POE for RPi zero

#1

I am currently building a project that monitors the water level in my water tanks. For this project I would like to use a RPi zero (only because that is what I am comfortable with) to connect with sensors and send the sensor data to another pi.

The Issues

  1. There is no power and no wifi where I want the RPi to be installed. However, there is a Cat 6 ethernet port.
  2. As I want to use a RPi zero, it does not come with an ethernet port.

I was thinking of using a POE (http://www.tp-link.com/lb/products/details/cat-43_TL-POE200.html) to get power to the site and use a ENC28J60 for an ethernet port. Has anyone got any better ideas?

#2

Hi Denver,
If you’re looking to inject power into your ethernet port, then that should work well. It seems like the simplest solution if you’re using a Pi.

#3

The TP-Link product looks like a nifty way to get around no direct PoE support on the Pi. It appears to split power back into a separate plug on the other side. PoE without actual PoE, neat.

#4

Thanks @Graham and @Sam. The tplink product worked well. I had to buy two converters from jay car to convert the 2.1 barrel to a micro USB at a cost of $20. I see you guys are selling a similar product for around $4. I will have to get one off you instead. At least I can run the Pi now without having to get a sparky in to install a DGPO.

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