Contributor I

POE version of the Play 1 (Power over Ethernet)

10 replies
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Power over Ethernet is great for lower powered equipment installed in remote locations. Perfect for IP cameras, WiFi hotspots, etc but I got to thinking, couldn't a Play 1 POE be made?

The current standard "802.11at" POE+ currently supports 25.5W of power which I believe is enough to power a Play 1 even at full volume?

Whilst a POE version wouldn't appeal to everyone, the same body could be used but in removing the AC/DC converter it could be made lighter and potentially cheaper? I have ethernet running all around my home and could make great use of POE Play 1, there are a few places I'd love to put some Play 1 but it would mean running ugly power leads or paying a high premium for an electrician to run hidden power cabling to new ugly sockets. The benefit of CAT 5 is that pretty much anybody can buy and install it and since POE is low voltage most countries don't require a qualified electrician to install. You've also go the benefit that it's connected to ethernet rather than using wireless Sonos grid which is even better.

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J

joris_1

Contributor I

Great idea !... Especially for a 5.1 setup... In my case i have now only standard audio cable's... these could be easy be changed in cat5E cable's.. so i can mount some play 1's in the same spot without the need of running power cable's on the wall.

U

upstatemike

This is a good idea but you can do almost the same thing if you put a Connect:Amp where you were going to place your POE switch or injector and then run speaker wire from there to a nice pair of bookshelf speakers where you want music but don't have power. I sometimes feel that folks get in the mode of thinking in terms of Play units and forget about the older (but far superior) Connect:Amp.

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kmjy

Prodigy III

I actually think this is a great idea. For a user like myself who wires all of my SONOS equipment it would be nice to just connect the Ethernet cable and have it run completely from that. It would also mean if I wanted to move my players around the house I could have an Ethernet cable there permanently for a plug-a-play use, rather than having to always unplug my power cable, pull it out from under my cabinet and then move it with the speaker.

Turn it up, it's Sonos!

MikeV

I'll happily support this as well, for all the reasons already mentioned! I have a couple of switches that are PoE-powered, which is great because then I don't have wall warts for them taking up outlets! As an added bonus, my PoE switch is on a UPS. So if power goes out, my Sonos devices (along with my modem, router, and switch) would all still have power!

Of course, it would probably need to be PoE+, which provides a bit more juice (30W per port, vs 15.4W with regular PoE)... might be needed to power the amplifier in the Play:1.

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G

gerrard

Trending Lyricist I

I agree. I have flood - wired ethernet including up high for e.g. alarm/cctv and being able to position a play1 up in the corner of the kitchen would be fantastic.

C

CalYankee

Lyricist I

Power over Ethernet is great for lower powered equipment installed in remote locations. Perfect for IP cameras, WiFi hotspots, etc but I got to thinking, couldn't a Play 1 POE be made?

The current standard "802.11at" POE+ currently supports 25.5W of power which I believe is enough to power a Play 1 even at full volume?

Whilst a POE version wouldn't appeal to everyone, the same body could be used but in removing the AC/DC converter it could be made lighter and potentially cheaper? I have ethernet running all around my home and could make great use of POE Play 1, there are a few places I'd love to put some Play 1 but it would mean running ugly power leads or paying a high premium for an electrician to run hidden power cabling to new ugly sockets. The benefit of CAT 5 is that pretty much anybody can buy and install it and since POE is low voltage most countries don't require a qualified electrician to install. You've also go the benefit that it's connected to ethernet rather than using wireless Sonos grid which is even better.:8

I couldn't agree more.

B

bbrendon

Lyricist II

Has anyone tried a Play 1 with PoE?

C

CalYankee

Lyricist I

POE is DC power. Sonos would need to develop a Play 1 capable of POE. I would prefer to power my Play one via POE as my whole home has cat 6 and I use POE for cameras. I would additionally inject the power also if needed.

D

Deadtime

Lyricist I

Internally, the Play 1 transforms the AC power input to 24-volt DC. You can find instructions online for modifying the Play 1 to attach a 24-volt DC plug - people are generally doing this to allow it to run off of batteries. It does require a little bit of soldering skill to do this.

Once you have a modified Play 1, you can use POE Splitter to supply the 24-volt DC, I'm using the Planet POE-162S splitter, and a 802.3at hub. I've successfully done this, and confirmed that it runs even with the volume at full blast.

If anyone has info as to how many watts the Play1 really needs, I'd love to hear. It seems 802.3at is providing plenty, it would be interesting to know if 802.3af is sufficient.

To bad sonos doesn't include this capability by default in their equipment... it's much easier/safer to run cat6 through your walls than line voltage, and cat6 has the added benefit that you then don't have to have the data signal going over wifi.

K

Kumar

To bad sonos doesn't include this capability by default in their equipment... it's much easier/safer to run cat6 through your walls than line voltage, and cat6 has the added benefit that you then don't have to have the data signal going over wifi.

Interesting information, that I had no idea about - of using ethernet cabling to carry power as well. With LED lighting also being widely used now, one can see a future where much of the wiring in the home can be reduced to just ethernet+low voltage power capable, with the regular wiring reserved for just the heavy loads like the ovens/fridges or the air conditioning? And in apartment complexes this would address the wireless interference issues from within and without the apartment, with internet enabled devices proliferating rapidly.

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