Hikvision DS-3E0518P-E 16-Port Gigabit PoE Unmanaged Network Switch

The Hikvision DS-3E0518P-E is a 16-port Gigabit PoE switch built for CCTV and network installations. It is unmanaged — no configuration needed — and runs as a Layer-2 switch out of the box.

What the ports give you

• 16 × Gigabit PoE ports: connect IP cameras or PoE access points; each carries power and data over one cable.
• 1 × Gigabit RJ45 uplink: link to a recorder, router, or core switch by copper.
• 1 × Gigabit SFP fibre uplink: for a fibre run back to a switch room or NVR location, where distance or interference rules out copper.

PoE budget — plan your camera count

The switch supports IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at, delivering up to 30 W per port, but the total PoE budget is 230 W. On a 16-port unit that means you can't run every port at full 30 W simultaneously — add up your camera wattages (check each camera's spec sheet) before assuming all 16 ports are usable at once.

Build and performance

It has a metal, rack-mountable 1U case and 6 kV surge protection, aimed at cabinet or control-room installation. Switching capacity is rated at 36 Gbps with a 26.784 Mpps forwarding rate and an 8K MAC address table, using store-and-forward switching — figures relevant if you're running many cameras through one uplink.