Last year, when my ex-company installing wireless solution on their premise, the provider propose Power Over Ethernet solution, I have a brief talk on Power Over Ethernet here & also draw a simple diagram that shows how POE works, but realize the diagram that I draw are not suitable to describe the solution we use at that time.

Recently I have do some study and comparison, and found there are 4 kind of POE (Power Over Ethernet) solution, the designing of the solution have to depend on how the network design.

1. POE ready switches + POE ready device (Access Point)
With this kind of scenario, both device must be POE ready, and it is much more expensive then normal device (without POE ready), a POE ready switches(24 port) need approximate MYR3000 ($950++). See the illusion below.

The switches will supply the power source to the POE ready device via the UTP cable/network cable. Without any extra device need between switches and devices. As below picture show, the device are with POE embedded port.

2. POE ready switch + non POE ready device (Access Point)
In this scenario, we require a POE ready switch &POE splitter, which split a data and electric supply to the device (Access point). Picture behind show the access point without POE ready, POE splitter is needed to split the data and power supply to the access point.

With POE ready switch, the power are actually transmit out from the POE’s switch port over the network cable (Cat5e) and the POE splitter require to split the data and the power to supply the normal device (Access Point), this scenario best describe with below diagram.

POE Splitter are require to install near the device. (Access Point)

3. Non POE ready switch + POE ready device (Access Point)
In this scenarios, you can use normal switches, which as cheap as RM300( $95++), on the other hand, you require a POE Injector, this device have to be located near to switches or near power supply, the power are transmit into this POE injector and transmit the power via the network cable(Cat 5e) to supply the POE ready access point.

At the device (Access Point), it is POE ready, the network port can receive power from the network cable to serve the device need.

4. Non POE ready switcher + non POE ready device (Access point)
In this situation, both switches and device are non POE ready, and it require the POE injector and POE splitter at the both end of the device. below are the picture which best describe this situation.

The POE Injecter will supply the power over ethernet cable, and at the end, POE spliter will split the data and electric back to the device.

Using Power Over Ethernet solution, you can save on power cabling cost, and this kind of solution mostly use at those location that unable to located power supply for your device.

In my 2 cent
This solution is best for IP base’s CCTV, IP Phone, Access point which located on top of the ceiling, temporally access point on middle of the hall and…. Em, What more you can suggest me?