5 boring devices that get better with PoE
4
By
Ty Sherback
19 hours ago
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home lab server cabinet
Power over Ethernet (PoE) isn't new by any stretch of the imagination, but it's one of those parts of a smart home that can make your life so much simpler. By pairing power and data into one cable, it transforms what would be inconvenient installations into something close to plug and play. From switches to doorbells, these 5 devices benefit most from PoE implementation.

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Wi-Fi access points
APs become way better with PoE


To get the best Wi-Fi coverage in your home, putting it in an elevated, central location will ensure as many rooms as possible fall underneath the "umbrella" of signal. The benefit of PoE here is obvious: one cable means you don't have to route power elsewhere. The ability to place an AP agnostic to wall outlet location means they can be ceiling mounted, or high up on a wall, maximizing the coverage of the access point. It's also much easier to add or relocate APs as needed, and in the case of a mesh network, you can relocate nodes just as easily. One reboot of the switch they're connected to also means you reboot the APs, which can be a benefit.

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Security cameras
The most obvious upgrade

Reolink Security Cameras
While you can get security cameras that pull AC power from the wall, it takes a lot of planning to install them, as a power source needs to be close by, otherwise you'll be running long extensions. PoE eliminates the need for this entirely, in perhaps one of the most obvious upgrades for any smart home device.

PoE security cameras are not only powered via one cable, but they're also connected to your network directly. This means that in the case of a power outage (provided you have a UPS) your cameras can continue to roll uninterrupted. Any concerns about being limited in features by the amount of power PoE can deliver can also be put to rest. Some of the best-looking, most feature-rich security cameras are deployed with PoE with no issues. With a managed switch and the requisite amount of power, you can even get motorized control-by-wire movements for your cameras, enabling you to always get that perfect angle.

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Doorbells and intercoms
No charging needed

Wyze Video Doorbell installed on a white door pane next to a white dog looking out from inside the house.
Image: Wyze
Many popular smart doorbell and intercom solutions are battery-powered for convenience of installation, which has its merits, but it's not the most elegant solution. These doorbells require frequent charging, especially as it begins to cool outside. Batteries degrade over time and do not perform well in extreme weather, so wiring in a doorbell directly with PoE is a big upgrade. On top of there being no downtime for charging, you get a stable connection at all times due to it being wired into your network directly.

Home assistant hubs
Less conventional, but still cool

Unleash the hidden potential of your Raspberry Pi 3B - featured
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The processing power required to drive a hub for all your smart home gadgets continues to fall precipitously, and as a result, it's feasible you could power a small home server with nothing but PoE. Raspberry Pis as well as some Intel NUCs can be powered over POE, further eliminating cables and bulky power adapters. It's not the most practical solution, as most people are fine with their mini-PC taking up an outlet in their server closet, but it's still worth noting.

Switches
The heart of your PoE setup

cat6a-switches
Switches aren't very exciting. They're an intersection for all the things on your network, nothing more than a rendezvous point for packets. Turning them into a power source for all the things in your home makes them suddenly so much more worthy of consideration.

✕
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You don't need the main switch in your network to be PoE. In fact, it might make more sense to use a smaller PoE switch as an "edge" switch, to provide connectivity and power to a detatched building. Some switches are capable of PoE pass-through as well, making chaining devices together without worrying about power a possibility.

PoE devices are an easy win

There aren't too many things in a smart home setup that are as helpful and seamless as PoE. Devices that are capable of taking advantage of it have few reasons not to. It might not be flashy, but it can reduce clutter by eliminating the need for extra cables, improves reliability, and overall simplifies the installation of anything that harnesses it. If there's anything I've learned from setting up my own smart home, it would be that you take the easy wins, and PoE is one of those. 5 boring devices that get better with PoE
4
By
Ty Sherback
19 hours ago
Follow

Like
Thread
Link copied to clipboard
home lab server cabinet
Power over Ethernet (PoE) isn't new by any stretch of the imagination, but it's one of those parts of a smart home that can make your life so much simpler. By pairing power and data into one cable, it transforms what would be inconvenient installations into something close to plug and play. From switches to doorbells, these 5 devices benefit most from PoE implementation.

✕
Remove Ads

Wi-Fi access points
APs become way better with PoE


To get the best Wi-Fi coverage in your home, putting it in an elevated, central location will ensure as many rooms as possible fall underneath the "umbrella" of signal. The benefit of PoE here is obvious: one cable means you don't have to route power elsewhere. The ability to place an AP agnostic to wall outlet location means they can be ceiling mounted, or high up on a wall, maximizing the coverage of the access point. It's also much easier to add or relocate APs as needed, and in the case of a mesh network, you can relocate nodes just as easily. One reboot of the switch they're connected to also means you reboot the APs, which can be a benefit.

✕
Remove Ads

Security cameras
The most obvious upgrade

Reolink Security Cameras
While you can get security cameras that pull AC power from the wall, it takes a lot of planning to install them, as a power source needs to be close by, otherwise you'll be running long extensions. PoE eliminates the need for this entirely, in perhaps one of the most obvious upgrades for any smart home device.

PoE security cameras are not only powered via one cable, but they're also connected to your network directly. This means that in the case of a power outage (provided you have a UPS) your cameras can continue to roll uninterrupted. Any concerns about being limited in features by the amount of power PoE can deliver can also be put to rest. Some of the best-looking, most feature-rich security cameras are deployed with PoE with no issues. With a managed switch and the requisite amount of power, you can even get motorized control-by-wire movements for your cameras, enabling you to always get that perfect angle.

✕
Remove Ads

Doorbells and intercoms
No charging needed

Wyze Video Doorbell installed on a white door pane next to a white dog looking out from inside the house.
Image: Wyze
Many popular smart doorbell and intercom solutions are battery-powered for convenience of installation, which has its merits, but it's not the most elegant solution. These doorbells require frequent charging, especially as it begins to cool outside. Batteries degrade over time and do not perform well in extreme weather, so wiring in a doorbell directly with PoE is a big upgrade. On top of there being no downtime for charging, you get a stable connection at all times due to it being wired into your network directly.

Home assistant hubs
Less conventional, but still cool

Unleash the hidden potential of your Raspberry Pi 3B - featured
✕
Remove Ads

The processing power required to drive a hub for all your smart home gadgets continues to fall precipitously, and as a result, it's feasible you could power a small home server with nothing but PoE. Raspberry Pis as well as some Intel NUCs can be powered over POE, further eliminating cables and bulky power adapters. It's not the most practical solution, as most people are fine with their mini-PC taking up an outlet in their server closet, but it's still worth noting.

Switches
The heart of your PoE setup

cat6a-switches
Switches aren't very exciting. They're an intersection for all the things on your network, nothing more than a rendezvous point for packets. Turning them into a power source for all the things in your home makes them suddenly so much more worthy of consideration.

✕
Remove Ads

You don't need the main switch in your network to be PoE. In fact, it might make more sense to use a smaller PoE switch as an "edge" switch, to provide connectivity and power to a detatched building. Some switches are capable of PoE pass-through as well, making chaining devices together without worrying about power a possibility.

PoE devices are an easy win

There aren't too many things in a smart home setup that are as helpful and seamless as PoE. Devices that are capable of taking advantage of it have few reasons not to. It might not be flashy, but it can reduce clutter by eliminating the need for extra cables, improves reliability, and overall simplifies the installation of anything that harnesses it. If there's anything I've learned from setting up my own smart home, it would be that you take the easy wins, and PoE is one of those.