1. What is a 3,600W PoE switch, really?

A 3,600W PoE switch is simply a high-wattage, usually 24–48 port switch whose total PoE budget is around 3.6 kW. It speaks the same Ethernet and PoE languages as smaller switches – typically PoE+ (802.3at) and PoE++ (802.3bt) – but has a much larger power supply and more robust thermal design to handle sustained load.

In a GRID Networking / POE-Jack® deployment, you treat it less like “another PoE switch” and more like:

• a DC panelboard for your PoE microgrid, and
• a core switch for AV, Wi-Fi, security and automation traffic.

It’s the box that quietly powers:

• Active POE-Jack® in-wall switches like APOEJK2-WH across a floor or zone,
• HDMI-over-IP endpoints (e.g. POEJK-HDMIE / POEJK-HDMIER) for signage and conference rooms,
• PoE cameras, access points and room controllers, and
• head-end devices like PoE media players, intercom gateways or small servers.

The magic isn’t just “3,600W,” it’s the way you organise that power into predictable, serviceable zones using POE-Jack® plates and structured cabling.

2. The DC microgrid mindset: panel vs branch circuits

If you’re an electrician or engineer, you already think in terms of: main panel → branch circuits → receptacles & loads. A 3,600W PoE core behaves the same way, just at 48 V DC over twisted pair instead of 120/208 V AC.

Core idea

• 3,600W PoE switch = DC panel with a finite budget and individual “breakers” (ports).
• Each POE-Jack® plate = small sub-panel that fans out power to a local cluster of devices.
• Devices at the wall (APs, cameras, HDMI receivers, touch panels) are your loads.

Why that matters for design

• You stop asking “how many devices per switch?” and start asking “how many watts per zone and per riser?”
• You have a clean way to explain the design to IT, electrical and AHJ: it’s just a low-voltage panel with branch circuits.
• You can grow the system without repainting yourself into a corner – you know where the spare capacity lives.

If you haven’t read it yet, this article pairs with the overall GRID Networking Canada guide and the AV & HDMI-over-IP spoke. Those pieces show the use cases; this one shows how the 3,600W core makes the whole thing hang together.

3. Design patterns: how 3,600W feeds POE-Jack® plates & AV

Let’s anchor the 3,600W discussion in real Canadian building types. In each pattern, the 3,600W core sits near the main telecom room or MDF and feeds smaller GRID switches and POE-Jack® plates in IDFs or rooms.

Pattern 1 – Large office floor with in-wall PoE plates

Scenario: 3–5 pods of open office, a dozen meeting rooms, plus Wi-Fi and cameras across a single floor.

• Core: 3,600W GRID PoE switch in the floor IDF.
• Edges: several smaller PoE switches (e.g. POEJK-S8-240 or POEJK-S48-750E) on remote corners if needed.
• At work areas: in-wall PoE switches (APOEJK2-WH) feeding desks, APs and phones.
• In rooms: plates behind TVs and at tables powering HDMI-over-IP receivers, PoE room controllers and APs.

The 3,600W core is sized to support a realistic mix of: PoE plates, APs, room devices and cameras with headroom, not a theoretical “all ports at max forever” load.

Pattern 2 – School or campus wing with AV + Wi-Fi + cameras

Scenario: a school wing with classrooms, labs, hall signage and exterior doors.

• Core in MDF: 3,600W PoE switch feeding fibre or copper uplinks to IDFs.
• Per-IDF: mid-size PoE switches (e.g. POEJK-S48-750E) that in turn feed corridors and rooms.
• Per room: APOEJK2-WH plates at the front wall powered from the local PoE switch.
• Hallways & exterior: APs, cameras and signage endpoints pulling PoE directly from IDF switches.

The 3,600W core carries and powers the entire wing’s PoE load, while IDFs smooth out cable distances and bundling. You can move a classroom from “Wi-Fi only” to “wired + AV + camera” just by adding a plate and patching a port.

Pattern 3 – Arena / event space with HDMI-over-IP

Scenario: a community arena or event hall with dozens of displays, projectors and APs.

• Core rack: 3,600W PoE switch uplinked to the main campus/core network.
• AV room: HDMI-over-IP encoders and signage players patched into the core.
• At zones: consolidation points (CPE1) with APOEJK plates hidden in the ceiling feeding groups of displays and APs.
• Devices: PoE HDMI receivers, DS1 signage players and APs powered from each consolidation point.

Instead of multiple racks and injectors scattered around, one 3,600W PoE core powers the building’s AV and Wi-Fi grid. When something misbehaves, you check the PoE core and IDFs – not ten random power bars tucked into soffits.

Pattern 4 – MDU / condo where PoE rides the riser

Scenario: a Canadian MDU with PoE feeding hall APs, floor cameras and corridor signage.

• MDF: 3,600W PoE core switch feeding riser trunks (23-AWG Cat or fibre + PoE media converters).
• Per floor: small PoE switch or in-ceiling CPE1 consolidation point, powered from the riser.
• Loads: APs, cameras, signage screens and in-suite handoff ports as needed.

Here the 3,600W core becomes a building DC plant, and POE-Jack® plates are your floor-level branches. This pattern pairs nicely with your high-rise riser & congestion spoke.

4. PoE budget math for 3,600W cores

You don’t need a PhD to size a 3,600W PoE deployment, but you do need a repeatable method. Here’s a simple workflow you can turn into your own spreadsheet or template.

Step 1 – Group devices by type and PoE class

For example (numbers are illustrative – use real datasheets):

• Wi-Fi 6 APs – Class 4 (up to ~25–30 W), assume 18–22 W typical.
• PTZ or multi-sensor cameras – PoE+ / PoE++ (assume 25–40 W).
• APOEJK2-WH plates – overhead for the plate plus local loads (e.g. 60–90 W per plate depending on attached devices).
• HDMI-over-IP receivers – assume 10–20 W each.
• Touch panels / room controllers – assume 8–15 W each.

Step 2 – Count loads per area and per switch

Per floor or per 3,600W core, list:

• Number of APs (N_AP)
• Number of cameras (N_cam)
• Number of PoE plates (N_plate)
• Number of AV receivers / players (N_AV)
• Other miscellaneous endpoints (N_misc)

Step 3 – Multiply by realistic wattage

Use typical draw plus safety margin, not absolute maximum, for most devices.

• AP budget: N_AP × 20 W
• Camera budget: N_cam × 30 W
• Plate budget: N_plate × 75 W (plate + local devices)
• AV budget: N_AV × 15 W
• Misc budget: N_misc × (appropriate value)

Step 4 – Add diversity and headroom

• Add totals for APs, cameras, plates, AV and misc.
• Apply a diversity factor (e.g. 0.7–0.8) if loads are not all at peak simultaneously.
• Add 20–30% headroom on top for future growth and cold-start conditions.
• Confirm the result is comfortably under 3,600W.

If your realistic diversified load is coming out at 2.4–2.8 kW, a 3,600W core is a great choice. If your math says 3.5 kW with no headroom, consider splitting the design across two cores or moving some load to local IDF switches like POEJK-S48-750E fed from the core uplinks.

5. Cabling, bundling & thermal tips at high PoE wattage

Use 23-AWG for PoE-heavy permanent links

At 3,600W, cable gauge matters. For long PoE runs and bundles feeding POE-Jack® plates, use 23-AWG Cat6/6A bulk (e.g. the same class of cable you’re using as your POE-optimised stock), not slim 28–30 AWG.

• Lower resistance per metre = less voltage drop to far plates.
• Cooler bundles under continuous PoE load.
• More margin when temperatures in risers and ceilings rise.

Keep permanent link and patch worlds separate

• Permanent links: 23-AWG riser/plenum from 3,600W core to patch panels and POE-Jack® plates.
• Patch: shorter Cat6/6A patch cords at the rack and at plates, ideally not bundled heavily.
• Behind displays: short HDMI and Ethernet jumpers from plate to devices.

Think about heat at the switch and in cable trays

High PoE loads mean the 3,600W core and nearby panels will run warm, especially in tight telecom rooms.

• Provide ventilation and follow the switch’s clearance guidelines in the rack.
• Avoid tightly bundling dozens of PoE-heavy cables where heat can’t escape.
• Route cable away from hot mechanical equipment and exterior walls that swing in temperature.

6. Topology: core, IDFs and in-wall PoE switches

A 3,600W PoE core usually sits at the aggregation layer. From there you fan out to:

• One or more smaller GRID PoE switches (S8-240, S48-750E) in IDFs, and
• Dedicated ports that home-run to high-value POE-Jack® plates or CPE1 consolidation points.

Patch panel discipline

Use a structured patch field (e.g. POEJKPP6-24 with JK6 keystones) between the 3,600W core and the building. Label ports by room / zone / plate ID, not just numbers, so anyone can follow the design.

Logical separation: VLANs & QoS

• Give AV (HDMI-over-IP), Wi-Fi, cameras and building systems their own VLANs.
• Apply QoS marking and shaping where AV traffic shares links with business traffic.
• Use PoE monitoring on the 3,600W core to watch for overloaded zones or unusual draws.

The goal is that an IT admin can open the 3,600W switch UI and immediately see: which plates feed which zones, which VLANs carry AV vs security vs data, and how much PoE each zone is drawing.

7. Canada-specific considerations: power, code & UPS

Upstream AC circuits and UPS sizing

A 3,600W PoE switch doesn’t pull 3,600W from the wall at all times, but you should still plan upstream power properly:

• Place the core on a dedicated circuit sized to the switch’s maximum input draw plus overhead.
• Use a UPS that can cover your critical loads (APs, phones, cameras, signage) for the desired runtime.
• Coordinate with electrical on panel space, breakers and any redundancy you plan to add.

Cable ratings for risers and plenums

When the 3,600W core feeds long runs up risers and across plenum spaces:

• Use CMP/CMR cables appropriate to each space.
• Keep low-voltage within dedicated pathways or cable trays where possible.
• Use proper consolidation hardware like CPE1 instead of loose gear above ceilings.

Coordination with AHJ and IT

• Loop in the Authority Having Jurisdiction early when you plan PoE-heavy AV or lighting.
• Clarify what the 3,600W switch does and how it’s protected (surge, UPS, ventilation).
• Align VLAN/security design with your IT team so the PoE plant fits into corporate standards.

8. Where a 3,600W PoE core shines (and where it’s overkill)

Excellent fit

• Large office floors with many POE-Jack® plates, APs and meeting rooms.
• Schools and campuses feeding AV, Wi-Fi and cameras from common IDFs.
• Arenas, event spaces and churches with HDMI-over-IP and signage everywhere.
• MDUs and hotels where PoE rides risers to floors and suites.

Good fit with planning

• Mixed-use buildings where multiple tenants share PoE for Wi-Fi and common-area AV.
• Retrofits consolidating many small legacy switches into a single PoE plant.

Probably overkill

• Small offices with only a handful of PoE devices – an S8-240 or S48-750E is often better.
• Homes or cabins with limited loads – see your cabin/off-grid spoke instead.
• Single-room AV projects that don’t need central PoE – a smaller local PoE switch will do.

A simple rule: if you’re planning to power and network a whole floor or building zone from one place, a 3,600W core is worth modelling. If you’re only powering “a room or two,” reach for the smaller GRID switches.

9. Pre-design checklist for 3,600W PoE projects

Use this as a starting point for your own spec or tender checklist:

• ✔️ Map all PoE loads by type: APs, cameras, POE-Jack® plates, AV devices, controllers, misc.
• ✔️ Assign realistic watts per device group and run the PoE budget math with diversity and headroom.
• ✔️ Decide on topology: one 3,600W core only vs core + IDF switches (S8-240 / S48-750E).
• ✔️ Choose cable types and gauges (23-AWG for PoE-heavy permanent links, CMP/CMR as required).
• ✔️ Lay out patch panels and label conventions (room/zone/plate IDs, not just numbers).
• ✔️ Coordinate AC circuits, UPS and grounding/bonding with electrical early.
• ✔️ Plan VLANs, QoS and security with IT so PoE doesn’t surprise the rest of the network.
• ✔️ Document all assumptions about device draw, diversity and future growth in the project file.

10. FAQ – 3,600W PoE cores with POE-Jack®