Industry first under new PoE standard

Fluke Networks has announced what it says is an industry first, with certification of the company’s MicroScanner PoE field tester under IEEE 802.3 Power over Ethernet (PoE) interoperability standards.

Fluke successfully completed the Ethernet Alliance Gen2 PoE Certified program test plan for the device, which speeds installation and troubleshooting of PoE devices including those supporting the new high-power IEEE-802.3bt standard. As a member of the Alliance’s Gen 2 PoE contributing group, Fluke has been able to work with leading designers and suppliers of PoE equipment.

“As a result, we’ve been able to ensure that the MicroScanner PoE can test and troubleshoot a wide variety of both standards-compliant and non-compliant sources,” said Theo Brillhart, Staff Engineer at Fluke Networks.

PoE provides substantial cost, efficiency and flexibility benefits; however, the term “PoE” is not trademarked, resulting in a wide variety of standardised and somewhat-standardised implementations that are not always interoperable. The Ethernet Alliance certification program is designed to help end this confusion. Power levels and requirements are designated by a number from one to eight indicating the amount (or “class”) of power sourced or required. When connected to Ethernet Alliance Certified Power Sourcing Equipment, the MicroScanner PoE will display the maximum power class available, which can then be compared to power required as indicated by the logo on the Powered Device.

The MicroScanner PoE also provides a complete set of tools for the technician installing PoE and non-PoE devices. Cable wiremapping, a built-in toner and distance-to-fault indicators can track down cabling problems quickly. When connected to a live switch port, the unit displays the speed of the port up to 10 Gbps — especially useful for troubleshooting slow access points. Cable identifiers can be used to track which cable goes where.

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