PoE BT is a power over Ethernet standard developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. IEEE introduced this standard in 2018. You can assume it to be an upgraded version of earlier standards such as PoE 802.3af and 802.3at. More efficient and advanced!

In a network, you need to employ switches. Those switches have some rules upon which they are working. Consider PoE technology just like a PoE switch that follows the IEEE 802.3 standards. I want to tell you one fact—PoE technology has multiple standards not just restricted to 802.3bt.

In this article, I will highlight PoE standards and explain the PoE BT.

What are PoE standards?

IEEE introduced the first power over Ethernet standard in 2003— PoE 802.3af. It was a revolution in the technology world because of high-speed data up to one Gigabyte. Later on, in 2009, IEEE updated PoE’s power and data speed and explained another standard 802.3at. Now, we have a third PoE standard—PoE 802.3bt. However, here are PoE standards.

• PoE 802.3af—2003
• PoE 802.3at—2009
• PoE 802.3bt—2018

Remember one fact! If you have a PoE switch installed in your system, that switch will be working based on the principles of these PoE standards.

For a detailed analysis of PoE standards, you can check the guide—What Are the Different Types of PoE?

What is PoE BT?

As highlighted above, there is a PoE standard 802.3bt. We also call it “PoE BT.” I believe it is pretty simple to define the PoE BT.

PoE BT is a power over Ethernet technology that works on the standards defined by 802.3bt and provides high-power devices with power. The switches in the network work on the principles of 802.3bt. Overall, we call such a network to be a PoE network.

Which principles does it follow to work?

Do you know the solutions to the problem? Just recall the above concepts. What do you believe about the working mechanism for PoE BT? It uses the IEEE 802.3bt.

The rules of 802.3bt can provide a data speed of up to 100GB per second and a power supply of up to 100 watts. An Ethernet cable such as Cat5 or above is quite essential because we need to power the system with an Ethernet cable—clear from its name, “Power over Ethernet!

One Ethernet cable is sufficient enough to provide both data connection and power supply.

Do I need PoE BT in my network?

Yes! You need PoE technology in your system. Two major reasons! Do you need a high-speed data connection? If yes, then go for PoE BT. It can transfer and store massive data files within seconds.

Do you need a high-power system? Again, the choice must be PoE BT!

How much data speed can you get from PoE BT?

You must be thinking, after all, how much data speed is possible with PoE BT? Is it more significant than your WiFi connection? Such questions commonly arise in the mind. Because you need something even better, enhancing your knowledge, PoE BT is just incredible in the data speed. If you need to transfer or store the 10GB data file, it can be done within milliseconds.

There is no threshold for data speed in PoE. Instead, it all depends on the Ethernet port. How much speed can it support? For example, using the Cat8 or Cat7 port can help 100GB per second of data speed. Just great! In the case of Cat6, you have access to 40GB of data speed per second! Cool, right? I suppose it is sufficient for your data-intensive units.

What wattage can you get from PoE BT?

Like a high-speed data connection, you can get high power from PoE BT.

The power available to the power device is 71 watts, while the power supply is 100 watts. All the PoE-compatible devices with a power of 100 watts or less are fully functional with PoE BT.

Which Ethernet cable is compatible with PoE BT?

Before heading to understand Ethernet compatibility, you must know the types of Ethernet ports. Here are some Ethernet ports.

• Cat 3
• Cat 5
• Cat 5e
• Cat 6
• Cat 6e
• Cat 7
• Cat 8

Cat3 is an older version that is usually compatible with PoE 802.3af. At the same time, PoE 802.3bt requires the use of Cat5 or above versions of Ethernet ports. Thus, it doesn’t work with Cat3.

What are the advantages of PoE BT?

PoE BT offers numerous advantages in the network. Have a look!

• PoE BT offers a data speed of 100GB per second
• Gigabyte data speed is no longer a dream! You can get it by utilizing the right PoE technology. I mean PoE BT. It capitalizes your system with a high-speed connection of up to 100 GB per second. At data centers, this speed is sufficient to manage and store the vast data file.
• It is fully backward-compatible
• When you have PoE BT in your network, you don’t have to worry about low or high-power devices. It is fully backward compatible. By that means, it can work efficiently with devices that are compatible with 802.3af and 802.3at. So, it provides freedom to use all types of devices.
• PoE BT delivers secure data connection
• Who wants to give access to private files without official authorization? I suppose no one. Especially in enterprises, penetration into the system and hacking of data files is still a crucial dilemma. For this purpose, you need a secure data connection that passes through various security layers. Is there such a data connection available? Yes! Employ PoE BT that can use SSL and SSH protocols. Numerous other security protocols such as RADIUS are also part of some networks.

What are the disadvantages of PoE BT?

Here are some disadvantages of PoE BT.

• PoE BT can offer high-speed data within 100 meters
• High-speed data is possible with PoE BT but with some restrictions. What are those limitations? These relate to the area in which you can access data connections. Sadly, it is 100 meters. But, no worries. You have PoE BT extenders to increase the length up to 800 meters.
• PoE BT is quite an expensive option
• PoE BT is a very expensive technology. Compared to its older versions, such as 802.3at and 802.3af, it is expensive. That’s a significant disadvantage of PoE BT.

What are the applications of PoE BT?

PoE BT is compatible with all devices with a power of 100 watts or less. However, I have mentioned some of the devices that are compatible with it.

• Video Conferencing Equipment
• Laptops
• Flat Screens
• Multi-Radio Wireless access to points