AMAZING PROSPECTS FOR PoE

Our living and working space is currently changing at a rapid pace, including the living and working environment. The desire for greater well-being, security, energy efficiency and comfort are increasingly coming into focus when it comes to installing building technology. One way to ensure smooth operation is to use smart solutions. With PoE and IoT (Internet of Things) to network building systems, businesses and residential buildings are more energy-efficient, sustainable, cost-effective, secure and easier to control. In this regard, office, hospitality, healthcare and education are emerging as the four most promising market segments for immediate PoE innovation. Each of these industries faces rapidly changing market realities, especially as the pandemic continues. 1. INTELLIGENT BUILDING MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS SUPPORTED BY PoE PoE has enormous potential. The technology is capable of supporting all kinds of processes and being the backbone of complete building services. The range of applications is broad, for example predictive heating-ventilation-air conditioning, personalised lighting control, indoor wayfinding, asset tracking to identify hardware and support areas, centrally managed security, dynamic personalised signage, real-time conference room availability and flexible workspace allocation. High reliability, ease of use and maintenance fulfil PoE by centralising the infrastructure. 2. PoE: MAIN DRIVERS AND POSSIBILITIES Various factors are currently favouring the spread of PoE solutions. With regard to ecology and climate protection, there is a growing awareness of saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions. Another factor is the operating costs. Due to increasing cost pressure, companies are faced with the challenge of reducing the power consumption of communication and data networks. Technological progress enables higher performance rates over 4-wire pairs. This is associated with increasing investments in Ethernet infrastructures. According to BSRIA’s Grandview Research, PoE port shipments will increase sharply in the coming years. In 2023, the number of ports sold will be between 180 and 230 million. In 2022, the market is expected to need around 10 million PoE switches. As shown in Figure 1, VoIP technology took the top position among PoE applications in 2019 with 36 million (= 32 %market share) installed ports. This is followed by the segments wireless access points (23 %), CCTV cameras (18 %), sensors (7 %) and motors and drives (4 %). The “Other” segment comprised 16 %. This includes BACS, A/V, Access Control and Lighting. The market for PoE lighting systems is still in its infancy, but it is booming. Here, an annual doubling is to be expected. Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) infrastructures are well on their way to becoming a dominant technology. They combine data communication and power supply via a single Ethernet cable. The range of applications for PoE is wide. In the next five to ten years, PoE will continue to establish itself strongly thanks to new trends, PoE lighting and DC-grid technology are themost relevant toconsider. Global building-controls market $billion CAGR, in% Insights Trend is moving to intelligent building system 74 4 25 21 55 16 54 2018 Connected controls, intelligent building systems Occupant experience Hardware, software, and digital services creating new value by connecting formely discrete building domains (mainly in lighting and HVAC*) Growth slowing for pure-play energy-management platforms as functionality integrates into intelligent building systems Growth stagnating for traditional, domain-specific controls as connectivity drives use-cases innovation *HVAC Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Source: McKinsey – Laying the foundation for success in the connected building era (2018) } Connected controls, energy management Traditional building controls 2025 101 31% 4% <1% PoE lighting systems market is still in the early stages, but it is booming and it will DOUBLE in size yearly Others: 16% VoIP Phones: 32% Wireless Access Points: 23% Motors and actuators: 4% Sensors: 7% CCTV cameras: 18% Figure 2 Figure 1 Figure 3 Private DC-grid will become an integral part of digital building technologies This development is also confirmed by McKinsey. As can be seen in Figure 2, the consulting firm forecasts the greatest growth potential for the “intelligent networking of hardware, software and digital services of previously separate building areas”. In this segment, lighting is the biggest driver. The influence of lighting is greater than with other technologies. As a feel-good factor, it plays a significant role in the living and working environment. In addition, the installation takes on a considerable dimension due to the widespread use of lighting and therefore has a weighty role. Another positive aspect: PoE-supported lighting can already be implemented at a good price today. 3. DC GRIDS VIA PoE Another trend that will favour the spread of PoE in the coming years is the increasing use of DC grids and the fact that more and more systems can be operated with DC. 4 5

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