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Cable Technology Feature Article

August 16, 2010

Microsemi's PoE Technology Consolidates Power, Data and Voice

By Mini Swamy, TMCnet Contributor


The exponential growth of businesses require that networks solutions enhance performance, increase reliability, offer scalability, are cost-effective, and optimize power, while protecting network circuits.

Microsemi (News - Alert) Corporation, a leading manufacturer of high performance analog/mixed-signal integrated circuits, high reliability semiconductors and RF subsystems, has announced PowerDsine PD-POE Extenders that double the powering reach of its PoE midspans to 200 meters. The company's semiconductors manage and control or regulate power, protect against transient voltage spikes and transmit, receive and amplify signals.

The Power-over-Ethernet midspans, or PoE midspans as it is referred to, is presumably the first system in the market to supply reliable, uninterrupted power to Ethernet devices using the existing cable infrastructure. Used in conjunction with an UPS, a dedicated power supply can be ensured.

Able to deliver 25.5-watt, IEEE802.3 over extended distances while supporting 10/100/1000 Mbps data rate, Power over Ethernet midspan that support up to 24 output port implementation is a scalable solution very useful for upgrading a network to support Power over Ethernet. By using cascading multiple extenders a longer reach is possible.

"Microsemi's PowerDsine PD-PoE Extender provides a cost-effective way to extend the Ethernet network range beyond 100m for both standard power devices as well as high power, IEEE802.3at-2009 devices such as Pan-Tilt-Zoom network cameras and IEEE802.11n WLAN access points,"Sani Ronen, senior product marketing manager, Microsemi PowerDsine midspans, said.

Ronen further added that while other products could deliver 15.4 watts over a distance of 200 meters for standard power, IEEE802.3af applications, the new PoE extender could deliver both data and power up to a similar distance and still comply with the relevant standards. 

Microsemi's PowerDsine PD-PoE Extender does not require local power, and is simply connected to midspans and powered via the PoE input. The extender joins Microsemi's growing family of midspan products that support up to 24-port implementations. Equipped with a variety of smart power management and remote maintenance capabilities, it can be used in both standard- and high-power applications 

The company's midspans enable both data and power to be delivered over a single standard RJ-45 cable. This means that external power cabling can be done away with. However, this does not affect the providing of affordable, safe and reliable power over the existing Ethernet infrastructures.

The extended PoE installation range by an additional 100m and support upto 1000 Mbps data rates, and provide different power levels when powered by either a 802.3 at source and PowerDsine PD-95xx. As far as the midspans are concerned, the extenders can be cascaded to exceed 200 meters. Installation is simple and cost-effective, and there is no need for local power, and best of all no configuration is required at all.

The PD-PoE Extender is available now and priced at $159.

Microsemi Corporation, with corporate headquarters in Irvine, California, is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of high performance analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits, high reliability semiconductors and RF subsystems.

In a related news release, Microsemi Corporation and Tyco Electronics (News - Alert) recently unveiled an RJ-45 connector with built-in PoE technology, which has the ability to deliver power together with data and voice over a standard Ethernet cable along with power management using a midspan device.


Mini Swamy is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Erin Monda