His solution makes it extra cheap by using so-called passive PoE, which injects a voltage onto the conductors of the network cable being used for PoE, without bothering with any kind of handshake.

Buy a PoE router or switch, plug in a cable, and away you go! But what lies behind PoE, and how does it work? [Alan] has written a comprehensive guide, based on experience working with the technology.

A device that adds power to an Ethernet cable for Power over Ethernet (PoE) equipment. Although Ethernet switches are available with PoE capability, millions of regular "non-PoE" switches are in ...