Power over Ethernet or 'PoE' is an industry standard allowing electrical power to passed,
together with data, over Ethernet cable. But now we're also seeing the increasing use of
the term 'PoC'. HowToAV compares PoE and PoC to find out how
the two technologies differ...
Welcome back to HowToAV.tv which today plays spot the difference between two very similar
- but importantly different - technologies; PoE and PoC.
The term 'PoE' - or Power over Ethernet, you're more likely to be familiar with as an electrical
standard in data and I.P. telephony systems. But now PoC - or Power-over-Cable - is the
latest emerging phrase which at first glance appears to be pretty much the same thing?..
So let's clear up the confusion and find out how the two technologies differ...
PoE or Power over Ethernet is an electrical industry standard which describes a system
which allows electrical power to be sent simultaneously transmitted with data signals over standard
Ethernet cable. This technology allows both power and data
to be sent over the same single Cat 5, 6 or 7 cable to devices such as VoIP telephones,
IP cameras, IP door intercom devices. Therefore, not only is your Ethernet connection
providing the data link to the device, but also the power for the connected device - avoiding
the need for an external power supply to be provided at the device end of the system.
Power-over-Ethernet is standardised by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(giving PoE what is known as an IEEE standard) and, in order to achieve this standard, the
PoE must adhere to specific voltage ranges between 37 and 57 volts.
By standardising the voltage, it will absolutely ensure that any PoE device connected to the
network receives a compatible power supply.
Power over Cable works on very similar principles; providing power over an Ethernet cable simultaneously
with data signals. However, Power-over-Cable is non-standardised
and, therefore, the term PoC will be applied to proprietary systems and may provide much
lower voltages (5, 12 or 24 volts for instance) or higher voltage, specifically to meet the
power supply requirements of a particular product.
For instance, using the example of a HDBaseT Extender Kit - which only requires an external
power supply to the transmitter, it's going to provide Power-over-Cable to the Receiver
at the other end of the Ethernet Cable, with a voltage level set to power this specific
device - which in this example would typically only require 5 volts.
So, in conclusion, similar though they are, PoE - or Power-over-Ethernet - is an IEEE
standard which ensures enough electrical power to power any generic device on the network.
PoC - or Power-over-Cable - is applied to a proprietary system to meet the specific
power requirements of that particular device or system only.
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