// gear i actually run
Power-over-Ethernet the practical way: splitters and injectors for powering devices off your switch, plus the PoE HATs that turn a Raspberry Pi into a single-cable box. Match the 802.3 standard to your switch before you buy.
The links below are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. I only list gear I actually use or would recommend. Full disclosure.
Pulls power off a PoE port and hands a device 12V over a barrel jack — cameras, small APs, anything non-PoE. The 4-pack is the cheap-per-unit option for multiple drops.
Same idea, 5V over micro-USB for a Pi 3, a Pi Zero or a Dropcam. One cable to the device instead of a separate power run.
Gigabit pass-through with 5V USB-C out — the right splitter for a Pi 4 or other USB-C device when you don't want a PoE HAT inside the case.
The high-power option: 802.3bt input, USB-C PD output up to 20V, so it can run heavier loads like a Pi 5 or a small laptop off a capable switch. Your switch has to actually supply bt.
A tidy PoE-to-micro-USB adapter aimed at the Pi Zero and similar — one cable for data and power on a tiny board.
Adds PoE to a non-PoE switch for up to four drops. The budget way to power a handful of cameras or APs without replacing the switch.
Turns a Pi Zero into a one-cable box: PoE in, plus an RJ45 and three USB ports. Handy for a Zero doing a fixed networked job.
A Pi 5-specific 25W PoE HAT — the Pi 5 draws more, so use a HAT rated for it rather than a Pi 4 part. Fits the official Pi 5 case.
Beyond powering the Pi, it exposes 12V and 5V rails to drive peripherals from the same HAT. Useful when the Pi feeds a fan, screen or sensor.
Same single-cable Pi, plus a tiny OLED for IP or temperature at a glance. Nice for a rack of headless Pis you want to identify quickly.
An active-cooled PoE HAT built with rackmounting in mind. The pick if you're standing up several Pis in a proper enclosure.
PoE+ (802.3at) for more power headroom than plain af, with a cooling fan. Worth it if the Pi plus its peripherals push past what af delivers.
A solid budget PoE HAT with a small fan for the Pi 4 or 3B+. Does the single-cable job without the rackmount extras.
The isolated design is the one to choose when power quality or ground loops matter — cleaner separation between the PoE side and the Pi.
A 30W PoE+ HAT with a low-profile heatsink instead of a fan — quieter, and it keeps the stack thin. Good when noise matters more than max cooling.
One rule before you buy any of this: check what your switch actually supplies. 802.3af, at and bt are not interchangeable, and a HAT or splitter rated above what the switch delivers just will not power up.
Free download
The pre-deploy checks I run before any network goes live. Free, no spam.