PoE switches support a wide range of low-, medium-, and high-power devices, and choosing the right model requires understanding power budgets, port counts, cable requirements, and uplink capacity. Power to Device Refer to. PoE switches (Type 1) comply with the IEEE 802. 3af standard, which specifies the maximum power delivered over Ethernet cables. 4 watts of power per port, while PDs can consume up to 12. They use dedicated pairs of wires to separately transmit. Since then, PoE standards have evolved, leading to increased compatibility with non-PoE appliances and devices, higher power levels, and enhancements to the standard Category 5 cable for better power delivery.