IDEAL Networks has launched a new hand-held tester hat eliminates guesswork when installing, maintaining and troubleshooting PoE devices and data cabling. PoE Pro measures and reports PoE Class, voltage/ voltage drop, atts and injector type, making it easy to see how much power is available.
“The new PoE Pro eliminates trial and error when installing or troubleshooting PoE systems,” said Tim Widdershoven, Marketing Director from UK technology firm IDEAL Networks, “Installers can now accurately measure the maximum power available to PoE devices in any installation.”
Power over Ethernet (PoE) is used to power VoIP phones, smart lighting systems, CCTV, digital signage, Wi-Fi access points, intercoms, sensors and much more. As PoE continues to grow, technicians need fast, accurate PoE validation to eliminate guesswork and get the job done faster.
“Previously technicians had to understand all the various standards, device power outputs and cable lengths to be sure a device will operate successfully. There was a lot of guesswork involved,” Tim explained, “With the PoE Pro, users can see whether 75W of power is provided to a device that needs 75W of power, such as a remote point-of-sale kiosk or a digital flight status sign at an airport. The pass-fail indication provides peace of mind the PoE device will work first time every time.”
If the PoE test fails at the device location, the technician can measure available power directly from the switch or injector to instantly determine whether the problem lies with the power supply or cabling.
Instant, easy to read test results are shown on the large backlit screen, up to a maximum of 90W (PoE++). It displays the voltage, PoE Class from 0 to 8 and type, whether 802.3af, at or bt, regardless of cable length, cable quality or other factors. There’s no setup or complicated configuration, users can just connect the PoE Pro to the cable or PoE port to display the maximum power available.
“It’s easy to define if there is a problem with the cable, switch or device, saving loads of time,” he confirmed, “Users can quickly rule out whether they are getting enough power from the switch, and they can see which pairs have power indicating if the power is coming from a mid-span injector or a PoE switch.”
There is no need for separate testers as PoE Pro is both a data cable and PoE verifier with all the familiar cable testing features of the popular VDVII Pro from IDEAL Networks. With comprehensive details on wire-map faults such as opens, shorts, crossovers and split pairs, PoE Pro can identify wiring errors instantly. It utilises time domain reflectometry (TDR) to accurately measure cable length and provide distance to fault information.
“Fault finding is fast with the PoE Pro helping to minimise disruption and potential damage to fixtures and fixings,” Tim continued.
There is also ethernet speed detection (10/ 100/ 1000Mb/s) and it quickly determines which media service is running over the cable such as Ethernet, ISDN, PBX and PoE resulting in faster fault diagnosis. Furthermore, users can utilise the port blink feature to identify the switch port or the in-built analogue and digital tone generator with a compatible amplifier probe for quick cable tracing.
“PoE Pro is a convenient tool for security, IT, communications, PoE lighting and building automation professionals,” he concluded, “Whatever the job, the integrated RJ11/ RJ12 (voice), RJ45 (data) and F-Type (video) connectors allow faster testing of most types of low-voltage cables. It’s the ideal way to validate PoE and deliver accurate proof of performance.
