Battery-powered network switch

cvctimingMember

Does anyone know of a small network switch that has an internal battery that will kick in if the power goes out? Even better, one that can do PoE so I don't even need to mess with a power injector?

My FinishLynx Fusion camera has an internal battery.
The laptops have internal batteries.
We use a switch to connect the camera, FinishLynx laptop, Meet Manager laptop, and printer.

If someone kicks the extension cord or I otherwise lose power during a race, the only important things that lose power are the 4-port switch and power injector for the camera.

I've used a full APC battery backup before, but they are so dang heavy and seem overkill for what I'm trying to accomplish. Plus on one occasion it went into one of its scheduled checks and the internal battery was low and it cut power to all my equipment unnecessarily, so I've been spooked to try it again ever since.

It seems like there should be an elegant solution to this. Does anyone have a similar setup?

Thanks

4/29/169:55 AM

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patmacdonaldMember

Interesting, but that would kinda freak me out.

I have everything in customized boxes. So, my cameras are in large rigid boxes from Lowes, with foam in the bottom. Switches/POE adapters are velcroed in place. I have a toolbox with a battery backup for the switch at the table for laptops. That might be a better solution.

4/29/1611:24 AM

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themightyskunkMember

You might try something like this:

http://www.bixnet.com/5pominehubsw.html

USB provides 5v of output voltage, so a small, simple, unmanaged switch without fans like this will run off your laptop's battery for at least a while if the AC power quits.

PoE requires about 48 volts (spec calls for >44v <57v) so I don't think you're going to step up that far off a 5v input.

4/29/165:07 PM

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cvctimingMember

Thanks for the tips. I had seen a few USB-powered switches around and I might give that a try. I'm running out of USB ports on my laptops though

I've also seen a few battery-powered PoE switches, but they are usually larger rack-mount options for things like security cameras or WiFi access points. I'm sure the market isn't big for small switches.

I haven't lost power during a meet (yet), but I like being prepared for all the possibilities. I'll post back with pics if I settle on something.

Thanks

5/2/169:16 AM

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dirkwagnerMember

A view years ago, my company builds some small boxes (25x20x15cm), which contained basicly a small UPS and a 8-port switch.

They were searching for stuff like this on the market, but with no luck - so they were building a small number at themself.

We needed them to make infield communication stable, since the data comming from the clients there is needed for producing TV-graphics...

5/3/165:47 AM

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etthMember

This is our custom design:

http://eventtiming.com.au/Prod...0Event%20Router.html

all 12VDC; battery, charger and switch in a nice case with custom cut foam.

5/4/161:34 AM

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Michael KanarellisMember

Look into www.BTUResearch.com

5/16/247:14 AM

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cvctimingMember

Thanks for the link, that looks like a really good pre-built solution, and I like etth's suggestion for custom boxes too. I ended up putting my own together using 4qty 12V7.5AH batteries, this network switch, and this injector. I use the switch's 51V power supply to power the injector, which powers the switch via PoE, which powers the camera over PoE. If I lose AC power, the injector fails over to the batteries via the term block and I can run my camera and network switch for 16-20 hours if needed. When the batteries are end of life I will probably replace them with 4qty 12V2.3AH instead to reduce the weight.

5/16/248:17 AM

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Michael KanarellisMember

Look at the Brownout Buddy sometime. It's a battery backed injector that works very nicely.

5/16/248:33 AM

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