Most professional CCTV security services recommend PoE switches for modern IP camera installations because they simplify deployment and maintenance. Desktop switches are compact network switches designed for smaller setups. Core switches generally offer high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability, capable of handling large amounts of data. The table below is a quick guide to the best switches to consider for different applications. When a camera, reader, or phone stops working, the root cause is a bad port, an exceeded PoE budget, or a VLAN misconfiguration far more often than a failed endpoint. Getting the switch spec. the network is going to handle the IP CCTV traffic only, it consists of the following: a-Access switches 24 X 100 Mbps cat-6 links for cameras = 15. c-Network video recorders with internal 8 TB HDD PR -4011 ( each is 400 Mbps bandwidth) = 5. d- (5 Mp) IP cameras 30 fps ) = 160. I. If I have 100 cameras, do I need a core switch? What if I have 300 cameras without one—is that acceptable? Before we answer these questions, let's cover some basic concepts: To choose the right switch, it's essential to know the bandwidth each camera consumes, defined by their bitrate.