Cabling and Connectivity for Power-over-Ethernet

Power over Ethernet (PoE) has made great strides in recent years.  Driven by the demand for ease of installation and boosted by new standards that expand support to more devices, POE is expected to see explosive growth rates that match the period shortly after the technology was initially introduced in 2003.

There are some appealing reasons for adopting PoE.  Foremost, by running power and data transmission over the same cable, PoE eliminates the need for additional wiring installations, saving on money and redundant cabling.  This consolidation also allows for faster deployment at the endpoint, especially to devices at far off building locations such as warehouse transactions work areas, security cameras, sales kiosks, etc.  And remote power feeding allows power to be consolidated into one central location.

While earlier standards limited the types of devices that could be supported by PoE, recent standards have allowed for higher power transmission, expanding the range of devices supported in the enterprise and in turn further driving adoption rates.  However, higher current PoE brings important cabling and connectivity considerations when ensuring utmost performance in the network.