I am the kind of person who plans things carefully. Spreadsheets. Diagrams. Colour-coded cable runs sketched on graph paper. When I decided to install a proper IP camera system around my house last autumn, I spent three weeks planning before I touched a single tool.
I ran ethernet cables through the loft, down cavity walls, and out through carefully positioned back boxes at every camera location. It took two weekends and a level of commitment to cable management that my wife described, with some accuracy, as "slightly unhinged." But when it was done, it was done properly. Every camera position had a clean, concealed ethernet run back to the network cabinet in the utility room.
Then I discovered that the cameras I'd bought weren't PoE-compatible. They needed a separate 5V power supply at each location.
I sat on the floor of the utility room for quite a long time.
The Problem: Power Without PoE
Power over Ethernet — PoE — is the elegant solution to exactly this problem. Run one cable, carry both data and power. But my cameras predated my network planning, and they weren't PoE devices. They needed 5V DC power delivered separately, which meant either running additional power cables to every camera location (undoing weeks of careful work and making a lot more holes in a lot more walls) or finding a smarter solution.
I knew PoE splitters existed — devices that sit at the camera end of an ethernet run, receive PoE power from a PoE switch, and split it out into a separate DC power connection and a standard ethernet data connection. In theory, exactly what I needed. In practice, I needed to find one that was reliable, gigabit-capable, and compatible with my existing PoE switch.
Why I Chose the ANVISION 2-Pack PoE Splitter
I found the ANVISION 2-Pack 5V Gigabit PoE Splitter on ALTOE and it matched my requirements precisely.
The IEEE 802.3af compliance was the first thing I checked. My PoE switch is 802.3af standard, and compatibility here is non-negotiable — a splitter that doesn't conform to the standard either won't work or risks damaging equipment. IEEE 802.3af compliance meant I could integrate these into my existing setup without any hardware mismatch concerns.
The 5VDC 2.4A output at up to 12W was exactly what my cameras needed. The dual DC jack options — 3.5mm x 1.35mm and 5.5mm x 2.1mm — meant I had connector flexibility without needing adapters. My cameras use the 5.5mm x 2.1mm barrel jack, which is the more common standard, so I was covered immediately.
The gigabit data throughput — 10/100/1000Mbps — meant I wouldn't be creating a bottleneck in my network. Some cheaper PoE splitters are only 10/100Mbps, which would have been a step backwards from my gigabit infrastructure. Full gigabit passthrough was essential.
And the 2-pack meant I could sort two camera locations in one order, which made the economics straightforward. I ordered two packs to cover all four of my camera positions.
Installation: Simpler Than I Expected
The splitters arrived within a few days. Installation was, genuinely, straightforward — which I say as someone who had been bracing for the kind of fiddly compatibility issue that networking equipment sometimes produces.
The process at each camera location was identical: connect the incoming ethernet cable from the PoE switch to the splitter's PoE input port, connect the splitter's ethernet output to the camera's network port, connect the splitter's DC output cable to the camera's power input. Done. No configuration, no drivers, no firmware. The splitter does its job passively and invisibly.
I powered up the PoE switch, watched the port LEDs come on, opened the camera management software, and all four cameras appeared on the network within thirty seconds. Clean, stable connections. Full gigabit link speeds. Exactly as they should be.
I did not sit on the floor of the utility room this time. I made a cup of tea and felt quietly satisfied, which is the best possible outcome for a networking project.
Three Months On
All four cameras have been running continuously for three months without a single dropout, reboot, or power issue. The splitters run slightly warm during operation — which is normal and expected for active power conversion — but never hot, and they've shown no signs of instability or degradation.
The cable management outcome I'd originally planned for is exactly what I ended up with: a single ethernet cable to each camera location, no visible power cables, no additional wall penetrations. The system looks clean, runs reliably, and cost a fraction of what it would have cost to either replace the cameras with PoE-native models or run separate power cables to every location.
What I Love Most About Them
- IEEE 802.3af compliance: Genuine standard compliance means genuine compatibility. No guessing, no risk of hardware mismatch.
- Gigabit passthrough: Full 10/100/1000Mbps data speeds. No bottleneck, no compromise on network performance.
- Dual DC jack options: The 3.5mm and 5.5mm barrel jack options cover the vast majority of low-voltage devices. Versatile and practical.
- Passive operation: No configuration required. Plug in and it works. Exactly what you want from infrastructure hardware.
- The 2-pack value: Two units per pack at a sensible price point. For a multi-camera setup, the economics are excellent.
- Reliability: Three months of continuous operation without a single issue. For always-on security equipment, that's the only metric that truly matters.
Who Is This For?
Anyone who needs to power a non-PoE device — an IP camera, a small access point, a VoIP phone, any low-voltage hardware — using an existing PoE switch and ethernet infrastructure. If you have PoE available at the switch end but your device doesn't have a PoE input, this splitter is the clean, cost-effective solution. It's also ideal for anyone who wants to avoid running additional power cables to remote locations — whether that's a corner of a warehouse, a garden outbuilding, or, like me, a carefully planned home security installation.
Get Yours
If you're facing the same problem I was — PoE infrastructure, non-PoE devices, and a strong preference for not making more holes in your walls — the ANVISION 2-Pack 5V Gigabit PoE Splitter is available now at ALTOE.
Explore more in these collections:
- Power Over Ethernet Adapters – the full range of PoE solutions for your network.
- Networking – switches, adapters, and infrastructure for home and business.
- Electronics – the full ALTOE electronics range.
— Stewart Mackintosh-Vane, network infrastructure enthusiast, home security installer, and person who owns more cable ties than is strictly necessary. Based in Guildford.
0 comments