What is PoE?

Power over Ethernet (PoE), great stuff, this technology enables Ethernet cables like Cat 5e/Cat 6 to transmit electric power and data signal at the same time. 

PoE helps power devices such as VoIP phones, wireless access points, LED lighting systems, surveillance products, industrial controls, and network switches using just Ethernet cables.

PoE powers at least a third of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which today number in the billions. Smart homes, IP security systems, digital signs, and accuracy monitoring sensors in industrial settings all benefit from PoE technology. 

The short-distance pain

One of the main benefits of PoE is it can enable cameras to observe and even live stream places where you couldn’t find a power socket nearby.

I can throw you a bunch of names: aquaculture cameras (fish farming, sea cucumber farming, etc.), factory production cameras, laboratory observation cameras, boat-mounted cameras, bunker engine monitoring cameras, underwater marine biology research cameras, underwater survey cameras, underwater operation cameras (such as inspection net box broken hole), diving exploration camera, underwater engineering acceptance camera, downhole observation camera (such as drilling and repairing wells).

These cameras can be used underwater, in tunnels, pipelines, or anywhere that requires prolonged monitoring.

However, the 328ft (100m) restriction greatly affects these cameras’ application threshold.

These limitations require users to be creative and find new powered cable solutions for extended-distance cabling.

What is a PoE extender?

If you need to run Ethernet LAN signals farther than 328 feet, one option is to use a PoE extender. These were developed in 2005 in order to extend long-distance power to devices such as PoE wireless access points and PoE IP cameras. Consumers liked these extenders because they are very easy to use. In general, it’s plug-and-play technology. The extenders usually work so seamlessly that the user may never know it’s there.

Problems with PoE extenders

While PoE extenders seem to be a great solution, one significant issue related to their use is the addition of another termination point (connector) to the channel.  This can create too many points in the channel, resulting in excessive noise and insertion loss, which will degrade the signal and render the cable inoperable.

BICSI installation standards define a limit on the number of extenders used in the channel between the MDU (rack) and the connected device. Normally, you can’t use more than two extenders, which means the best you can reach is 1000ft(300m). 

LINOVISION ultra long 3300ft(1000m) PoE solution

There are some situations in that users need to transmit PoE power and data over ultra-long distances, for example, power a remote security camera from 500 meters (or 1,640ft) away (from one building to another building), or supply power to a PoE IoT device from one side to another side of an underwater tube. The regular PoE extender will extend 100 meters only. LINOVISION innovative EOC solution, it makes possible to transmit PoE power and data over max. 1,000 meters (or 3,300ft) through regular Cat5e or Cat6 cable, this will reduce thousands of dollars in cabling cost.

For the sites that require multiple ports of long-reach POE transmission or POE over coax transmission, it is strongly recommended to use EOC Transmitter and EOC-Switch, which is an EOC & POE Hybrid Switch. EOC Switch is an industrial POE Switch with built-in EOC receiver modules. It will auto-detect the PoE load device and determine the EOC mode of regular POE mode. When the port is in EOC mode, it will transmit PoE power and data over max. 1,000 meters (or 3,300ft) through regular Cat5e or coaxial cable (EOC adapter is required), this will reduce thousands of dollars in cabling cost.