Does the GWN7803 power cameras and access points over PoE?
No: this is the non-PoE version of the series. Its 24 Gigabit ports carry data only. Devices that need to be powered over the network cable require an injector, or the GWN7803P model, identical but fitted with 24 PoE+ ports and a 360 W budget.
How many VLANs can you configure on the GWN7803?
4,000 VLANs, with IEEE 802.1Q tagging, port-based VLANs and voice VLAN, plus VLAN virtual interfaces. GVRP, which would propagate VLANs automatically between switches, is listed as “pending”: VLANs are still configured manually. Voice traffic is separated onto its own VLAN, with 802.1p priority.
How is this switch managed day to day?
In three ways, as you prefer: the local web interface, the GWN.Cloud platform, and GWN Manager, its version installed on your own server. The controller is built into the web interface, at no extra cost and with no subscription. Management is also available through the CLI, via console or Telnet, and through SNMP v1, v2c and v3.
What happens if a cable creates a loop on the network?
STP, RSTP and MSTP block the redundant path, with loop protection, BPDU guard and root guard. Storm control caps bursts of broadcast traffic. Port security shuts a port down as soon as the number of learned MAC addresses exceeds the set limit.
Can the switch hand out IP addresses on its own?
Yes, it has a built-in DHCP server and DHCP relay, with options 82, 60, 160 and 43, which are used to provision IP phones. DHCP snooping only accepts replies from ports declared as trusted, which neutralises a router plugged into a network outlet by mistake.
How many links can you aggregate towards the network core?
Eight aggregation groups are available: several copper or fibre ports are combined into a single logical link, which increases uplink bandwidth and keeps the link up if a cable fails. The 4 Gigabit SFP slots also handle links between buildings.
How do you restrict network access to authorised computers?
802.1X authentication, backed by RADIUS or TACACS+, checks each computer before opening its port. On top of that come four-way IP-MAC-VLAN-port binding, MAC address filtering, IP Source Guard, ARP inspection against gateway spoofing, denial-of-service protection and 1,500 access control rules.
What internal performance does this 28-port chassis offer?
56 Gbps of switching capacity, a forwarding rate of 41.66 Mpps and 28 Gbps of total non-blocking throughput, in store-and-forward mode. The MAC address table holds 8,000 entries, static or dynamic, and the packet buffer reaches 4.1 Mbit.
What is in the box, and are SFP modules included?
The box contains the switch, a 1.2 m power cord (10 A), rack-mount brackets, a grounding cable, four rubber feet and two cable lugs. SFP optical modules and RJ45 patch cords must be purchased separately, depending on the type of fibre and the distances involved.
What cabinet depth do you need for the GWN7803?
The metal casing measures 440 × 200 × 44 mm — 1U high, 20 cm deep — and weighs 2.7 kg: it fits in a shallow wall-mount cabinet. It can also sit on a desk or be mounted on a wall, and operates from 0 to 45 °C at 10 to 90% humidity, non-condensing.
What tools are available to diagnose a network fault?
Port mirroring to an analyser, ping and traceroute, a copper cable test to locate a faulty cable, syslog logging and alerts, CPU and memory monitoring, LLDP and LLDP-MED to discover neighbouring devices, and SNMP and RMON to report counters to a monitoring system.
Is the switch new, and where can you find its documentation?
Yes, new equipment, with the invoice serving as the warranty document. The manufacturer's document covers the GWN7800 series model by model — switching, security, quality of service, power:
datasheet (PDF).