These units don't have enough memory. To use a map update requires leaving the card in the slot because there's not enough memory. The new PS22 requires more memory to operate in both Forward and Down modes. This unit is not compatible with the PS22 because of that memory limitation. While they can use the other Panoptix transducers and they communicate using ethernet, these units are not fully ethernet functional for sharing sonar because of that same memory limitation. The echomap Plus is a major improvement. It has the added memory for map upgrades, PS22, and sonar sharing between like units.
IMO Garmin is not going to make the kind of switch you're talking about. They don't even make a regular transducer switch. There are third party ethernet switches but I doubt if they would work. I tried operating a Panoptix PS21 through a TP-Link switch. It wouldn't work. It had to be plugged directly into the unit. Panoptix transducer will work when plugged into Garmin's switches, but not with the echomap CHIRPs since they do not do the full ethernet implementation. I did see a post by Todd though that the new echomap Plus units will utilize Garmin switches. While Panoptix does communicate using ethernet, the wake-up is not standard POE or standard anything. It's proprietary to Garmin. I don't know how they turn it on, but my efforts to bypass Garmin on this have not worked. However, once it's on, by being plugged into Garmin, like a 7610 with 2 ports, it then can be shared through a non-Garmin switch. But that's not really a big deal since Garmin's switch doesn't cost all that much.
Bottom line. Better stick with Garmin's recommendations for sharing or just do like you said and manually plug and unplug.