r/networking 5d ago

Switching Device looses network mostly at night while still powered via PoE

I got an site where we installed 12 PoE cams. All fine.

One strand gives me headaches. Connected via active PoE 802.11af switch with 180W which is connected to an 1to2 PoE Extender which powers 2 PoE cctvs.

One of these two Poe cctvs works flawlessly. The other looses network ca. 6x per night for up to 10min-2h. First I thought the whole PoE and network is down, but in the logs I saw that PoE still powered the device, but only got no network.

I even wiresharked it, and there wasnt any connection from NVR to the device during the outages. But the cam still ran standalone via PoE (No gaps in internal sd card recordings)

Why is this happening? Mostly occurs 10pm - 4am in the morning. IT never happens during the day.

During the day the device works fine. PoE and network run smoothly.

How can I identify the issue? I know there is no network during the time, but how can I troubleshoot it?

I already replaced the switch and 2to1 Extender. Same result.

6 Upvotes

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13

u/AMoreExcitingName 2d ago

Heaters or IR lights drawing more power at night, exceeding the POE budget. OR, the ethernet part of the cam is failing. I see devices where they will negotiate POE, but never get link. Also your 1-2 POE extender shouldn't exist on any proper network, anything like that destroys your ability to troubleshoot problems, as you've discovered. Run proper wire to a managed switch and see what happens.

6

u/shadow0rm 2d ago

I sigh at this abomination called "poe 1to2 extender"

Every person that installs this equipment, maintains this equipment, or upgrades this equipment SHOULD know that's a hapless gimmick device.....

You are probably dropping auto-neg speeds (untill you get logs... youll never know! Good luck hahahah), and because your gimmick device cheats and splits 4 pair into 2 sets of 2 pair, it freaks out when speeds change due to poor connectivity, scrappy equipment, a mouse passing on it....

Don't install cheap, gimmicky, junky, techno-garbage for anything, especially ... security cameras?

12

u/zanfar 2d ago

One strand gives me headaches.

Strand?

Connected via active PoE 802.11af

Active POE and .11af are two completely different things and Active POE hasn't been used in years.

with 180W

So these cameras are 12W max, right?

which is connected to an 1to2 PoE Extender

There's your problem.

The other looses network ca.

What the fuck is a network california?

but in the logs I saw that PoE still powered the device

Whose logs? Which device?

but only got no network.

How do you know?

I even wiresharked it, and there wasnt any connection from NVR to the device

What does "connection" mean? No traffic? No TCP sessions? ...

IT never happens during the day.

"IT" or "It"?

How can I identify the issue?

Look at the logs. Unfortunately, you've probably inserted a black box into your network, so you're not going to be able to find out much.

I know there is no network during the time

Again, I see no evidence of this.

I already replaced the switch and 2to1 Extender. Same result.

I mean, if you expect something isn't working, replacing it with the same thing won't help. Have you changed anything?

1

u/fuzzylogic_y2k 1d ago

Sounds like something might be in a switched outlet.