Rich BauerPresident, PowerDsine

“Power over Ethernet is a pretty new technology that not a lot of people understand,” said Rich Bauer, president of North American operations for Israel-based PowerDsine. Is there a better way to explain part of what makes a technology cutting edge?

The 802.3af power-over-Ethernet standard was approved by the IEEE in June 2003, so it's an industry segment just starting to be shaped by the forces of commerce. The standard defines requirements for supplying power over the Ethernet cables that are strung through many office buildings.

Power over Ethernet was first targeted at IP telephony deployments in such office buildings, but now it is being positioned for the increasingly dense landscape of wireless LANs.

In fact, in corporate enterprises, universities and public hot spot wireless LAN environments, there may be no better and more cost-efficient way than power over Ethernet to supply power to wireless LAN access points and other equipment.

“Power over Ethernet allows for much cheaper cost per installation than AC power [over twisted-pair copper],” Bauer said. “A second benefit is that you have better control over which ports have power and which don't.”

More control over power means, for instance, that a manager of a large university's wireless LANs can power down access points in the university library after closing time.

PowerDsine makes semiconductors and midspan hub power equipment that can be used in such deployments. Its newest product is a six-port midspan that is specially designed for small enterprise environments.

Power over Ethernet will increasingly be used to support wireless LAN deployments, but also promises the same benefits for legacy wired Ethernet equipment. “There's a lot that is still out there,” Bauer said. “You'd be surprised how much.”