Edgar Allan PoE: The Tale of the VoIP Jack
With IEEE 802.3-2005 – Power Over Ethernet (PoE) – a standard Cat 5 cable is able to deliver 48 volts DC at about 13 watts. So where are all the cool gadgets envisionned when the standard was developed? It seems the low power limits the capabilities of the device: there’s only a few stand-alone IP cameras available. No tilt and zoom cameras, thin clients, or stand-alone VoIP phones (that I’m aware of…) The next generation of PoE promises 56 watts of power…
Nik Beaudin and I sketched out some PoE concepts a few years ago – those included VoIP-specific jacks – like shown. Also you could power a small screen to display connection status and support numbers… Cool, huh? Or maybe you’re too busy on your WiMAX to have even noticed that dusty jack under your desk?
Tags: power-over-ethernet, VoIP-jack
Ok, so perhaps I have a fur ball stuck in my throat. But wouldn’t a sticker work just about as good to show a static tech support phone number? I hear they have stickers with colour now!
I’d be a bit more impressed if it announced the next IT patch date or something.
Now Felix, I know you like crawling around the floor sniffing at things a foot high – like ethernet jacks… but how many Vista patch stickers can you fit on a 4×6 faceplate??
Why would you put a sticker on the wall for your next Vista patch? The patches happen like every other day. I say, you should write them down on a stone tablet, then you’d have something that’d last a while. Everyone knows stickers fade from sunlight. If it weren’t for daylight saving, we’d have our curtains drawn!