/ Protocols · protocol
Power over Ethernet (IEEE 802.3).
Also known as · PoE · PoE+ · PoE++ · 802.3af · 802.3at · 802.3bt
IEEE-standard delivery of low-voltage DC power over the same Cat-class cable as data. PoE+ delivers up to 30 W; PoE++ Type 3/4 up to 90 W — sufficient for IP cameras, APs, VOIP phones and small displays.
- Entity kind
- protocol
- Relevance
- 100 / 100
- Authority
- 95 / 100
- Aliases
- PoE · PoE+ · PoE++ · 802.3af · 802.3at · 802.3bt
/ Engineering meaning
What it is and where it sits
IEEE-standard delivery of low-voltage DC power over the same Cat-class cable as data. PoE+ delivers up to 30 W; PoE++ Type 3/4 up to 90 W — sufficient for IP cameras, APs, VOIP phones and small displays.
Tags · network · power · ieee
· Engineering graph · protocol · 2 relationships
Where Power over Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) sits
Role in the system
IEEE-standard delivery of low-voltage DC power over the same Cat-class cable as data. PoE+ delivers up to 30 W; PoE++ Type 3/4 up to 90 W — sufficient for IP cameras, APs, VOIP phones and small displays.
What depends on it
Supports
- Cat6A Structured Cabling
Augmented Category 6 structured cabling — 10 Gbps over the full 100 m channel, rated for 25 years of service. The default for any new commercial or premium-residential cabling layer.
Depends on
- Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be)
Current generation of Wi-Fi. Adds 6 GHz band, MLO multi-link operation and 320 MHz channels. Default for new premium deployments where dense-room capacity is the binding constraint.
Interoperability
Interoperability matrices that feature this entity
Interoperability
CCTV + PoE switching + storage — the IP surveillance triad
IP cameras need PoE switches sized for both power and bandwidth, and storage sized for retention × bitrate × camera-count.
Interoperability
Wi-Fi density engineering — capacity over coverage
Premium Wi-Fi is sized for concurrent client density, not square-metre coverage. AP placement, channel plan and PoE budget are interlocked.
Engineering toolkit
Tools that touch this
calculator
PoE Budget Calculator
PoE-powered device counts in — total watts, switch tier (PoE+ / PoE++ Type 3 / Type 4), and SKU class out. 30% headroom built in.
calculator
Network & PoE Calculator
Sized to year-three load — switches, Wi-Fi 7 access points, PoE budget (watts), Cat6A run count, port/AP sizing. Cisco / HPE Aruba / Juniper-class enterprise gear.
Glossary
Related glossary terms
Networking
PoE
Power over Ethernet. Delivers low-voltage DC power to network devices over the same Cat-class cable that carries data. PoE+ delivers up to 30 W; PoE++ up to 90 …
Networking
Cat6A
Augmented Category 6 structured cabling. Supports 10 Gbps over the full 100 m channel without compromise, rated for 25 years of service. Premium over Cat6 is no…
Semantic similarity
Similar entities in the graph
Similarity 85
Cat6A Structured Cabling
Augmented Category 6 structured cabling — 10 Gbps over the full 100 m channel, rated for 25 years of service. The default for any new commercial or premium-residential cabling layer.
Similarity 68
Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be)
Current generation of Wi-Fi. Adds 6 GHz band, MLO multi-link operation and 320 MHz channels. Default for new premium deployments where dense-room capacity is the binding constraint.
Similarity 28
IEEE 802.3bt (PoE++)
Power-over-Ethernet at Type 3 (51 W device) and Type 4 (71.3 W device) classes — the power floor for Wi-Fi 7 APs, large PTZ cameras with heater, AV-over-IP encoders and small powered displays. Shared switch budget, per-port negotiation.
· Engineering entity · protocol