole team can access the network, make configurations, and monitor the network. The Surveillance Mode in the web-based UI provides can automatically detect IP cameras and segment them into a dedicated Auto Surveillance VLAN to make the transferal of video surveillance traffic secure and efficient. It can also show each of the cameras and the surveillance topology connected to each corresponding port of the switch.

2. Control your network remotely.

Remote management of the network and task scheduling is another reason to consider Smart managed switches. It’s particularly useful for things like setting an automated schedule for initiating IP camera reboots from anywhere by using the switch’s control settings. This ability to schedule tasks for end devices, and those at the network edge, can help avoid the need to send out on-site engineers which then saves your business time and money.

3. Know more about your network, in real-time, to increase efficiency and make better decisions.

Smart Managed switches communicate real-time power consumption for each port, including overall power budget use. More control over power demands through user-defined port-priority assignments and policies allows your business to plan and provision for power requirements both now and in the future. And automatic power-saving features which result in less heat can even extend the lives of network devices and drive down operating costs.

4. They automatically detect any IP cameras and assign them to high-priority VLANs.

Smart Managed PoE switches which support Auto Surveillance VLAN can guarantee the quality and security of information transferred, even during periods of network congestion, by detecting IP cameras and assigning the traffic to a high-priority virtual local area network (VLAN). This bypasses the task of manually provisioning each VLAN, saving even more time.

5. They can adapt to increasing network demands.

As your surveillance network grows the demands on the network will increase. Unmanaged switches don’t allow for turn-up of any additional ports when their power budget maximum is reached. With Smart Managed PoE switches you can set port guidelines and priorities that avoid network issues caused by rapid growth.

6. You can run diagnostics that minimise risks to your network.

They provide the diagnostics that minimise the risk of major traffic flow disruptions, which aren’t supported by unmanaged switches. For example, you can easily examine the quality of copper cabling connected to each port, which is a critical functionality, by running Cable Diagnostics. You can also set Automatic Loop Detection to detect an unintentional loop in the network, automatically shut down the port, and alert you - it can also be set to run on a single port, a range of ports, or all of them at once.

7. Know what’s going on with real-time alerts and notifications.

Staying ahead of any network changes or disruptions is essential. You can set alerts for a variety of scenarios like if an IP camera establishes or loses a link, and with the easy-to-use web interface you can diagnose and repair problems before they become bigger issues.