Need suggestions about Power-Over-LAN

[tricomp]

Power-Over-LAN

Hi All,
Does anybody here have any real hands-on experience that they are willing to share, regarding power-supplying for example a WiFi Access-Point over the spare conductors in a CAT5 cable?
The reason for doing this would of course be to physically locate the access-point very close to the external antenna, thereby cutting cableloss to neglible. Not having to worry about mains supply in a remote spot would simplify the installation enormously. However, the Access-points I have on hand made by TRENDnet are supplied by an external switch-mode power supply labelled 5Volt/2Amp. This indicates that all voltage regulation is done in the SMPS and probably none in the Access-point. If that's the case even a short distance of CAT5 would prove disastrous to the power regulation.
So, I imagine an un-regulated higher-voltage Power-supply at the feeding point of the CAT5 and a local 5V/2A stabilizing circuit near the Access-point would do the trick. Not a perfect solution but much preferable to extended RF and/or Mains cabling.

Your comments, Gent's

/tricomp

 

[elektryk]

Re: Power-Over-LAN

10baseT and 100baseT uses only 2 pair of cable, so You can use 2 pair for anything else especially for second transmition line or powering up switch or AP.

 

[flatulent]

standard specification

There is a new standard being worked on for just this thing. It is being motivated by the concept of a telephone instrument connected to the digital network and being powered by the two spare wires. Elsewhere on the digital network would be a server which translates the bits to telephone signals to sendand receive from the central office on a digital or analog basis.

This way when people go to another location in the company buildings permanently or temporarily, they take their telephone instrument with them and their phone number follows them around with no administrative effort by the IT person.