High-power PoE accepted by IEEE committee

Phihong USA has proposed allowing midspans used in power-over-ethernet applications to put the power onto the data pair as required for Gigabit systems.

The proposal was made to the IEEE802.3at task force at its most recent meeting on 13"15 March 2007.

"Numerous presentations to the IEEE have proven that this can be done without affecting the 'channel characteristics' as specified in IEEE802.3 specifications," said Keith Hopwood, vice-president of marketing for Phihong USA.

Putting the power on the data pair is required for gigabit systems as all wires are used to carry data. If 4-pair powering gets ratified then it will also be required to carry power on all the wires that carry data as well.

Phihong's PoE midspans already do this. Many users have already implemented this although it is technically outside the current IEEE802.3 specification. This approved resolution puts specific text into the new specification that makes it official.

The new standard is now in draft, and many items can still change. It is still a year away from ratification, but it is now possible to build hardware that meets these requirements with a high degree of confidence that they will be compliant to the standard.

When implemented as a standard, IEEE 802.3at (PoEPlus) will not only allow POE in gigabit systems but will enable at least 30 W of power and potentially up to 60 W.

Applications that will benefit from the increased IEEE802.3at classifications and voltage include wireless multi-radio access points, pan tilt zoom security cameras, IP phones with streaming video displays, computer workstations and LCD panels.

Other emerging applications include: emergency lighting, security system sensors and even medical monitoring.