Power over Ethernet - How to power up your access point
In eigener Sache
Modern access points no longer require a separate power cable. This makes the installation and commissioning of the access points much easier. However, such modern access points also need power. So how does the power get to the access point? The solution is: with PoE - Power over Ethernet.
With this technology, simply put, power is applied to 4 wires via the 8-wire network cable. You do not have to fear any loss in the available bandwidth. This is not "tinkering", but a standard or norm developed by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
In general, there are 2 ways to connect power to the network cable. One is via a PoE Switch and the other is via a PoE injector. A PoE switch can usually supply power to several network ports, depending on the required power consumption. A PoE injector is connected between the network cable and has an input and an output.
What PoE standards are there?
Over time, 3 PoE standards have come into circulation:
802.2af, also known as PoE can provide up to 12.95 watts of power to your PoE devices.
802.2at, also known as PoE+ can provide up to 21.90 watts of power to your PoE devices.
802.3bt, also known as PoE++ (Ultra PoE) can provide between 70 and 100 watts of power to your PoE devices.
Modern access points usually already require PoE+, sometimes even PoE++. You should take this into account when selecting PoE switches or PoE injectors.
Do I really have to use the PoE injectors from the manufacturer of the access points?
No, you do not have to. You can use any PoE switch or any PoE injector, as long as the performance class is correct. When selecting the devices, please ensure that they support at least the PoE+ standard. This has no effect on the manufacturer's warranty.
Can EnBITCon recommend a PoE injector?
In our customer projects, where we were dependent on injectors, we were able to gain very good experience with the ZyXEL POE12 hp PoE+ injector. With its metal housing, the ZyXEL PoE injector offers very good heat dissipation and can therefore continue to work stably even under load. Alternatively, we offer the somewhat cheaper Intellinet Gigabit High-Power PoE+ Injector.
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