I don't agree, and it's not really about the power (though there are plenty which either are or could be hungrier if the capability was there). Ethernet is very cheap, standard, and reliable. It's easy to run by people who aren't electricians. Ethernet benefits from vast economies of scale and market, you can get minimal Cat 5e for <$0.07/ft (7 cents per foot), and piles of connectors too for pennies. It will be easy to pull and handle plenty of abuse. You can get it riser or plenum rated. Connectors cover a full spectrum of usage and are straight forward to do fast and then test for correctness with a massive array of tools also spanning the price/performance spectrum. Are you for real in suggesting USB-C vs 8P8C?
I'm not suggesting at all using PoE exclusively, but it is disappointing it's as rare as it is in commercial products. There's plenty of devices I'd like to just put somewhere and not touch again for 10 years, which battery isn't ideal for. Security, more stuff broadcasting into limited spectrum, trouble shooting and so on also factors in. It's particularly galling for things which actually do need hardline power anyway, are security/safety related, or both. Wireless absolutely has its place but shouldn't be the only option, particularly when it's commonly so freaking bad (like devices which make things "easy" by demanding to use an app and pair with the network your phone is on rather then just letting you enter an SSID and passwords and then mysteriously won't work arrrrrghhhhhh).
POE has downsides as well though.
It's lossier then pulling directly from the wall. It has worse idle power consumption. It requires larger\more expensive electronics on the RX side. You need to be more careful with lightning protection. It's rarer in-walls compared to power lines.
It sure has its strong spots, but it's not a slam dunk for all options.
I don't agree, and it's not really about the power (though there are plenty which either are or could be hungrier if the capability was there). Ethernet is very cheap, standard, and reliable. It's easy to run by people who aren't electricians. Ethernet benefits from vast economies of scale and market, you can get minimal Cat 5e for <$0.07/ft (7 cents per foot), and piles of connectors too for pennies. It will be easy to pull and handle plenty of abuse. You can get it riser or plenum rated. Connectors cover a full spectrum of usage and are straight forward to do fast and then test for correctness with a massive array of tools also spanning the price/performance spectrum. Are you for real in suggesting USB-C vs 8P8C?
I'm not suggesting at all using PoE exclusively, but it is disappointing it's as rare as it is in commercial products. There's plenty of devices I'd like to just put somewhere and not touch again for 10 years, which battery isn't ideal for. Security, more stuff broadcasting into limited spectrum, trouble shooting and so on also factors in. It's particularly galling for things which actually do need hardline power anyway, are security/safety related, or both. Wireless absolutely has its place but shouldn't be the only option, particularly when it's commonly so freaking bad (like devices which make things "easy" by demanding to use an app and pair with the network your phone is on rather then just letting you enter an SSID and passwords and then mysteriously won't work arrrrrghhhhhh).