The IEEE P802.3at task force pursuing a Power Over Ethernet Plus standard has submitted Draft 3.0 for working group ballot and technical review. The IEEE (www.ieee.org) hopes that full standard ratification can be achieved in 2009.
While Power over Ethernet has helped consolidate voice and data services byusing a converged network infrastructure, PoE Plus promises to add video services in the same converged networks, including those requiring high-end, pan-tilt-zoom cameras.
“PoE Plus brings value to Ethernet by enabling key video services, such as perimeter security, videoconferencing, and video-based IP phones for video collaborations,” says Val Oliva, president of the Ethernet Alliance (www.ethernetalliance.org), a consortium of companies promoting industry awareness of emerging Ethernet standards.
The Alliance supports the P802.3at task force through its PoE/PoE Plussubcommittee, whose members promote the technology through suchactivities as interoperability demonstrations, plugfests, technology demonstrations, webinars, and white papers.
The IEEE 802.3 working group established the PoE Plus study groupin 2004 to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of providing increased power to devices over Ethernet, and approved the 802.3at taskforce in July 2005. Since then, the task force has been working with key vendors and customers to provide a standardized solution for providing up to24 watts of power over Category 5 cables.