Building Automation with PoE to Clocks and Messaging Systems

In this application example, IP clocks and a mass notification system are deployed. The environment may be a K-12 school, college or university, corporate office building, healthcare facility, etc. Fiber is used because the required link distances across the building/campus exceed the 100 meter limitation of UTP cabling.

The network originates from a fiber switch in the building's main data closet (or it can be a UTP switch and a chassis of copper-to-fiber media converters). Fiber optic cables run to each classroom/office, where they are terminated by OmniConverter media converters located near convenient AC or DC power sources. The media converters provide data and power to the IP clocks and messaging systems with Power over Ethernet (PoE) via UTP cabling. Devices that are powered by PoE are known as Powered Devices (PDs). Other PDs, such as IP phones or badge readers that are part of an access system may also be powered with OmniConverter media converters (not shown in example).

OmniConverter media converters also support PoE+ for building automation devices that require up to 25.5W of power.

The IP clocks may utilize either analog or digital display. Because they are powered over the Ethernet cable, there is no need for batteries or AC power. All clocks are synchronized to one Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) server, maintaining accurate and consistent time across all clocks.

The mass notification system displays informational and directional messages during a crisis. When not used in an emergency, it displays routine announcements such as bus schedules, event reminders, or other official information.

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