Power over Ethernet, also known as PoE, is a truly state-of-the-art technology that delivers both power and data through a single Ethernet cable to the powered devices without the need for redundant power cabling, which significantly cuts down the labor costs and installation time. Normally, most PoE solutions are governed by the PoE standard to regulate how these network devices operate. It defines the minimum power that PSE can send and the maximum power that the PD can receive. IEEE802.3af and IEEE802.3at are the two well-known PoE standards widely used in data networking, featuring a maximum power supply of 15.4W and 25.5W respectively at the PDs. But with the expansion of the network devices, a higher power supply is demanded when more network devices are added to the network, especially when powering high-power devices such as POS terminals, digital signage and LED lighting.
To fulfill the ever-increasing demands of high-power devices, a new-generation PoE standard IEEE802.3bt has been introduced to allow you to build a high-power network system with ease. In today’s blog, we’ll introduce the basics of the IEEE802.3bt standard and some high-power PoE solutions you can never miss.
What is High Power PoE?
IEEE802.3bt standard is the latest PoE standard and first-ever implements power over four twisted pairs of structured wiring. In IEEE 802.3af/at, only two twisted pairs are used for power connection, while data can be delivered over four pairs. And for the first time, this new generation of PoE uses all 8 wires to transport power so as to minimize power loss over transmission to achieve a better power-delivery system with a substantially increased power budget. The extra power allows more high-power applications to be added to the network.
It facilitates the expansion of PoE by pushing the power limits of PSE and PDs to 100W (the maximum power can be delivered on each port defined by the SELV requirements for safe and reliable operation without damaging the PoE ports and connected devices) and 90W (Max. in Type 4) respectively, which are unsupportable under the previous IEEE 802.3 standards. The first specification, IEEE 802.3af (Type 1) can provide up to 15.4W of output power at each PoE port over 2-pair Cat5e cable, while another slightly updated PoE standard IEEE 802.3at, also known as PoE+ or Type 2, is capable of delivering a maximum power of 30W at the PSE and 25.5W at PDs.
Type 3 and Type 4
The IEEE802.3bt standard introduces 2 new PoE types (Type 3 and Type 4) and 4 additional classes (Class 5-8). Type 3 is also known as PoE++ or UPOE, which can provide up to 60W at each PoE port (power available at the PD is 51W) to power devices like high-performance wireless access points (WAPs) and high-definition PTZ cameras. PoE classes (0-8) define the maximum power that can be sourced and drawn in the power system. Type 3 can support at least Class 4 (PSE:30W; PD: 12.95-25.5W) in 2 or 4 twisted pairs and support Class 5-6 (45-60W; 0-51W) in all 4 pairs. Commonly known as high-power PoE, Type 4 can supply maximum power output of 100W and 90W at PSE and PDs to power devices like flat screens and LED lighting over Cat6 cables. All 8 wires are required to support Class 7-8 (75-90W; 62-71W). And the IEEE 802.3bt standard is fully backward compatible with the prior PoE standards to work with legacy Type 1 and Type 2 devices with no problem.
High Power PoE Brings New Insights to PoE Solutions
High power PoE has been widely used for home and office applications, like LED lighting, All-in-One touchscreen PCs, thin clients, PTZ cameras and information kiosks. In this part, we’ll introduce various types of PoE devices to help you build a high-power network system.
802.3bt PoE Switch
This 802.3bt PoE Switch has 6*10/100/1000Mbps PoE Ports, 2*1Gbps Ethernet ports and 2* 1Gbps SFP slots. It features a total power output of 120W to provide a maximum power supply of 90W on ports#1-2 (the rest of PoE ports#3-8-30W), ideal for integrating different network devices with different power requirements on the same PoE switch. It offers a cost-effective method to install power-hungry network devices, such as high-power WAPs and digital signage displays, in places where there is no power source present. It’s an unmanaged PoE switch that features a plug-and-play installation with easy configuration.
8 Port 60W Visual PoE Managed Switch with 2 Gigabit SFP
This 8-port visual PoE managed switch complies with the Type 3 PoE standard (i.e. PoE++) to supply a maximum power of 60W on ports#1-4 (30W max. on ports#5-8). This visual PoE switch is also equipped with a console port to let the administrators manage the switch without a network connection. It comes with two Gigabit SFP slots to provide a fast-speed network connection in long-distance applications. The built-in LCD screen exhibits the real-time condition of the PoE switch and allows you to easily manage each individual port. By supporting Layer 3 IPv4/IPv6 dual stack and various management functions, this visual PoE++ managed switch helps small businesses to step into the IPv6 networks with the lowest investment. It is loaded with QoS features to prioritize and monitor the traffic coming out of each PoE port and enhance the bandwidth management to improve user experience and ensure better response time, particularly useful for enterprise networks.
8-Port PoE Powered Switch
The 8-port PoE powered switch is built with 7*10/100/1000Mbps PoE ports and 1*1Gbps PoE passthrough port. It is compliant with IEEE802.3af/at/bt standards, featuring a massive power budget of 71W and is able to power multiple network devices like WAPs and VoIP, etc. at once. This PoE powered switch comes in a compact size and requires no additional power cabling, ideal for space-constrained applications. Each port is equipped with 6kV surge protection to ensure the ongoing functionality of the switch and connected devices. It’s built with a fanless cooling design and can be installed in dusty spaces like ceilings and basements. It features a wide working temperature of -20°C~70°C for use in harsh environments.
Read more about PoE passthrough switches here.
Outdoor Waterproof 802.3bt Gigabit PoE Extender
This outdoor waterproof 802.3bt Gigabit PoE extender offers a budget-friendly way to extend your Ethernet over 100 meters, working collaboratively with our 95W PoE injector to install high-power devices like PTZ cameras in remote places. The PoE extender supports a power budget of 60W max., and the remaining power available at the PD will still remain at 51W in approximate. By daisy-chaining 4 units at once, you can extend the deployment distance up to 500 meters (power loss may be possible over long cable runs). Most importantly, this PoE extender is equipped with 2 PoE output ports to allow you to set up two devices at once.
10 Gigabit 95W BT PoE Injector
The 10 Gigabit 95W BT PoE injector is compliant with the IEEE 802.3bt PoE standard offers a cost-effective solution to power multiple high-power devices, such as 802.11ac/ax wireless access point, high-definition PTZ cameras and LED lighting, with a significantly increased power budget at 10 Gigabit network speed with less latency. The high-power PoE injector can provide a maximum of 95 watts of power by using all 4 twisted pairs. It can be utilized to connect PoE and non-PoE devices using a single Cat5e/6 or higher-level Ethernet cable with a minimal impact on the existing network infrastructure. The wall-mountable injector features a simple plug-and-play design, offering great convenience and flexibility on installation. It is an energy-conscious supplementary device with lower power consumption.
High Power 802.3bt Outdoor Waterproof PoE++ Splitter
This waterproof PoE++ splitter is an industrial-grade device suitable for outdoor deployments in harsh environments to power up high-power non-PoE devices when there are no available AC outlets nearby, saving the costs of installing new electrical outlets. It often works with a PoE injector or PoE switch enabling a maximum of 60W output power on each port to power some devices, such as POS terminals or other network devices that demand higher power to function normally. This PoE++ splitter supports backward compatibility with IEEE 802.3af/at standards to work with legacy Type 1 and Type 2 devices. It can work over a wide operating temperature from –40°C to 75°C with a metal IP67-rated housing to survive harsh weather conditions. It features a 6kv surge protection mechanism for safe and reliable operation.
More high-power PoE solutions are now available at Fastcabling.
