Waveshare's New Raspberry Pi 5 Power-over-Ethernet HAT Drops the Size to Boost Compatibility

Embedded and hobbyist electronics specialist Waveshare has launched a new version of its Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) accessory for the Raspberry Pi 5 — this time boasting a slimmed-down design that plays nicely with the official Raspberry Pi Active Cooler.

"The PoE HAT (H) is an IEEE 802.3af/at-compliant PoE (Power Over Ethernet) HAT for Raspberry Pi 5/CM [Compute Module] 5," the company explains of its latest launch. "By using with a PoE router or switch that supports the IEEE 802.3af/at network standard, it is possible to provide both network connection and power supply for your Raspberry Pi in only one Ethernet cable."

There's nothing new about that, of course: while Raspberry Pi's own in-house design has yet to launch, a range of compatible PoE adapters have been released for the Raspberry Pi 5 — including by Waveshare, among other third-party manufacturers. The company's new model offers no features missing from the original, but rather a redesigned layout that makes the board considerable smaller.

The new variant, brought to our attention by CNX Software, is dubbed the PoE HAT (H) to distinguish it from the older PoE HAT (F). The C-shaped fits on the Raspberry Pi 5's 40-pin general-purpose input/output (GPIO) header and mounts via bundled pillars onto the board's four mounting holes — but does not include a cooling fan, unlike the original. It's designed instead to hover over the official Raspberry Pi Active Cooler, partially covering the DC blower fan but leaving most of the heatsink exposed.

For those using the Raspberry Pi 5 Case, meanwhile, the PoE HAT (H) is compatible with that too, by discarding the longer GPIO header pins and mounting pillars and connecting the HAT directly to the Raspberry Pi 5 on smaller pillars — even when using the case's optional cooling fan, Waveshare promises. In both cases, it provides a full IEEE 802.3af/at compliant PoE implementation, accepting 38-57VDC in via the Raspberry Pi 5's RJ45 socket and outputting 5VDC at up to 5A via the GPIO header.

The PoE HAT (H) is now available on the Waveshare store, priced at $21.99 including the HAT, header extensions, short and long mounting pillars, and screws; a bundle with the official Raspberry Pi 5 Case is also available at $29.99.