ᐅ Which smart home system is best for our new build?

What would a TV or receiver need PoE for? They don’t usually run on just 12 watts.

If I understand you correctly, you have a basement and two or three floors? If you install 8 PoE cables there, you will quickly have a continuous power loss of about 5 watts. That amounts to 43 kWh per year running 24/7/365.

The same applies to the switch in the basement. A 24-port version also consumes around 15–20 watts and has to run continuously, whether you use 1 port or all 24.

You can turn off the PoE switches on the ground floor, first floor, and second floor when the TV is not in use.

Also consider the electricity consumption in all of this. Over the years, it becomes a significant cost factor.

Mycraft schrieb:

Thinking ahead about being dependent on crutches later is counterproductive. Consider carefully—better yet, think ten times—about where you will definitely need LAN now and over the next 10+ years. Especially in the media area, I would probably start with 4 ports from the beginning. It’s better to save on ports somewhere else instead.

4 ports running continuously 24/7/365 in the home automation room... or 1 5-port switch that only runs when I need the receiver, TV, PS5, or streaming devices, so about 20-30% of the year...

Power consumption, and especially saving energy, will be one of the key issues of this century...

xMisterDx schrieb:

Receiver, TV, PS5, or streaming

Since none of the devices you mentioned require POE, I don’t understand your point. Are you suggesting producing more electronic waste by distributing as many small switches as possible throughout the house?

Mycraft schrieb:

You want to split the PoE again? No, it’s not that simple. You will need an additional PoE switch or injector at that point.

But there is also such a thing (PoE passthrough), so why plan a workaround like that when you can do it right from the start?
Simply run enough network cables in a star topology to the network cabinet and connect them as needed to a central PoE/non-PoE switch.

Gudeen. schrieb:

Yes, that is possible too (POE Passthrough), but why plan such a makeshift solution when you can do it properly from the start?

Of course, this is doable for someone knowledgeable in the field. However, that is not the case here. So, the simple answer for the average user is no, it’s not possible. Later on, there is a lot of concern if nothing works and additional money has to be spent instead of doing it right from the beginning, as you also mentioned—planning and installing enough connections upfront, along with suitable energy-efficient technology in the main distribution board.

A temporary fix piled on top of another temporary fix is not the way to go in a new build.

Yes, we have 3 floors plus a basement.

I think I didn’t express myself clearly.

We prefer not to install too many Cat cables in one spot because we have to pay €250 per Cat Duplex cable.
We would rather distribute more double sockets instead of installing 4 ports in one location.

The only devices that require PoE are the access points on each floor, and possibly the small switches in the room.

I thought I could power the access points and small switches (only if needed) with PoE, so that I still need a power outlet in those rooms.
No devices that require PoE would be connected to the small PoE switch in the rooms.

What would you recommend I do?

The topic of saving electricity should not be overlooked.