An industry-wide Power over Ethernet (PoE) standard was officially ratified in 2003 with IEEE 802.3af, and since then the use of PoE technology has rapidly grown. Analysts estimate that by 2012 one quarter of all Ethernet ports will be PoE-capable. As knowledge of PoE's capabilities and benefits has spread, more and more system operators have taken advantage of PoE technology. However, the IEEE 802.3af standard has a few limitations that make it unsuitable for certain demanding applications. In response, the IEEE 802.3at standard, also known as PoE Plus, was ratified to further expand the scope and capabilities of standardized PoE devices.Download white paper