Ruckus R710 POE requirements

[rosewood72]

I upgraded my R510 to R710. I have a POE switch that max out about 30W per port 120W total. That being said My R710 is in a degraded state stating that more power is needed. I connected to my ICX switch and see that the switch allocated 28850 mW and consumed 4700 mW. So why is my TP-Link not able to support the R710 if the port max out at 30W?

[ms264556]

This is normal. Ruckus APs won't negotiate the correct power mode unless you connect them to an enterprise switch. So just do like the rest of us with cheap switches/injectors and manually override the PoE power mode in Unleashed: https://docs.commscope.com/bundle/unleashed-200.15-onlinehelp/page/GUID-E471A9AF-2F43-4DA4-9A12-8A9B...

[Imran_ruckus · Accepted solution]

Hi @rosewood72 

Greetings!!!

Thank you for reaching out to the RUCKUS Lennar Home Community. 

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve the issues you are experiencing with your RUCKUS setup.

Based on the information provided, it appears that you are encountering issues with Power allocation to your new RUCKUS R710 APs.

Please note that the AP R710 is set to automatically negotiate for 802.3at, which requests 30W of power. If the switch does not have the required capacity, the user can adjust the power negotiation to 802.3af through the Unleashed Dashboard. However, they must also modify the power limit settings on the switch accordingly. (Refer to the screenshots and links)

https://docs.commscope.com/bundle/unleashed-200.15-onlinehelp/page/GUID-E471A9AF-2F43-4DA4-9A12-8A9B...

Go to Access Points > [AP] > Edit > Other > PoE Operating Mode. 

The issue is that while the AP R710 may not utilize the full 30W, it will still request that power allocation. Therefore, there may be a need to adjust the power limit settings on the switch and also configure the AP through the Unleashed Dashboard to ensure proper power management.

Therefore, you may need to determine how to limit the power on the TP-Link switch. Additionally, in the Dashboard, you can change the PoE negotiation from "Auto" to 802.3af, which is the lowest power mode.

Below is the link describing Power Limitations by PoE Mode and RUCKUS AP Models:

https://docs.commscope.com/bundle/unleashed-200.15-onlinehelp/page/GUID-12E6EFCF-E117-47FA-9D07-FE2E...

I hope this information helps you.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.

Best regards,

Imran Sanadi

RUCKUS Lennar Home Community.

[rosewood72]

If I downgrade to 802.3af wont that disable 1Gb ethernet? But I guess I won't really need that. Thank you. Are there any disadvantage to using 802.3af instead of the 802.3at?

[Imran_ruckus]

Hi @rosewood72 

Greetings!!!

Thank you for your response and the information.

Yes, if you downgrade to 802.3af (PoE) instead of 802.3at (PoE+), it can limit the available power to your device. However, it will not necessarily disable 1Gbps Ethernet unless the device specifically requires PoE+ for full-speed operation. Many devices will still operate at 1Gbps even with 802.3af, as long as their power needs are met.

Disadvantages of Using 802.3af Instead of 802.3at:

Lower Power Output – 802.3af provides a maximum of 15.4W per port, while 802.3at (PoE+) can deliver up to 30W per port. If your device requires more than 15.4W, it may experience performance issues or fail to function correctly.

Limited Functionality – Some features, such as high-power radios, additional MIMO streams, or extra Ethernet ports, may be disabled if insufficient power is available.

Reduced Reliability – Underpowering a device can cause intermittent disconnections, reboots, or degraded performance.

Potential Gigabit Speed Limitations – While most modern access points and switches support 1Gbps even on 802.3af, some older models might drop to 100Mbps if insufficient power is supplied.

When Is It Okay to Use 802.3af?

If your access point or device does not require more than 15.4W.

If you don’t need extra features that require higher power, such as multiple radios or additional Ethernet ports.

If you’re okay with potential performance trade-offs in exchange for lower power consumption.

I hope this information helps you.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.

Best regards,

Imran Sanadi

RUCKUS Lennar Home Community.