Raspberry Pi Partners with Microchip for an Own-Brand PoE Injector, Promises a Pi PoE+ HAT+ Soon

Raspberry Pi has announced the launch of an accessory designed for use with its PoE HAT and PoE HAT+ Power over Ethernet (PoE) add-ons for the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and above: an official PoE injector, for those eager to simplify their cabling but without a PoE-capable network switch.

"Way back in 2018 we launched Raspberry Pi 3B+, the first Raspberry Pi with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) support," recalls Raspberry Pi's Eben Upton. "We've been shipping PoE-powered devices, with the occasional hiccup, ever since. And today, we’re happy to announce the launch of the Raspberry Pi PoE+ Injector, the perfect way to add PoE support to your existing network for just $25."

Power over Ethernet, as the name suggests, transfers power to target devices over an existing Ethernet cable alongside the network data — meaning there's no need for a separate power cable. While only suited to relatively low-power devices, like IP cameras and, indeed, the Raspberry Pi family of single-board computers.

Using PoE usually requires both a PoE-compatible target device and a PoE-compatible network switch. While the base-model Raspberry Pi boards lack the hardware to do PoE themselves, they can be upgraded with the Raspberry Pi PoE HAT or newer PoE+ HAT boards to accept power over their wired Ethernet ports — but if your network switch can't supply that power, you'll need to either replace the switch or add an injector.

It's the latter Raspberry Pi has launched: the latest in a string of own-brand accessories, this time developed in partnership with Microchip. The injector supports the IEEE 802.3af and 802.11at standards for 13W PoE and 25W PoE+, and can be used with mains supplies between 100-240VAC. The injector simply sits between the switch and the Raspberry Pi, taking plain powerless Ethernet in one port and spitting it out of the other with DC power included — just bring your own IEC power lead and pair of Ethernet cables.

The new injector is compatible with Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and above, excluding the Raspberry Pi 400 and 500 and the Ethernet-free Raspberry Pi Zero range, with either Raspberry Pi PoE HAT or PoE+ HAT or third-party compatible or a Raspberry Pi 5 with PoE+ HAT+ — or, rather, it will be, when Raspberry Pi finalizes the PoE+ HAT+'s design.

"While Raspberry Pi 5 provides a four-pin PoE power connector," Upton admits, "our first-party PD [Power Delivery] accessory, the snappily-named Raspberry Pi PoE+ HAT+ for Raspberry Pi 5, is missing in action. This promises to be our smallest, most efficient PD accessory, and is in the final stages of development, having absorbed a lot of Dominic’s attention and brainpower over the last couple of years. Watch this space!"

The Raspberry Pi PoE Injector is now available from Raspberry Pi resellers, priced at $25.