Blog / 18 August 2026
Choosing an access switch: the four questions that decide it
Most switch purchases go wrong for the same reasons. Before comparing part numbers, answer these four.
1. What is the real PoE budget?
Add up what actually draws power: access points, cameras, phones, door controllers. A 48-port switch with a 370 W budget cannot run 48 PoE+ devices. Size for the load you will have in three years, not the load you have today.
2. How much uplink do you need?
A closet with 48 gigabit ports and one gigabit uplink is a bottleneck by design. Two 10G uplinks to the core is the sane minimum for anything above 24 users, and it costs very little more at purchase time.
3. Will you stack?
Stacking gives you one management point and resilient uplinks. It also locks you to a family and a cable type. Decide before you buy the first unit, because mixing stackable and standalone models in the same closet is how you end up with two spares strategies.
4. Which license tier?
Essentials versus Advantage is not marketing. Routing features, segmentation and telemetry usually sit in the upper tier. Upgrading later is possible but rarely cheaper.
Send us the floor plan and device count and we will return a bill of materials that answers all four.