New Industry Products

Microsemi Releases Complete Family Of High-Power PoE Midspans

May 25, 2009 by Jeff Shepard

Microsemi Corp. announced what it describes as the industry’s first high-power gigabit-class single- and multi-port Power over Ethernet (PoE) midspan power injectors that fully support IEEE 802.3at-draft4.1 specifications while delivering what is said to be previously unavailable system efficiency features, backup capabilities and smart network power management.

"The PD-9000G family changes the Power-over-Ethernet field, by bringing full IEEE802.3at-draft4.1 compatibility together with the same award-winning management capabilities found in the PowerDsine product line," said Sani Ronen, Product Marketing Manager for PowerDsine Systems at Microsemi. "The PD-9000G flexible powering options – from ac, dc or another midspan – make it perfect for every type of IT deployment. Plus, the PD-9000G family is an ideal choice for mission-critical verticals such as healthcare and finance, where network administrators can take advantage of the family’s remote-management capabilities – including being able to shut down ports at certain times of the day – along with the family’s ability to be integrated with UPS systems so that low-priority ports can be disconnected during power failures."

Microsemi’s PD-9000G Midspans are the latest additions to the company’s PowerDsine® product portfolio. They double the power that can be delivered with existing IEEE 802.3af PoE standards, thus enabling a broad range of WiMAX, PTZ and dome network cameras, 802.11n access point and thin client network applications. Available in 1-, 6-, 12- and 24- port versions in a 1U format, and a virtual 48-port 2U midspan.

The PD-9000G Midspans include PowerDsine’s exclusive PowerView Pro™ management option, now supporting both IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, which allows simple and efficient monitoring and control of network devices. This secure SNMPv3 application enables remote power-off/power-on, unit scheduling, UPS power monitoring and web-based monitoring. According to the company, IPv6 is critical for building PoE infrastructure built to last for the next decade, and is a must-have feature by governments worldwide. Additionally, the PD-9000G family introduces the unique feature of allowing interconnected midspans to back each other up in case of a power supply failure. The PD-9000G DC inputs can also be used with external power supplies, which can be used to increase the power capacity of a midspan or provide redundancy.

The PD-9024G full-power unit is said to be the sole 1U solution in the market that is able to provide full power of 30W in 802.3at mode for all 24 ports simultaneously. Additionally, the PD-9000 series offers a unique high-power mode that supports up to 36W per port and a total of 864W in 1U mode for the PD-9024G full-power unit.

According to the company, the PD-9000G family provides a safe and cost effective PoE solution for Ethernet end terminals. More devices can be powered via the network, thus eliminating the need to use a power supply and install costly power outlets close to the end device. In addition, by using the PD-9000G series now – which powers on the spare pairs as required by the current PoE standard – a network will be ready for 4-pair powering by combining with another PoE switch.

The gigabit interface makes the PD-9000G family well suited for gigabit video phones, WiMAX transmitters or 802.11n access points. Its high efficiency design achieves low temperatures inside the midspan enabling improved reliability.

The PowerDsine PD-9000G family generates safe power over standard Cat 5 cabling, and at the same time provides maximum power, by using a 55V output. The PD-9000G family offers full end-user flexibility by powering pre-standard devices, 802.3af devices and 802.3at devices on each port without any restrictions or limitations. The unit also includes a unique PowerDsine interlocking feature that allows users to scale deployments by linking together multiple one-port midspan units, as new devices are added to the network.

Pricing for the PD-9000G family starts at $75 per port. Production units of the PD-9000G multi-port family will be available in July 2009, with prototypes and demo units available immediately. PD-9001G single-port midspans are available in production quantities now.