Depending on the use case, this is solid advice. I’d suggest checking on eBay for older, used machines that that are still pretty powerful compared to a Pi and are also quite cheap.
I’ve also had good luck with Orange PIs. Just checked pricing and they’ve gone up but not pushing anywhere near $400. I know Banana PIs and a few others are out there but I am less familiar with those.
PoE can go up to 70W according to wikipedia. A few years ago, a cheap NUC would draw ~50W with heavy loads. And they would have probably been more capable than a Pi5, GPIO excluded (and you can add this to anything with USB. You might even be able to do something with a low-speed M2 port.)
You said “can I” not “how do I” and the answer was “probably yes” instead of “here’s how” so if you wanted instructions you should have framed your question as such
The question was “Can I run a mini-PC via PoE?”. The answer was Yes.
I naively assumed you knew how things worked and were unsure about the power capacity. If you wanted a detailed walkthrough on how to plug things together, you should’ve asked. And I would not have bothered.
Depends on the input your PC needs. If it’s a common 19V power supply then you need a 19V PoE splitter like this + an adapter for whatever connector yours has: https://www.ebay.com/itm/194028107173
You’ll also need a switch that can supply 802.3bt PoE.
The usefulness of running a mini PC off of PoE seems pretty small, but there are some cases where it might make sense.
As others have said max 70w with splitters. After that point just ditch ethernet. It’s very old standard. 💡A Ethernet and USB PD combination protocol. Carries two protocol on the same cable with Ethernet long distance and USB pd 240w support. But who’s going to do that?
I picked up a mini PC in July for 500 that I think goes for 600 today, 16GB ddr4 ram 1TB drive, 25 watt, integrated video card with 3GB, very quiet. It runs way more retro games than my pi3, also using it for a media PC and some light DAW & development work with no problems.
That has 8GB RAM. The only reason the Pi in the headline is so expensive is the 16GB RAM. As others mentioned, the 1GB or 2GB options are a fraction of the cost.
Might as well just pickup a mini pc.
Depending on the use case, this is solid advice. I’d suggest checking on eBay for older, used machines that that are still pretty powerful compared to a Pi and are also quite cheap.
I wanted a mini with low power usage and fanless.
A mini PC and an Arduino is the ticket.
I’ve also had good luck with Orange PIs. Just checked pricing and they’ve gone up but not pushing anywhere near $400. I know Banana PIs and a few others are out there but I am less familiar with those.
Definitely going to check out Orange (and Banana) Pis. Thanks!
Or two.
Can I run a mini-pc via PoE?
PoE can go up to 70W according to wikipedia. A few years ago, a cheap NUC would draw ~50W with heavy loads. And they would have probably been more capable than a Pi5, GPIO excluded (and you can add this to anything with USB. You might even be able to do something with a low-speed M2 port.)
Ok, so what PoE splitter do I use?
You want me to do your shopping list?
You made the post without bringing receipts.
It’s like asking “how do I bake a chocolate cake” and you said “go get ingredients from the store”. Not helpful.
You said “can I” not “how do I” and the answer was “probably yes” instead of “here’s how” so if you wanted instructions you should have framed your question as such
Ok.
How can I run a mini pc using PoE?
Buy something that works off the shelf from shenzen like
https://electronics.alibaba.com/buyingguides/poe-powered-mini-pc-real-world-guide-for-home-lab-edge-use
Or research and build something more custom
The question was “Can I run a mini-PC via PoE?”. The answer was Yes.
I naively assumed you knew how things worked and were unsure about the power capacity. If you wanted a detailed walkthrough on how to plug things together, you should’ve asked. And I would not have bothered.
I know how things works, sure. Do you? Because I’m asking for proof on how to do it and you’re not providing any answers.
I literally quoted you an actual specification for PoE, and yet you’re still confused. There’s wasting time and there’s talking to you.
Sure, just need a PoE adapter for it.
Which one specifically?
Depends on the input your PC needs. If it’s a common 19V power supply then you need a 19V PoE splitter like this + an adapter for whatever connector yours has: https://www.ebay.com/itm/194028107173
You’ll also need a switch that can supply 802.3bt PoE.
The usefulness of running a mini PC off of PoE seems pretty small, but there are some cases where it might make sense.
PoE splitters exist
What PC can I run with a PoE splitter?
Oranges pi
That’s still a single board pc
As others have said max 70w with splitters. After that point just ditch ethernet. It’s very old standard. 💡A Ethernet and USB PD combination protocol. Carries two protocol on the same cable with Ethernet long distance and USB pd 240w support. But who’s going to do that?
Mini pc costs a grand+
Nah, just a used one off eBay. Just now, I saw some i7 8700s w/32GB for <100$.
It will use more power, but it’s going to be a lot faster for most tasks.
Wanted to suggest solar but added cost won’t make sense without multi use
I picked up a mini PC in July for 500 that I think goes for 600 today, 16GB ddr4 ram 1TB drive, 25 watt, integrated video card with 3GB, very quiet. It runs way more retro games than my pi3, also using it for a media PC and some light DAW & development work with no problems.
I bought this one to run my Home Assistant. $329 Canadian.
That has 8GB RAM. The only reason the Pi in the headline is so expensive is the 16GB RAM. As others mentioned, the 1GB or 2GB options are a fraction of the cost.
It also comes with windows. I would pick it over a pi every single time.
Why do you need Windows?
Because I just want things to work.
The 8GB Pi5 is still around $250 though and will be much less capable than that mini PC.