What is Power Over Ethernet (PoE) Media Converter where is has been using.

It is often the case that media converter is deployed to connect copper to fiber, enabling network managers to overcome transmission distance limitation of traditional copper cabling. As one type of fiber media converter, the PoE media converter also works in those situations. How much do you know about the PoE media converter? How to use it? This article intends to explain the basis of the PoE media converter to help you learn more about it.

What Is a PoE Media Converter?

Traditionally, fiber media converters can only transmit data; while PoE media converter can not only help users to create an Ethernet-fiber link but also act as a power sourcing equipment (PSE) device to provide power to one or two powered devices (PD) over the UTP network cable.

By using the PoE media converter like the 10/100/1000M PoE media converter shown below, it provides a flexible and cost-effective solution for implementing and optimizing fiber links. In addition, PoE media converters like all the other Ethernet media converters, breaking the distance limitation of Ethernet cables, extend the network distance via fiber to remote PD such as the original VoIP phones, wireless access points, security cameras, and point-of-sale (POS) terminals in temperature control systems, and even in-flight entertainment systems.

How Does a PoE Media Converter Work?

There are two applications in which PoE media converter works: the PoE media converter only delivers data or it delivers both data and power. The picture below shows how the PoE media converter provides fiber-to-copper connections between the fiber switch and wireless access point and powers the access point simultaneously.

The fiber is run for a long distance to the PoE media converter located near a convenient AC or DC power source, where it does the fiber-to-copper conversion. At the other end of the UTP cable is the wireless access point, located up to 100 meters away from the PoE media converter.

How to Use a PoE Media Converter

There are three main applications of PoE media converters: fiber to IP cameras, fiber to wireless access points, and fiber to the desktop. Here we take fiber to IP cameras as an example to show the application of PoE media converter.

Before starting the deployment process, make sure you have access to the following devices: a Gigabit fiber switch, a 10/100/1000M PoE media converter, an IP camera, a network cable (like Cat5e/Cat6), a fiber patch cable (like OS2/OM4), and two SFP fiber optic transceivers.

Step 1: Insert an SFP module into the fiber port of the PoE media converter and an SFP module into the SFP port of the switch.

Step 2: Connect a fiber optic cable to the SFP module on the PoE media converter and the other end of the cable into the switch.

Step 3: Connect the RJ45 ports of the PoE media converter and the IP camera using a UTP Ethernet cable.

The video below will help you to get a better understanding of PoE media converters.

PoE Media Converter Buying Guide

How to choose the best PoE media converter that suits your network requirement? There are some points you should consider.

Data rate: the data rate of the PoE media converter is the first thing that should be considered. There are 10M, 100M, 1000M, 10/100M, and 10/100/1000M PoE media converters in the market which can be chosen as you need.

Port number and port type: in most cases, a PoE media converter features one fiber port and one RJ45 port, but there are still some PoE media converters that have multiple ports such as one or two fiber ports and four RJ45 ports.

Single mode or multimode: according to the transmission media, the PoE media converter can be divided into single mode converter and multimode converter, which will affect the transmission distance and the fiber optic transceivers that can be used.

Duplex mode: as some PoE media converters can only be used as full duplex but not half duplex, packet loss may occur when it is connected with the switch or hub that supports half duplex. So make sure it supports full duplex and half duplex.

Operating temperature: it should be noted especially when you need an industrial PoE media converter. Remember to check the operating temperature of the media converter to see if it can operate under extended temperature (−40 °C to 125 °C).

Standards: generally PoE media converter are IEEE802.3af, IEEE802.3at, or IEEE802.3bt compliant. Confirm that the PoE media converter you want supports these standards or there may be some compatibility problems.

What is CCTV Media Converter

Video Security and Surveillance Network Design With Media Converters

In Market Media converters are simple and flexible devices coming into various types, which work on the physical layer of the network to provide a simple way to convert one media type into another. The most commonly utilized functions of media converters are distance extension by transmitting one type of signal into single-mode fiber, or introducing fiber optic cabling in the existing copper-based network without making other change. It is an ideal solution to save more money and manpower or time to upgrade networks. Media converter can be installed almost everywhere in a network, which makes it a popular choice. What’s more, media converters that available on the market are being designed to perform many other functions. Video security and surveillance system is one of the fields widely using media converters. This post will offer details solutions about how to use fiber optic media converter for cctv cameras network.

Video Security and Surveillance Network Introduction

Video security and surveillance are necessary and closely related to most industries and daily life nowadays. Cameras are almost everywhere in our cities and towns, which provide great benefits for corporate and government. Many types of video security and surveillance networks that are designed for applications in different environments. Analog video network and IP video network are the two most commonly used types for security and surveillance video transmission. The former one is invented before the latter one and is a cost-effective solution for video surveillance in small area with analog closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras. It is also a good choice for video security at home.

While IP video is more advance and can provide better image quality and network performance in large scale. The biggest character of IP video surveillance network is that every camera has its own IP address to tell itself from the others in the whole video network. Currently, with the demand for higher transmission speed, image quality and longer transmission distances, fiber optic cables are widely used in the video network. Thus, in both of the two surveillance networks, media conversion are necessary, like conversions between fiber and copper or video to fiber. The following will offer the cabling solutions that using fiber optic media converter for cctv.

Analog Video Network Cabling Infrastructure

In a typical analog video network (shown in the above picture), analog CCTV cameras are connected to a central management room or devices (VCR—video cassette recorder or DVR—digital video recorder) via coaxial cables. If the camera has PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) function, an additional controller is added.

As mentioned, the performance and the transmission distance are limited by using copper cables. To connector more fixed analog cameras and PTZ analog cameras, fiber optic cable should be introduced to this typical network. Then fiber media converters are the best solutions. The following picture shows the basic structure or an upgraded version of a typical analog video structure which using fiber optic cable in this network.

To connect the fixed analog cameras to the server room, a pair of fiber media converters should be added between the server room and cameras. Video signals will be transmitted into fiber optic signals. For analog PTZ cameras, there are two types of signals should be converted into fiber optic signals, one for video and one for data. Thus, two different media converters or a fiber media converter that covers the two functions should be installed.

It is known that fiber media converters should be used in pairs. As one of the media converters is in deploy on the fiber end that near the camera, the other one should be deploy on the other fiber ends that near the server room. For better management, all the fiber media converters at the fiber end near the server room could be installed in a managed fiber media converter rack chassis.

IP Video Network Cabling Infrastructure

In a typical IP video surveillance network (shown in the above picture), IP cameras are connected directly to the local area network and transport video across the IP network via UTP cabling and switches. PoE IP cameras are also time-save and cost-effect solutions. Video can be recorded to any PC or server on the network. To introduce fiber optic cabling in to this typical IP video network, the method is similar to introducing fiber optic into an analog video network as described in the above paragraph.

In the following case (shown in the following picture), PoE IP cameras are used. A pair of PoE media converters should be installed on both ends of a length of fiber optic cable to achieve the conversion between video and fiber. At the computer side where the videos are recorded, a pair of Ethernet media converters should be installed. All of the fiber optic media converter for cctv near the network switches can be set at a managed media converter chassis before the connected to the switches.

Video Security and Surveillance Network Solution

The following chart list the related fiber optic media converter for cctv required for analog video and IP video security and surveillance network. The numbers in the following table are highlighted in the above pictures and represent the corresponding devices. Kindly contact Ashish9224@gmail.com for more details.

Number	Product
1	Fiber Video Converters
2	RS-485/RS-232 Converter
3	Managed Fiber Media Converter Chassis
4	PoE Media Converter
5	Ethernet Media Converter