How to Configure and Verify PoE on Cisco Switches | Power over Ethernet Explained with CLI Examples
🔧 Configuring and Verifying Power over Ethernet (PoE) on Cisco Switches | Full Tutorial with CLI Examples
In this video, we walk through how to configure, verify, and troubleshoot PoE on Cisco switches. Learn how to distinguish between PoE-capable models, check power availability, and disable PoE per port using the CLI.
🚀 Whether you're preparing for CCNA, CCNP, or working as a network engineer, this guide will give you hands-on insights into Power over Ethernet operations on real Cisco devices.
📌 Topics Covered:
How to identify PoE-capable Cisco switch models
Default PoE behavior and auto power mode
Using show power inline and other verification commands
Disabling PoE on specific interfaces (power inline never)
Real-world use cases: Airports, hospitals, hotels, retail, and more
Key benefits of using PoE in modern network infrastructure
💡 Learn why PoE is the backbone of smart infrastructure and how it improves efficiency, safety, and manageability in large-scale networks.
Configuring and Verifying PoE on Cisco switches
Typically, every series of Cisco switches has models that support power over ethernet and models which don't.
This can be easily seen in the name of the switch model indicated with the letter P. For example, WS-C3850-24T-L is not PoE capable and WS-C3850-24P-L is PoE capable.
By default, all switch ports are in PoE mode auto, which means that if the interface detects that PD is connected
it automatically starts providing power. T
his can be checked using the show power inline command.
Let's look at the following example:
Note that the switch says it has 370W of power available to end clients, currently 60W are used so 310W remains. As explained above, all devices are in Admin state auto. Note that interface Fa0/1 is not shown in the output. This is because PoE is explicitly disabled on this port by the network administrator. This is done using the power inline never command in interface configuration mode. Let's see how interface FastEthernet 0/1 was configured.
If you want to see more detailed information about a specific interface you can use the following command show power inline FastEthernet 1/5 as shown in picture example :
Common Use Cases
In today's world, buildings infrastructure is getting more complex every day. Subsystems such as lighting, cooling, security and communication are getting more difficult to manage and operate. Power over Ethernet provides a technical solution that combines these independent infrastructures into a common medium - Ethernet network.
Imagine a large international airport, for example, there are hundreds of security cameras, body temperature sensors, information tables, barcode scanners, phones and all kind of devices that are part of the airport operations. All those devices need power, but there are no power outlets and wall sockets everywhere and it is not safe and convenient to deploy electrical circuits to all devices in such congested with people buildings. The natural solution is to use power over ethernet because all those sensors and devices need network connectivity as well. Using single cable for both data and power is the best fit for most of the infrastructure systems.
Other industries where PoE is widely deployed are retail, hotels, enterprise IT, hospitals and industrial facilities.
Benefits of PoE
Cost-effectiveness and Flexibility: Using PoE instead of conventional electrical wiring decreases significantly the electrical costs of installation of wall circuits. It also provides more granular control of connected devices and enables more complex features around device powering such as automation, scheduled power off - power on, and many more.
Manageability and Simplicity: Powering end devices over Ethernet cables eliminates the need to position the device close to the power circuit. It also improves the standardization of powering, eliminating different types of AC-DC adapters and connectors, which makes the infrastructure easier to manage and operate.
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