CONCLUSION

   Some of you may wonder as to why i didn't perform any benchmarks with the TPE-S44 and the reason is that the main purpose of such devices is to feed power to your IP cameras via PoE and not to offer the best data transfer performance (that's why we have Gigabit compatible devices). However i did test the TPE-S44 with a total of 4 different IP Cameras all plugged in simultaneously and during all days of testing it didn't even once slow down my network something which is quite important and doesn’t apply for every PoE switch out there.

   The TRENDnet TPE-S44 8-Port PoE 10/100Mbps Switch comes with a very attractive price tag and so it currently retails for USD49.99 inside the USA (TigerDirect) while inside the EU you can find it at around 65Euros. Overall the TPE-S44 is a very good PoE switch since it does exactly as advertised, offers a total of 8 Ethernet 10/100Mbps ports 4 of which are PoE compatible, is quite small and it also comes at a very good price. Of course if just 4 PoE ports are not enough to cover your needs TRENDnet offers a variety of similar devices with up to 24 PoE ports and Gigabit connectivity. The lack of Gigabit connectivity however from cost-effective solutions like the TPE-S44 is the only drawback i can think of (excused however from the low price) and i hope it will be resolved soon. Until then however the TPE-S44 is the ideal solution for people on a tight budget who want to install up to 4 PoE compatible IP Cameras independently from the electrical grid and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Metal Enclosure/Components)
- Size
- 8 x 10/100Mbps Ports
- 4 x 10/100Mbps PoE Compatible Ports
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- None