PoE can be extended without excess costs
A new standard is making cabling extensions beyond 100m more viable when using PoE.
By Max BurkhalterMay 21, 2012
Power over Ethernet has risen to prominence over the course of the past few years. The technology offers businesses a unique level of cabling flexibility, as it lets them send power and data through unshielded twisted pair cables. As a result, they can more easily place IP phones, cameras, routers and other devices without having to worry about locating the hardware close to a power outlet. This has significant cost and deployment benefits, Cabling Installation & Maintenance reported.
However, there has long been a major barrier in PoE adoption - distance. The report explained that Ethernet can only guarantee data transmission within 100 meters of a switch. The same limitation also applies to PoE. As a result, businesses face a major challenge when they want to install a security camera in a parking lot or perform a similar deployment in a location distant from the primary network room.
According to the news source, there were a few solutions in place over the past few years, but none were ideal. Organizations could establish a switch or network room every 100 meters along the cabling line, allowing them to sustain the PoE connection over CAT 5 cable to the distant location. A digital subscriber line could also work, but the cost of such a connection is significant.
Businesses also had the option of using a cabling extender that is specially designed to carry the data signal over the distance necessary without requiring a switch in the middle, the report said. The problem was that connecting an extender to the PoE connection could only be accomplished in a two-pair cabling configuration. This works fine for extremely basic functionality, but anything requiring more data throughput, such as allowing a camera to tilt and pan, requires a four-pair connection, which was impossible with an extender and PoE.
A new standard for PoE has changed this, allowing organizations to use four-pair PoE configurations with an extender and CAT 5 cabling. This advance could prove instrumental in allowing organization to expand their use of PoE without incurring excess costs, the news source explained.
As PoE rises, businesses could end up having more options for deploying innovative networking solutions. Implementing PoE infrastructure gives businesses the ability to get more out of their cabling system. This is becoming essential as the network is increasingly prioritized by businesses and the flexibility offered by PoE provides an avenue for innovation and flexibility for organizations.
Perle PoE Media Converters transparently connect copper to fiber while providing Power over Ethernet ( PoE ) to standards-based PoE and PoE+ compliant devices such as IP cameras, VoIP phones and wireless access points.
However, there has long been a major barrier in PoE adoption - distance. The report explained that Ethernet can only guarantee data transmission within 100 meters of a switch. The same limitation also applies to PoE. As a result, businesses face a major challenge when they want to install a security camera in a parking lot or perform a similar deployment in a location distant from the primary network room.
According to the news source, there were a few solutions in place over the past few years, but none were ideal. Organizations could establish a switch or network room every 100 meters along the cabling line, allowing them to sustain the PoE connection over CAT 5 cable to the distant location. A digital subscriber line could also work, but the cost of such a connection is significant.
Businesses also had the option of using a cabling extender that is specially designed to carry the data signal over the distance necessary without requiring a switch in the middle, the report said. The problem was that connecting an extender to the PoE connection could only be accomplished in a two-pair cabling configuration. This works fine for extremely basic functionality, but anything requiring more data throughput, such as allowing a camera to tilt and pan, requires a four-pair connection, which was impossible with an extender and PoE.
A new standard for PoE has changed this, allowing organizations to use four-pair PoE configurations with an extender and CAT 5 cabling. This advance could prove instrumental in allowing organization to expand their use of PoE without incurring excess costs, the news source explained.
As PoE rises, businesses could end up having more options for deploying innovative networking solutions. Implementing PoE infrastructure gives businesses the ability to get more out of their cabling system. This is becoming essential as the network is increasingly prioritized by businesses and the flexibility offered by PoE provides an avenue for innovation and flexibility for organizations.
Perle PoE Media Converters transparently connect copper to fiber while providing Power over Ethernet ( PoE ) to standards-based PoE and PoE+ compliant devices such as IP cameras, VoIP phones and wireless access points.
