Ethernet infrastructure is the preferred backbone for IP surveillance and access control applications. And regardless of what type of IP-enabled products you are deploying, they all have one common denominator – they all need power. New advanced PoE solutions provide power delivery to a multitude of security products and edge device with added capabilities to ensure continued operation even when power goes down. Today’s more advanced PoE solutions make designing and powering an access control system a simple plug-and-play experience.

IT-Centric Physical Security Systems
The migration to more IT-centric physical security video surveillance and access control applications is requiring many administrators to ensure these systems work off their facility’s existing IP infrastructure rather than using a separate RS-485 (serial) network that can be difficult to manage and even worse to service when they crash. As access physical security systems continue to migrate to IP-network environments, it makes sense to have them running on a platform that IT understands and can also easily manage.

With Power over Ethernet (PoE) powering most network product and appliances, many single-door access control panels now have the option to be PoE powered as well. They are using either a midspan PoE power injector or a PoE switch to provide reliable power. The infrastructure’s uninterruptable power supply (UPS) is supplying backup power to the controllers.

Power to ancillary devices such as card readers, fail-secure electric strikes, electrified lever sets and motion request to exit (REX) devices can also be supplied by access control panels via PoE. Since these controllers are being powered by PoE, the amount of amperage is limited. Average PoE controllers provide two voltage limits for lock output power and the total power output. But in many instances, the total power output for all ancillary components, including the lock power, is approximately 600 mA. In that case, all components connected along the network’s PoE controller must be prescreened to determine the amperage draw so the total amperage for all components is less that the total output limits of the controller.

The High Cost of Installation
High-voltage installs can be costly and cumbersome for both systems integrators and their customers. High-voltage wiring must be separate from low voltage inside an enclosure, which takes up space. The installation can be further complicated because high-voltage wiring cannot be in same pathways/wire runs with low-voltage wiring. This most often requires that a certified electrician perform the installation since electrified locks are usually powered by hardwired, high-voltage ports that take an AC power input that reduces the output to 12VDC or 24VDC.

That single output is then connected to a distribution board where the electrified locks are connected. Most jurisdictions require that this power input be hardwired with a dedicated circuit. Because of high voltage, the installation typically requires dedicated conduit runs for the electrical as well as expensive large gauge copper and dedicated circuit breakers. After initial installation, regulatory compliance may be required to service the system.

Finding a way to provide a PoE solution that eliminates the need for high-voltage AC power inside the cabinet to power locks, panels and readers has been a longstanding desire of systems designers and integrators. Having the ability to use a power solution that takes 90 watts 802.3bt, the new standard that was ratified in Sept. of 2018, monitors input power, includes a battery for fail or normal conditions, and allows for stackable sub-assemblies is a real game changer.

New Approach to PoE Power Supply
Such a revolutionary PoE-driven power supply has finally been developed, providing integrators with the ability to deploy access control systems utilizing low-voltage installation methods and techniques, dramatically reducing installation costs for integrators and their end-user customers. For example, the Altronix Tango Series PoE-driven power supplies allow 12VDC and 24VDC devices to be powered simultaneously via 802.3bt PoE input. IEEE 802.3bt, also known as 4PPoE or 4-Pair PoE, using all four pairs of wire in a structured cable to evenly distribute power. This new power distribution solution allows physical security device manufacturers to design products with power hungry features such as PTZ cameras with IR illuminators, heaters and blowers for harsh environments and other specialized physical security video surveillance and access control applications. Security technicians can also wire up the power input without the need for a licensed electrician since the PoE is distributed over Cat6 cabling and shares the same pathways as other low voltage wiring.

Altronix Tango Series products also save valuable enclosure space by using an eight-pin connection allowing installers to stack the access control power controllers and power distribution boards directly on top of a Tango product. This leaves more space in enclosures for additional equipment or provides the ability to install a smaller enclosure where wall space is often limited. Another advanced feature employed in Tango Series products now being sought by installers is the inclusion of a Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery charging circuit. This new-era battery solution provides system integrators with a multitude of benefits when compared to the sealed lead-acid batteries by giving 5,000 duty-cycles as well as a 10-year shelf life. Tango is an UL294 Listed industry game-changing power solution.

Employing the new IEEE 802.3bt, 4PPoE low-voltage installation standard to power an physical security video surveillance and access control systems will eliminate the need for a licensed electrician and the associated costs such as permits, electrical cabling and dedicated conduit typically required when AC power is required. The low-voltage cable used to distribute PoE can run in the same cable trays and paths as other network cabling along with video surveillance and access control cabling. For service and maintenance, the lack of high voltage inside the enclosure also eliminates the need for regulatory safety precautions. When you add up all the benefits of the IEEE 802.3bt, 4PPoE power distribution solution, it is clearly a game changer.