Hacker News Reader

Comment by yardstick | Hacker News Reader

Ethernet PoE is nice, but USB-C I can see as the future for most power requirements both because it can carry a lot of power and it has a small form factor (Ethernet is too bulky for more and more products these days).

The biggest issue with USB-C is unfortunately the zoo of different options. Not all USB-C cables and ports support high power output and it’s not trivial to figure out what cable or port to use. So much for universal...

View on HN

USB C cables are extremely expensive compared to Cat6 there’s no comparison. 802.3af can run 48v for 100m I doubt USB C can run that far. Power delivery is a non-issue most devices can handle POE just fine and I have 3 Cameras, 2 APs, a switch, and a Pi all running off a single 150w UniFi switch.

If you need more power you can always build another regular outlet much cheaper than setting up USB C.

If you solder a 802.4af to a USB C socket you can get the same distance at the same voltage. USB C no longer has a specified maximum length, the only requirement is that the signal makes it across.

Can you even buy a splicer that will put on USB C ends?

Doesn’t any cable just required the signal to be enough? I mean you could put Poe injectors or signal amplifiers for coax every X meters.

Not quite, the cable needs to be suitable for differential signaling and it has some tight inductance and RF property requirements, otherwise the wire just leaks all over the spectrum and doesn't work.

You obviously have never thought about the use of PoE. You just cannot compare PoE and USB-C Power delivery as these are made for entirely different applications.

I'd rather buy a WiFi router that gets its power over the ethernet cable that I have to run to the location I'm putting it anyways rather than place a USB-C outlet next to it so I can power it via USB-C. Same goes for small switches and other network enabled equipment, especially IoT stuff (if it's wired). Also, having one beefy PoE enabled switch in the basement providing power is much more efficient than having a bunch of small transformators around the building.

Now, charging Laptops on the other hand is a completely different story.

> You obviously have never thought about the use of PoE. You just cannot compare PoE and USB-C Power delivery as these are made for entirely different applications.

They're replying to a very specific comment:

> If we were to embed anything new in the walls I think it ought to be Ethernet, then make people use PoE.

and they're noting that providing ubiquitous USB-PD seems more useful and practical than providing ubiquitous PoE. "Wired-network" devices keep getting rarer, and new devices are significantly more likely to be powered over USB than ethernet if they're using any sort of standard power supply.

Yes exactly this.

I’m also thinking outside of computer equipment. Clocks, TVs, Lamps, Fans, chargers for vacuum cleaners, blenders, mixers, dehumidifiers, heaters, microwaves, fridges, speakers, etc anything you can plug into a typical home power point today.

I realise it’s not going to happen for a few reasons but to me the ideal of a single socket type that works around the world without special adapters would be an amazing achievement. We’re already seeing this partially when it comes to computing devices and USB, but would love to see a USB standard that could support all other kinds of typical home and office power requirements. Something I hope the designers of the next USB standard are also interested in.

USB-C cable length is an issue: https://community.cypress.com/docs/DOC-10693

I suggested Ethernet because the data carrying capacity remains valuable, compared to congested wireless bands.

Adapters exist but seem currently very expensive: https://www.amazon.co.uk/GAT-USBC-802-3at-Wifi-Splitter-Ethe...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com