Altronix NETWAY5PWPN 4-Port PoE+ Gigabit Switch — IP66/NEMA4X Hardened for Outdoor Surveillance
Overview
The Altronix NETWAY5PWPN is a five-port, 10/100/1000 Mbps unmanaged PoE+ switch engineered for deployment inside outdoor enclosures and harsh-environment security installations where a commercial-grade, climate-controlled wiring closet simply isn't an option. With four IEEE 802.3af/at PoE+ ports delivering up to 30W each and a 120W total power budget, the NETWAY5PWPN can simultaneously drive four high-power IP cameras, PTZ units, or access control readers — all from a DC-input architecture that integrates cleanly with 12V or 24VDC security panel power. If you're pulling camera runs to pole mounts, parking structures, transit platforms, or rooftop installations where a standard ITE switch would fail inside a year, this is the class of device to reach for in the PoE switch lineup.
Altronix built their reputation on power and network distribution for security systems — browse the Altronix surveillance power and networking catalog for companion products that pair directly with this switch. For planning camera power budgets and run distances, the PoE planning guide covers per-port watt allocation, cable gauge tradeoffs, and midspan vs. endpoint injection decisions.
Key Features
- 120W Total PoE+ Budget Across Four Ports: Each of the four data ports delivers up to 30W (802.3at), so you can run four full-power PTZ cameras or IR bullet cameras at the same time without port-starvation. At 30W per port, you have headroom for cameras with built-in IR illuminators, integrated wipers, or onboard heaters — devices that routinely exceed the 15.4W ceiling of 802.3af-only switches.
- 12V or 24VDC Input: Rather than requiring 100–240VAC, the NETWAY5PWPN accepts 12 or 24VDC — the same voltage rails common to Altronix power supplies, security panels, and UPS units. This lets you consolidate power distribution inside a single enclosure with no AC transformer, no separate outlet, and no break in the DC-UPS chain during a utility outage.
- 6W Self-Consumption: The switch itself draws only 6W from the DC bus, leaving virtually the entire power budget available to connected PoE devices. On a 120W total budget, that's 114W of usable PoE headroom — meaningful when you're sizing an enclosure power supply to the watt.
- Five Gigabit Ports — Four PoE+, One Uplink: All five RJ45 ports are auto-negotiating 10/100/1000 Mbps, so there's no throughput bottleneck introducing latency into high-bitrate video streams. The single uplink port carries aggregated traffic back to the head-end switch or NVR over a single CAT5e or higher run up to 100m.
- IP66 / NEMA 4/4X Enclosure Rating: Direct rain, windblown dust, and hose-directed water won't penetrate the housing — the same rating standard used for outdoor electrical enclosures in industrial and transit environments. The NEMA 4X designation adds corrosion resistance, making this appropriate for coastal installations, parking deck wash-downs, or chemical-adjacent sites. Pair with compatible outdoor IP cameras for a fully weatherproof edge node.
- -30°C to 70°C Operating Range: The 100°C spread covers everything from a Canadian rooftop in January to a south-facing pole mount in a desert climate during August. Storage is rated to -40°C/85°C, so units shipped or warehoused in unheated facilities won't sustain component damage before installation.
- CAT5e or Higher, Up to 100m: Standard Ethernet distance rules apply — no proprietary cabling, no special terminations. Existing structured cabling infrastructure is fully compatible. If your camera runs exceed 100m, plan for a midspan injector or fiber conversion at the run midpoint before reaching for this switch.
- CE Listed: Carries the CE mark, confirming conformance with applicable European safety and EMC directives — relevant for projects with international compliance requirements or integration into CE-marked enclosure assemblies.
Integration and Compatibility
The NETWAY5PWPN fits neatly into Altronix NetWay ecosystem enclosures and pairs with Altronix DC power supplies and UPS units that output 12V or 24VDC. On the network side, any 802.3af/at-compliant IP camera, access reader, or VoIP device connects without configuration — the switch is unmanaged, so there are no VLANs, QoS settings, or management interfaces to configure. For installations requiring port-level management, traffic isolation between cameras, or SNMP monitoring, you'll need a managed PoE switch; the NETWAY5PWPN trades those capabilities for simplicity and a hardened form factor suited to edge network distribution in outdoor enclosures. The gigabit uplink port connects directly to a managed aggregation switch or NVR upstream — that upstream device handles any traffic prioritization needed for video.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can the NETWAY5PWPN run all four PoE+ ports at full 30W simultaneously?
A: Yes. The total PoE power budget is 120W and each port supports up to 30W (802.3at), so four ports at full load equals exactly 120W — the switch's rated total. The switch itself draws only 6W, which is supplied separately from the DC input and does not come out of the PoE budget.
Q: What DC input voltage does the NETWAY5PWPN require?
A: The switch accepts 12VDC or 24VDC input. This is intentionally matched to common Altronix power supply and security panel output voltages, allowing integration into an existing DC power distribution scheme without a separate AC transformer or power supply.
Q: Is the NETWAY5PWPN suitable for direct outdoor mounting, or does it need to be inside an enclosure?
A: The NETWAY5PWPN carries IP66 and NEMA 4/4X ratings, meaning the housing itself is sealed against rain and dust ingress. However, in practice it is typically deployed inside a matching Altronix outdoor enclosure for physical security and cable management — not bare-mounted on a pole. Consult Altronix's NetWay enclosure lineup for compatible housings.
Q: Does the NETWAY5PWPN support IEEE 802.3af devices, or only 802.3at?
A: It supports both IEEE 802.3af (up to 15.4W per port) and 802.3at (up to 30W per port). Standard 802.3af cameras and readers will negotiate correctly and draw only the power they need. You don't need to replace existing 802.3af devices to use this switch.
Q: What is the maximum Ethernet cable run distance supported?
A: Standard 100m (approximately 328 feet) over 4-pair CAT5e or higher — the same as any 802.3 Ethernet device. If your camera runs exceed 100m, you'll need a fiber converter or a second switch at an intermediate point; PoE power does not extend beyond 100m regardless of cable quality.
Q: Is the NETWAY5PWPN a managed switch?
A: No. The NETWAY5PWPN is an unmanaged switch — plug-and-play with no web interface, CLI, or SNMP management. There are no VLANs, port mirroring, or QoS configurations available. For installations requiring traffic segmentation or remote monitoring, a managed PoE switch would be the appropriate choice.
The spec that defines the NETWAY5PWPN's deployment role is the DC input: 12 or 24VDC accepted directly, with no AC conversion step in the enclosure. On outdoor camera nodes where you're already running an Altronix or similar DC UPS for power continuity, this switch plugs straight into that DC bus — the PoE budget stays backed up during utility outages without any additional inverter or bypass relay. For integrators designing pole-mount or parking structure camera nodes, that's a meaningful simplification of both the wiring and the failure-mode calculus.
Technical Highlights:
- 120W PoE+ Budget: Four ports at 30W each — enough for high-power PTZs with integrated IR and wiper, or any mix of 802.3at devices. The 6W self-draw comes from the DC input rail, not the PoE pool, so the full 120W is available to connected devices.
- IP66 / NEMA 4/4X Housing: Corrosion-resistant enclosure rated for direct rain, windblown dust, and wash-down environments. The NEMA 4X designation specifically covers corrosion resistance — critical for coastal, transit, and parking deck installations where salt air and pressure washing are routine.
- -30°C to 70°C Operating Range: A 100-degree spread that handles genuine outdoor extremes — from cold-climate parking structures in winter to sun-baked rooftop enclosures in summer — without requiring enclosure heaters or active cooling in most climates.
Deployment Considerations:
- The 100m Ethernet distance limit is hard — PoE doesn't extend beyond that regardless of cable quality. Map your camera-to-switch distances during design; if any run exceeds 100m, budget for a fiber converter or intermediate switch point before installation day.
- This is an unmanaged switch, so there is no mechanism to isolate camera traffic, cap per-port bandwidth, or alert on link failure. If your project spec requires port-level VLAN segmentation or SNMP trap monitoring, you'll need a managed hardened switch instead — the NETWAY5PWPN trades those capabilities for simplicity and the DC-input architecture.
This switch is purpose-built for outdoor camera node consolidation — specifically the scenario where four IP cameras land at a junction box, pole base, or rooftop enclosure, and you need PoE distribution, gigabit throughput, and DC-UPS integration in a single hardened unit. Transit platform camera clusters, parking structure column mounts, and perimeter fence posts with two to four cameras each are the exact deployments the NETWAY5PWPN was designed for.
