Power Negotiation Notice: Cisco Switches and BirdDog PoE Devices

Power Negotiation Notice: Cisco Switches and BirdDog PoE Devices

Some Cisco network switches have been observed to not correctly negotiate power allocation with connected devices via LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol). This is a known behavior on certain Cisco switch models and firmware versions, and is not isolated to BirdDog products.

BirdDog devices have been tested and confirmed to negotiate power correctly over standard 802.3at/802.3bt PoE and LLDP power negotiation when connected to a range of other switch manufacturers.

If you are experiencing power related issues (such as a BirdDog device not powering on, rebooting unexpectedly, or operating in a reduced power state) when connected to a Cisco switch, we recommend manually configuring the power allocation for the relevant port rather than relying on LLDP auto negotiation.

Recommended steps:

  1. Identify the port your BirdDog device is connected to.
  2. Manually set the power allocation for that port to match the BirdDog device's rated power draw (refer to the product's power specification in the user manual or datasheet).
  3. Disable or override LLDP based power negotiation for that port if your switch configuration allows it.
  4. Confirm the device powers on and operates normally after the change.

If the issue persists after manually setting port power, please contact BirdDog support with your switch model, firmware version, and the BirdDog product in question so we can assist further.