The new add-on, available from early June, uses the 802.3at PoE+ standard, which almost doubles the amount of power delivery and features a new rectifier setup to keep temperatures down.
Raspberry Pi PoE Gets the Upgrade It’s Needed
The PoE+ HAT can deliver up to 25W of power, more than enough to run a Raspberry Pi 4 running at full capacity, and any peripherals attached via USB and general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins. While the HAT obscures the whole top side of the Pi, the GPIO pins are still accessible, though you’ll need to get a converter to extend the Pi’s pin headers.
However, this is likely not too much of an issue as PoE+ will be something mostly exciting for those using the Raspberry Pi as part of a home lab networking setup. This becomes even more apparent when looking at the rest of the design, which includes a low-profile built-in fan, and what at first glance looks like a large-scale SMD capacitor.
It turns out to be a planar transformer - an innovative multi-layer PCB wrapped in ferrite, which regulates the 37-57v from the power switch down to the 5v the Raspberry Pi needs. This, paired with an “ideal diode” in the form of a Microchip PD70224ILQ, gives a much-needed power boost without adding any unwanted heat to the equation.
Unusually, the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the PoE+ HAT on its official blog before release, but only just. It’ll be available from early June for around $20, and you can find a local stockist from the PoE+ shop page.
Power to the Pi-ple
Power over Ethernet used to be something only used in industry or commercial IT, and many folks aren’t sure what PoE is or what benefits it brings. Things have changed, and this is largely thanks to the Raspberry Pi.
For those looking to start a home network, they are quite alluring. Small form factor, cheap, fully networkable via Ethernet and Wi-Fi, low power, the list of advantages goes on. There are also multiple ways you can turn the Raspberry Pi into a media server.
PoE was a natural step, and from the Raspberry Pi 3B+, it’s been possible - though the initial PoE HAT had a few issues as the Pi Foundation documented on its blog!
YouTuber Jeff Geerling is a big fan of the Pi as a networking tool, and his latest video combines the Pi, Power over Ethernet, and 1U networking trays to great effect:
The new PoE HAT will undoubtedly inspire many similar efforts, and the Raspberry Pi’s place as the homelabber’s go-to education and tinkering device seems solidified for the foreseeable future!
