Power-over-Ethernet adapter provides networking, charging to connected iPad, iPhone

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A pair of new networking peripherals allows for an iPad or iPhone with Lightning to not only get wired network access through the port, but power as well.




Announced on Tuesday, Redpark's Gigabit + PoE Adapter connects an iPad or iPhone to Gigabit Ethernet and uses power over ethernet (PoE) to charge the device through a single ethernet cable when connected to a compatible network switch or power injector. The Gigabit + Power Adapter also connects an iPhone or iPad to a wired Ethernet network and uses an external AC power adapter to provide power to the device, eliminating the need for a PoE network switch.

Power and data are carried from either adapter to the device by a replaceable Lightning to micro USB cable.

Specific use cases for such a device are generally related to fixed installations like libraries or point-of-sale. Alternatively, either can be used for live streaming video from an iPhone where wireless networks might be congested, or latency is high.

Both adapters retail for $99. The Gigabit + PoE Adapter is available now, with the Gigabit + Power Adapter shipping in September.

Cabling is sold separately, and starts at $25 for a 16-inch cable, and $29 for 10 feet. Redpark's cabling is not required, with any MFi-certified micro USB to Lightning offering compatible with either device.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,361member
    Hmm. Referring to this as a PoE device is a bit misleading because it is not really attaching to a wider PoE enabled network that ideally conforms to one of the PoE standards. I guess you could say that this is a PoE network consisting of a single node and a single power supply. The adapter appears to be more like an external wired NIC for attaching iOS devices to standard Ethernet in addition to also supplying local power to the host device. Nevertheless it's still a useful device for certain iOS device based applications where using WiFi is impractical or undesirable, e.g., in a high RF noise environment. This could, for example, be employed to use an iPad as a human machine interface (HMI) panel on the door of an industrial enclosure that has an Ethernet connection/switch inside the enclosure. 
    edited September 2017 maciekskontakt
  • Reply 2 of 12
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    What am I missing here? We've been able to connect any iDevice to an ethernet network for a decade (or close to it). You just need the correct adapters so that you can get USB-A out to a USB-A-to-Ethernet adapter. It will charge your device through the Lightning port on the camera adapter, and it's considerably less expensive without needing a massive power brick so it can route power over Ethernet or needing to use its micro-USB-B port. Why won't micro-USB-B die already?!


    And those are official components, but cheaper 3rd-party adapters work just as well because the OS already understand an ethernet networking stack.

  • Reply 3 of 12
    MadHackerMadHacker Posts: 5member
    dewme said:
    Hmm. Referring to this as a PoE device is a bit misleading because it is not really attaching to a wider PoE enabled network that ideally conforms to one of the PoE standards. I guess you could say that this is a PoE network consisting of a single node and a single power supply. The adapter appears to be more like an external wired NIC for attaching iOS devices to standard Ethernet in addition to also supplying local power to the host device. Nevertheless it's still a useful device for certain iOS device based applications where using WiFi is impractical or undesirable, e.g., in a high RF noise environment. This could, for example, be employed to use an iPad as a human machine interface (HMI) panel on the door of an industrial enclosure that has an Ethernet connection/switch inside the enclosure. 
    They were talking about two different products. Presumable the PoE device wouldn't come with a power supply as it gets it's power from it's network connection.
    dewme
  • Reply 4 of 12
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,361member
    MadHacker said:
    dewme said:
    Hmm. Referring to this as a PoE device is a bit misleading because it is not really attaching to a wider PoE enabled network that ideally conforms to one of the PoE standards. I guess you could say that this is a PoE network consisting of a single node and a single power supply. The adapter appears to be more like an external wired NIC for attaching iOS devices to standard Ethernet in addition to also supplying local power to the host device. Nevertheless it's still a useful device for certain iOS device based applications where using WiFi is impractical or undesirable, e.g., in a high RF noise environment. This could, for example, be employed to use an iPad as a human machine interface (HMI) panel on the door of an industrial enclosure that has an Ethernet connection/switch inside the enclosure. 
    They were talking about two different products. Presumable the PoE device wouldn't come with a power supply as it gets it's power from it's network connection.
    You're correct. The link in the article only described the non-PoE adapter. Digging deeper I see they also have a PoE version. My bad.
  • Reply 5 of 12
    zroger73zroger73 Posts: 787member
    This would come in VERY hand for me...

    On my lunch break at work, I like to watch Hulu. Our Wi-Fi and my cell service is terrible, plus video burns through data.
    wozwoz
  • Reply 6 of 12
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    zroger73 said:
    This would come in VERY hand for me...

    On my lunch break at work, I like to watch Hulu. Our Wi-Fi and my cell service is terrible, plus video burns through data.
    Why is that a better solution at more money and slow throughput with less versatility? As there website states, you're not getting GigE, you're only getting what micro-USB-B can handle. At least with the other option, if you have a newer iPad or an upcoming iPhone you may get closer to GigE speeds siren it's using USB 3.0 throughout the chain.
  • Reply 7 of 12
    wozwozwozwoz Posts: 263member
    Cool device! - exactly what I am looking for:  fast ethernet without nuking my brain from wi-fi or mobile usage. I should be able to run the iPad in Flight Mode (with wi-fi completely off) and get even faster speeds - thanks for featuring this!
  • Reply 8 of 12
    MadHackerMadHacker Posts: 5member
    Soli said:
    What am I missing here? We've been able to connect any iDevice to an ethernet network for a decade (or close to it). You just need the correct adapters so that you can get USB-A out to a USB-A-to-Ethernet adapter. It will charge your device through the Lightning port on the camera adapter, and it's considerably less expensive without needing a massive power brick so it can route power over Ethernet or needing to use its micro-USB-B port. Why won't micro-USB-B die already?!


    And those are official components, but cheaper 3rd-party adapters work just as well because the OS already understand an ethernet networking stack.

    Your method still requires a power brick.  Lightning cannot provide enough power to the USB to Ethernet adapter.
  • Reply 9 of 12
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    MadHacker said:
    Soli said:
    What am I missing here? We've been able to connect any iDevice to an ethernet network for a decade (or close to it). You just need the correct adapters so that you can get USB-A out to a USB-A-to-Ethernet adapter. It will charge your device through the Lightning port on the camera adapter, and it's considerably less expensive without needing a massive power brick so it can route power over Ethernet or needing to use its micro-USB-B port. Why won't micro-USB-B die already?!


    And those are official components, but cheaper 3rd-party adapters work just as well because the OS already understand an ethernet networking stack.

    Your method still requires a power brick.  Lightning cannot provide enough power to the USB to Ethernet adapter.
    Can you explain that. I’ve pretty sure I’ve seen it work with just the pier from USB on a Mac and the 5W adapter that comes with the iPhone. No additional PoE device was needed.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    rachurchrachurch Posts: 1member
    This is awesome! I have deployed many iPads to restaurants for use as point of sale devices. iPads do not have the strongest radios and once you put them in a metal enclosure, the usable range is limited. Being able to drop a single PoE ethernet cable and power the device and provide hard-wired ethernet is a game changer for the POS use of an iPad. I am very excited about this! Been waiting years for this product. @Soil The usb camera connector can't charge the ipad (unless you connect it to a hub) which makes it useless for POS use. And camera connector to hub to power supply and ethernet adapter is a cable nightmare and not stable. This thing will be very helpful where you have permanent installations of ipads. Currently I have to put an AP within 20 feet of an ipad in a metal enclosure to get a strong, stable connection. Just because you may not need it doesn't mean it isn't super useful in certain cases!
  • Reply 11 of 12
    bwhightybwhighty Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    Ive just installed one of these behind a wall mounted iPad at home (for smart home stuff). Having issues giving the iPad a fixed IP, I think because the router is 'seeing' the POE adapter's MAC, rather than the iPad's. This is meaning I currently have to leave wifi on to control things like chromecasts etc. Any idea how I can make it pass the iPad MAC address (which I dont think is the same as the iPad 'wifi address') to the router?
  • Reply 12 of 12
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    bwhighty said:
    Ive just installed one of these behind a wall mounted iPad at home (for smart home stuff). Having issues giving the iPad a fixed IP, I think because the router is 'seeing' the POE adapter's MAC, rather than the iPad's. This is meaning I currently have to leave wifi on to control things like chromecasts etc. Any idea how I can make it pass the iPad MAC address (which I dont think is the same as the iPad 'wifi address') to the router?
    The MAC address that's being passed is positively that of the adapter. Have you asked the vendor?
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