QNAP Qgd-1602P-C3758: 8 25GBE Poe Ports. - QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US

QNAP QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US Smart Edge PoE Switch with VM Support

The QNAP QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US is a 16-port managed PoE switch built around an 8-core Intel Atom C3758 processor — making it the industry's first PoE managed switch series capable of running Virtual Machines directly on the device. If you're deploying IP cameras, access control readers, and edge compute workloads on the same network segment and want to consolidate hardware, this is the platform to evaluate. The combination of 2.5GbE downlinks, dual 10GbE SFP+ uplinks, and a 20 Gbps internal switching fabric gives it real headroom for high-density surveillance and network switch scenarios where bandwidth bottlenecks typically appear first at the uplink.

Key Features

• 8x 2.5GbE RJ45 PoE Downlinks: Each port delivers 2.5 Gbps — five times standard gigabit — to connected devices. For IP cameras running 4K or multi-stream, this headroom eliminates the per-port congestion that shows up as dropped frames during motion events on busy segments.
• 8x 1GbE RJ45 PoE Ports: The additional eight gigabit ports handle standard PoE devices — access control panels, VoIP handsets, and lower-resolution cameras — without burning 2.5GbE port budget on devices that don't need it. Separate your high-bandwidth and standard-bandwidth endpoints cleanly.
• Dual 10GbE SFP+ Uplink Ports: Two fiber uplinks push aggregated camera and VM traffic upstream to your core switch or NVR infrastructure at 10 Gbps per port. On a full 16-camera deployment, that headroom prevents the uplink from becoming the recording bottleneck.
• 90W Total PoE Budget: The switch provides 90W across its PoE ports — 4 ports at up to 90W combined and 12 ports at 30W combined per the product spec. Size your camera and endpoint power draw accordingly before finalizing port assignments; 90W total is sufficient for moderate deployments but requires planning on a fully loaded 16-port configuration.
• 20 Gbps Internal Switching Fabric: The non-blocking internal bandwidth handles simultaneous full-speed traffic across all ports without internal queuing delays. For surveillance, this matters when multiple cameras stream concurrently during a triggered alarm event.
• VM-Capable Edge Platform (8-Core CPU, up to 64 GB RAM): The Intel Atom C3758 8-core processor and support for up to 64 GB RAM let you run VMs directly on the switch — eliminating a dedicated edge server for lightweight VMS instances, access control software, or analytics engines. The QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US ships with 16 GB RAM installed, expandable to 64 GB if your VM workload grows.
• Managed Switch Functionality: As a managed platform, you get VLAN segmentation, QoS prioritization for camera traffic, and port-level monitoring — tools that matter when you're running mixed device types (cameras, readers, workstations) on the same physical infrastructure and need to isolate or prioritize traffic classes.

Integration and Compatibility

The QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US fits into surveillance and PoE switch deployments where edge compute matters as much as port density. The dual 10GbE SFP+ ports integrate cleanly with fiber-uplink core switches in multi-floor or multi-building installations. The VM capability means a single device can simultaneously act as the PoE distribution layer and run a lightweight VMS or analytics application — reducing rack space and cabling complexity at the edge closet. Plan your PoE budget carefully: 90W total across 16 ports averages under 6W per port if fully loaded, so high-draw devices like PTZ cameras or multi-sensor units should be concentrated on the 4-port higher-budget group. For larger deployments requiring more total PoE wattage, consider pairing this unit with a higher-wattage PoE switch or reviewing other QNAP networking products in the family for alternatives with a larger power envelope.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the total PoE power budget on the QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US?

A: The QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US provides a total of 90W of PoE power across its PoE-capable ports. The spec describes 4-port 90W and 12-port 30W groupings — plan device placement accordingly to avoid exceeding the budget on any port group.

Q: Can the QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US run virtual machines?

A: Yes. The QGD-1602P series is the first PoE managed switch series to support Virtual Machines. The C3758 variant uses an 8-core Intel Atom C3758 processor and ships with 16 GB RAM (expandable to 64 GB), giving it real compute headroom for edge VM workloads like lightweight VMS instances or analytics applications.

Q: What uplink options does the QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US provide?

A: The switch includes two 10GbE SFP+ fiber ports for upstream connectivity to your core switch or NAS. These provide sufficient uplink bandwidth for aggregated traffic from all 16 downlink ports simultaneously.

Q: What is the internal switching bandwidth of the QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US?

A: The internal bandwidth capacity is 20 Gbps, which means the switch fabric can handle concurrent full-speed traffic across all ports without internal bottlenecking — important in surveillance environments with simultaneous multi-camera recording.

Q: How much RAM does the QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US ship with, and can it be upgraded?

A: The unit ships with 16 GB of RAM installed. The platform supports up to 64 GB maximum, so there is room to expand if your VM or application workloads grow beyond what 16 GB supports.

Q: What is the difference between the 2.5GbE and 1GbE PoE ports on this switch?

A: The QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US has 8 ports running at 2.5 Gbps and 8 ports running at 1 Gbps, all with PoE capability. Use the 2.5GbE ports for high-bandwidth devices like 4K cameras or multi-stream encoders; use the 1GbE ports for standard-bandwidth PoE endpoints like access control readers or lower-resolution cameras.

Jerry Tildsen

The QGD-1602P-C3758-16G-US is one of the few edge switch platforms I'd recommend when a customer wants to reduce the physical footprint at a remote or satellite location without sacrificing network management or compute. The 8-core Intel Atom C3758 running inside a managed switch chassis is not a gimmick — 16 GB installed RAM with a 64 GB ceiling gives you a credible host for a lightweight VMS process or a rules-based analytics engine, co-located with the PoE distribution layer that's feeding your cameras.

Technical Highlights:

• 20 Gbps Non-Blocking Fabric: At 20 Gbps internal bandwidth, this switch doesn't queue internally even when all 16 ports are active simultaneously — which matters the moment you have 8 cameras triggering simultaneous high-bitrate recording during an alarm event.
• Mixed 2.5GbE + 1GbE PoE Downlinks: The 8x 2.5GbE ports give 4K and multi-sensor cameras the bandwidth to run dual-stream without congestion; the 8x 1GbE ports handle access control and standard-resolution devices without wasting higher-speed port budget on hardware that can't use it.
• Dual 10GbE SFP+ Uplinks: Two fiber uplinks to your core mean the aggregated camera feed never competes with VM management traffic on a single pipe — you can dedicate one uplink to camera recording and the other to VM/management traffic if your core switch supports it.

Deployment Considerations:

• The 90W total PoE budget requires careful port planning on a fully loaded deployment — if you're running 8x 2.5GbE cameras with power draw above 11W each, you'll hit the ceiling before all ports are occupied. Map your per-device draw before finalizing the design.
• The VM capability is only as useful as the RAM you provision — the base 16 GB is workable for a single lightweight VMS instance, but if you plan to run multiple VMs or analytics containers concurrently, budget for the RAM upgrade to 32 or 64 GB before deployment, not after.

This switch is the right call for a multi-tenant building or campus satellite IDF where you need PoE distribution, managed VLAN segmentation, and a small-footprint edge compute node all in one 1U-class device — specifically in deployments where adding a separate edge server is cost-prohibitive or physically impractical.