WHAT IS CLASS 4 FAULT MANAGED POWER?
Provisioning power can be a significant obstacle due to the high costs and deployment delays associated with local power access. Networks should be able to support power and data over distances of hundreds of meters (feet) from a centralized core or MDF location reaching out to the edge of the network. Despite the great progress that Power over Ethernet (PoE) over traditional four-pair copper category cables has enabled over the past few decades, it is limited to 10Gbps speeds at distances of up to 100 m (328 ft). Single-pair ethernet (SPE), which transmits Ethernet via one pair of copper wires while simultaneously enabling the power supply to end devices with Power over Data Line (PoDL), has enabled distances of up to one kilometer but is limited to 10Mbps speeds. The limitations of these technologies make it difficult for them to keep up with the rapid expansion of digitally connected devices, systems, and applications. Limited-energy Class 2 or Class 4 circuits, as defined by the National Electric Code (NEC) Article 725, consisting of hybrid fiber/power cables, combined with either Class 2 power supplies or Class 4 fault managed power solutions respectively, deliver future-ready bandwidth over extended distances, providing robust solutions for the most demanding scenarios.
A fault managed power solution (FMPS) is a packeted energy transfer system that facilitates the transfer of high levels of power over non-power cables. It works similarly to how data packets travel over enterprise networks by combining data and DC power into packets that are subsequently transmitted and received by dedicated transmitters and receivers (Figure 1). An FMPS can drastically reduce the complexity, time, and costs associated with legacy edge-based networking deployments. The process starts with the transmitter that takes in AC or DC power and sends it out on individual electrical circuits. From there, a specialized FMPS cable distributes the power to receivers that receive the electricity packets before converting them into the required form (such as 57V DC). Hundreds of these energy packets are sent every second from a transmitter unit to a receiver unit, and safety checks are conducted in a fraction of a millisecond for each one sent. For faults such as improper wiring, a short circuit, or a person touching the transmission lines, the transmitter recognizes the condition in milliseconds and halts the transmission of packets, dramatically improving the safety surrounding the transfer of high-voltage power.
FIGURE 1: A Fault Managed Power (FMP) working process (Source: VoltServer, Inc.)
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January/February/March 2025
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