TP-Link TL-SL1218MP 18-Port PoE Switch*

• Manufacturer: TP-Link
• Model: TL-SL1218MP
• Ports: 16× 10/100 Mbps PoE+ · 2× Gigabit uplink
• PoE Budget: 192 W total, up to 30 W per port
• Standard: IEEE 802.3af/at PoE+
• Extend Mode: PoE and data up to 250 m
• Priority Mode: Gives surveillance traffic precedence under load
• Management: Unmanaged — plug and play, no configuration

TP-Link TL-SL1218MP is an 18-port unmanaged PoE switch built specifically for IP surveillance: 16 PoE+ ports at 10/100 Mbps with a 192 W total power budget, plus two Gigabit uplinks to carry the aggregated traffic back to the recorder.

The case for PoE on a camera install is straightforward. Without it, every camera needs a mains point at its mounting position — on a ceiling, up a pole, along a boundary wall. With PoE, a single Ethernet cable carries both power and video, so the electrical work largely disappears. On a sixteen-camera job that is the difference between a week of conduit and an afternoon of cable pulling.

Two features here exist for surveillance specifically. Extend Mode pushes PoE and data to 250 m — well past the 100 m Ethernet limit — which reaches the camera at the far corner of a compound without a repeater. Priority Mode designates high-priority ports so video keeps flowing when the switch is under load, rather than dropping frames because something else is saturating the fabric.

Technical Specifications

1) Are the PoE ports Gigabit?

No — the 16 PoE ports run at 10/100 Mbps. The two uplink ports are Gigabit. For standard IP cameras 100 Mbps per port is ample; if you are running high-bitrate 4K cameras, consider a Gigabit PoE switch such as the TL-SG1218MP instead.

2) How many cameras will 192 W actually power?

A typical fixed IP camera draws 4–8 W, so all 16 ports is realistic. PTZ cameras, heated housings and cameras with IR illuminators draw considerably more — total your actual figures rather than assuming.

3) What is Extend Mode for?

It pushes PoE and data to 250 m, past the normal 100 m Ethernet limit, for a camera at the far end of a site. Those ports drop to 10 Mbps while extended, which is fine for a standard camera stream but not for high-bitrate video.

4) Do I need to configure it?

No — it is unmanaged and plug and play. Extend and Priority modes are set with hardware switches on the unit, with no login or software.

5) Can it power access points as well as cameras?

Yes. It works with any 802.3af/at PoE+ device including access points and IP phones, and non-PoE devices connect normally for data only.

1. Return within 24 hours of delivery for:
   • Damaged or defective product
   • Wrong or missing item
2. Product cannot be returned once installed or used
3. Refer to Refund Policy for complete details