At Simple Ways Of Teaching, we are always looking to the future and as ever, the technology train has moved onwards again. Many of today’s 21st century classrooms are kitted out with Interactive Whiteboards, Projectors, Webcams, Teacher Laptops and Wireless Access Points. Connecting all of these devices can be a headache, often requiring multiples of electrical power outlets to maintain function.
Sometime ago, along came Power over Ethernet (PoE) and many schools/ colleges have been taking advantage of the benefits this functionality. For more info on PoE click here
One of the limitations of PoE is that the power could only be delivered over a limited distance from a switch. Schools and colleges often cover quite large areas and as such, switches are often placed in wiring cabinets inside classrooms. Although this means we can provide connectivity, placing noisy power hungry switches inside the classroom is far from ideal.
Today, SWOT and Cisco are proud to announce the arrival of a brand new range of compact switches, perfect for providing connectivity for today’s greener, leaner classrooms, the Cisco 3560 and 2960 Compact switches. Our team can work with you to show how we can use the compact series to extend services whenever and wherever you want, with unified network connectivity and power for devices far from the wiring closet. With the industry's first Power over Ethernet (PoE) pass-through capability, the new Catalyst 2960-C Series Compact Switches simplify IT deployments cost-effectively. Powerful security capabilities provide comprehensive protection. And you get a Cisco enhanced limited lifetime warranty.
So what’s the big deal about PoE pass through? We asked SWOT-NET’s CEO Andrew Dominic for an explanation.
“PoE Pass through is set to revolutionise the way we distribute power to support our network infrastructure/ devices in the classrooms and learning space. Essentially, PoE pass through allows us to take power from one device, and use it for another. The new compact switches are among the very first to have the capability to deliver PoE pass through. The compacts operate on an extremely low power level, we can run power from an upstream PoE enabled switch to the compact, power left over from the switches operation, can then be pushed to the downstream ports, and these are the ones we plug our devices in to. So, this means we can use the switch to power a teacher’s laptop, an Interactive Whiteboard, a webcam, a phone, a wireless access point, projector and so on....all this is possible without plugging the compact in to its own power socket. So by plugging one switch in to the electrical supply, we can now run many from this single source.
The ports on the compact switch are intelligent; they can tell the type of device plugged in, automatically applying the right policies and security settings to ensure the best performance without user intervention or teachers having to remember where to plug what.
The ports on the compact switch are intelligent; they can tell the type of device plugged in, automatically applying the right policies and security settings to ensure the best performance without user intervention or teachers having to remember where to plug what.
The compact design of the switches means we no longer have to consider the bulky cabinets we used to have jutting out into the classroom space. Tie this with the fan less design which means the compacts are virtually silent in operation, the "zero touch" deployment, ease of troubleshooting, stringent security, plus the range supports Cisco EnergyWise which is used to monitor, manage and reduce energy consumption of the devices connected to the switch, we at SWOT love them."
For more information on how the new compact switches can help reduce the complexity and cost of your Network contact SWOT here http://www.swotnet.co.uk/contact/
The SWOT Team J
