What is the maximum range for PoE (Power over Ethernet)?

Power over Ethernet can work within 100 meters range. By that means, if you have employed PoE technology, you can get the data connection and power supply within 100 meters of your system. Especially in industrial Ethernet, there is a need for high-speed data connection. Out there, we use PoE technology to get the best out of it.

At data centers, you need to transfer data and manage it continuously. What if you have a 1MB per second data speed? Isn’t it insufficient to transfer the heavy data files? I suppose it is. That’s why we installed the PoE network in our system to get numerous benefits.

What is a PoE?

PoE refers to power over Ethernet. What is an Ethernet cable? A port featuring in networks, right? That’s what you can suppose it to be. I believe now it is easy to define Power over Ethernet. In simple words, PoE is a technology providing networks with a high-speed data connection and high power supply over the Ethernet cable.

Have you ever observed industrial PoE? In industrial zones, you can watch the PoE networks closely. They have the Ethernet cable running around the devices, routers, and switches. These cables make the data and power connection possible.

For detailed analysis, get the guide—How was PoE born？

How much maximum data speed PoE network have?

Good question. At data management centers, this must be your first and foremost question. Why should you consider PoE? How much speed can it provide? Will it be able to transfer heavy files at high speed?

So, the answer is 100GB per second. You can get such high-speed data from PoE technology. A 10GB file will require milliseconds to transfer completely. Just incredible, right? However, the range is 40 meters for 100GB data speed. If you want to increase the range up to 100 meters, the speed will decrease to 10GB per second, which is still enough.

An increase in speed depends on the type of Ethernet port. For example, the Cat8 port can enable you to get 100GB per second while Cat6 up to 10GB per second. All these work on the principles of the PoE 802.3bt standard.

What power devices can it support?

Data speed is not a single requirement for most networks. As there are hundreds of computers in industrial Ethernet, you need a power supply as well. What will power devices industrial PoE support? Whether it can support all your devices or not? You must also know whether the industrial PoE is the solution to all of your network problems or not.

If I talk about PoE, it supports almost all the devices. Make sure one thing, your devices must be PoE compatible. There are three primary standards of PoE technology. Have a look at the power supply from each standard.

• PoE 802.3af supports low-power devices with a maximum of 12.95 watts
• PoE 802.3at can provide power for devices up to 25.5 watts.
• PoE 802.3bt can support up to 100 watts of power devices.

By that means, no matter what power devices you have, PoE can support it if it is up to 100 watts. That is still enough to work with high-power devices such as laptops, flat screens, etc.

For a detailed analysis of PoE standards with all their features, look at our article—What is PoE Standard?

What is the maximum range for power over Ethernet?

If I mention the maximum distance for the PoE network, it is 100 meters. Sometimes, you might feel I am wrong. Do you know, why? Because some systems exhibit a range of up to 40 meters. I am wrong but not yet. So, it matters on the Ethernet port.

If you use Cat5 Ethernet, you are going to get 100 meters of range for your network. Otherwise, it might be reduced to 40 meters in the case of Cat8. So, adjust your system accordingly with the required Ethernet port.

Can you increase the distance by more than 100 meters?

Yes, you can employ the PoE extender. You might be wondering what a PoE extender is. A PoE extender is a device that can enhance the range of the PoE network.

At HoweVision, you can get a high-quality PoE extender that works well in your system. Surprisingly, our extender can increase the range up to 800 meters— 8 times of original PoE range. Great, right?

For more details, visit our PoE extender.

Are there any benefits of Power over Ethernet technology?

There are hundreds of benefits to using PoE technology in your system. I have listed some of them. Have a look!

One cable, two jobs!

Can you crack the code “one cable two jobs?” You can. An Ethernet port does two jobs for you. It provides the data connection and power supply. That’s why I referred to it as a dual-functioning port. In the PoE network, you have which cable? Ethernet port, right? So, it can serve you in the network with these primary purposes.

100GB per second data speed is no longer a dream.

In 1995, none even imagined achieving 100GB per second data speed. Come out of your dream. It is the reality now. With PoE technology, you have access to 100GBs per second. Turn on your PoE switch and get access to such high-speed data. Amazing!

PoE supports up to 100 watts of power devices.

At home or office, there are multiple local over-area networks. Even in industrial zones, you have numerous devices ranging from high power to low power. Do you need to provide a power supply to your high-power devices? No problem. PoE supports up to 100 watts of power. As maximum devices fall in the 100-watt power range, PoE will be the perfect choice for your devices.

You can avoid unnecessary data interruptions.

What do you use to get the data connection? Maybe WiFi. Do you know, why? Because everyone has a WiFi network at home. WiFi has limited access. Genuinely speaking, data speed reduces when you are using multiple devices. Sometimes, going away from the 10-meter area of WiFi, you will no longer get the data. Limited range, data interruptions, and low speed are significant problems for WiFi.

In case if you use PoE, all three problems are your friends. A range of 100 meters is more than enough for a LAN network at home. Moreover, there is no reduction in data speed when you are using multiple devices.

You can save some money by simplifying the network.

In a complex network, you have numerous devices out there. Router, switches, and multiple ports make it look messy. For power and data supply, you need to buy new ports. It can increase the complexity of the network and cost as well. PoE network reduces the use of separate ports for data and power connection. Thus, it saves money.