UL Solutions Approved for Ethernet Alliance Gen 2 Power Over Ethernet Certification Testing in Taiwan, Extending New Flexibility to Manufacturers

By Ethernet Alliance • July 19, 2022

Ethernet Alliance Gen 1 and Gen 2 PoE Certification Testing Now Available in Both Asia and North America

BEAVERTON, OR, JULY 19, 2022 – The Ethernet Alliance, a global consortium dedicated to the continued success and advancement of Ethernet technologies, today announced the availability of Ethernet Alliance Power over Ethernet (PoE) Certification Gen 2 testing in Taipei, Taiwan, with UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science. Manufacturers of PoE devices can now pursue Gen 1 and Gen 2 certification via third-party testing at labs in both Asia and North America, as well as testing at their own facilities with Ethernet Alliance-approved equipment.

“UL Solutions is proud to leverage our expertise to help support continued acceptance of PoE products in the market and as a certification testing partner to the industry,” said Eric Bulington, director of product management in the Engineered Materials group at UL Solutions. “At UL Solutions, we work to help make products safer, more secure and more sustainable, and Gen 2 PoE certification aligns with our mission of working for a safer world.”

IEEE 802.3 standards define efficient and robust methods of delivering electrical power with data via Ethernet cabling from power sourcing equipment (PSE), including Ethernet switches to powered devices (PDs) Internet Protocol (IP) phones, security cameras, wireless access points, speakers, LED lighting, biometric readers, doorbells/entry systems, electricity/gas meters, point-of-sale (PoS) systems, swipe card readers and temperature sensors, among many other examples. According to Dell’Oro Group’s “4Q 2021 Ethernet Switch – Campus Report,” PoE ports recorded strong, double-digit growth and comprised 30% of total ports in 2021.

The Ethernet Alliance PoE Certification program launched in 2017 and is rooted in test plans developed by many of the same individuals who helped write the IEEE 802.3 PoE standards. Gen 1 certification testing is based on IEEE 802.3af and IEEE 802.3at; Gen 2, on IEEE 802.3bt. The program enables simple and clear identification of PSE and PDs that will dependably work together, and a certified product registry is publicly available. Ethernet Alliance PoE Certification offers manufacturers differentiating benefits, including reductions in installation time and overall evaluation and ongoing development costs. It also provides improved customer support at a lower cost and enhanced customer perception of PoE. The program has been accorded both the IEEE-SA Conformity Assessment Award and Cabling Installation and Maintenance Platinum Innovators Award.

“Approval of UL Solutions as an additional third-party lab for Ethernet Alliance PoE Certification Program Gen 2 testing—in addition to its prior offering of Gen 1 testing—is especially good news for product-design teams working on PoE devices in the Asia-Pacific marketplace,” said David Tremblay, Ethernet Alliance PoE Certification chair. “The number and range of PoE-powered devices are mushrooming across healthcare, power and energy, retail, telecommunications, and other industries. Our program has emerged as the global industry’s go-to resource for certification testing that minimizes interoperability issues, fuels positive user experience and clears market confusion between IEEE 802.3 standards-based PoE and proprietary powering solutions. Now manufacturers have a range of options to have their products efficiently tested and certified.”

For more information about the Ethernet Alliance, please visit our website, view The Voices of Ethernet interview collection, download the 2022 Ethernet Roadmap, read the Blog and Newsletter, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About the Ethernet Alliance

The Ethernet Alliance is a global consortium that includes system and component vendors, industry experts, and university and government professionals who are committed to the continued success and expansion of Ethernet technology. The Ethernet Alliance takes Ethernet standards to market by supporting activities that span from incubation of new Ethernet technologies to interoperability demonstrations and education. The organization’s plans may be found on the Events page of its website.

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