If a 24-port switch has a PoE budget of 740 W, how many IEEE 802.

IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) provides up to 30 watts of power per port. To determine how many devices can be supported with a total budget of 740 W:

740 W ÷ 30 W per device = 24.67

However, due to real-world power overheads and cable losses, it's safe to estimate each device may draw up to ~25–30 W. Most vendors recommend a planning budget of around 25–28 W per 802.3at device.

Safe calculation using full 30 W:

740 ÷ 30 = 24.6 → you could theoretically power 24, but for guaranteed power availability considering margin, most designs plan for:

740 ÷ 40 = 18.5 → about 18 devices conservatively

Answer: 18 devices can certainly be powered.

— Reference: CWDP-305 Official Study and Reference Guide, Chapter on Infrastructure Design