Every fault below comes from real call-outs across Durban and surrounding areas. Some have a quick check you can try yourself before booking anyone — where that's true, we say so. When a visit is needed, the diagnosis is done with a signal meter, quoted before work starts, and covered by our 12-month workmanship warranty. New to this part? Start with the poe switch component guide.
1. Dead PoE port
What you'll see: A camera is down; moving its cable to a spare port brings it back.
Why it happens: Port electronics failed — often after a lightning surge travelled in on an outdoor run.
How we fix it: We confirm the port (not the cable or camera) is at fault, migrate to spare capacity, and fit surge protection on outdoor runs so the next strike does not take the whole switch.
2. PoE budget exceeded
What you'll see: Cameras drop offline unpredictably — worse at night, worse as the system grew.
Why it happens: Total camera draw exceeds the switch's power budget; the switch sheds load without much explanation.
How we fix it: We audit actual per-port draw against the budget, then either redistribute across switches or install one with genuine headroom — sized for IR-on, heater-on worst case, not the idle average.
3. Switch overheating
What you'll see: The switch reboots or fails on hot afternoons; the cabinet smells warm; ports fail one by one over months.
Why it happens: A sealed enclosure with no airflow, direct sun on the cabinet, or a switch running near its limits in a hot ceiling.
How we fix it: Ventilation, relocation or a fan kit — heat is the primary killer of network hardware, and fixing it costs far less than replacing switches annually.
Symptom doesn't match any of these?
Faults overlap — a "poe switch problem" is sometimes another link in the chain wearing a disguise. Describe what your system is doing on 069 423 8290 (or WhatsApp a photo of the error screen) and we'll tell you which component it actually sounds like, free, before anything is booked.