Use your network to power your serial devices!
Use your network to power your serial devices!
Power over Ethernet to RS-232 Converter
© 2007. All rights reserved. Black Box Corporation.
FREE 24-hour Tech Support: 724-746-5500
blackbox.com
2 of 3
9/10/2007
#12616
724-746-5500 blackbox.com
FEATURES
• IEEE 802.3af compatible.
• Autodetects 10- or 100-Mbps
connection.
• Configurable using a standard Web
browser.
• Simple plug-and-play operation.
• Alarms and e-mail alerts for event
notification.
• Includes configuration and management
software.
• Supports SNMP management.
Typical application
OVERVIEW
Eliminate the cost and clutter of power supplies when you
want to connect RS-232 serial devices to your LAN. With the
BLACK BOX
®
Power over Ethernet to RS-232 Converter, you
can use versatile Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology to
draw power through the Ethernet cable instead of separate
wall transformers and power cords.
Simple and cost-effective, the converter makes it easy
to connect serial printers, copiers, and other devices directly
to your Ethernet network. Your serial devices are no longer
limited to a physical connection to your PC COM port. Just
install the device anywhere on your network running TCP/IP
or UDP/IP communications, and use your Windows
®
PC to
access them through your LAN or WAN. The converter
operates transparently to network speed, detecting 10- or
100-Mbps interfaces automatically.
The converter features PoE operation. With PoE, you can
use a dedicated, in-line power sourcing equipment (PSE)
device in the middle of a span between your network switch
and the serial server to supply the power to your connected
devices. Or you can use an end-span device, such as a hub or
switch with integrated PoE capability, to supply power up to
100 feet (30.5 m) from the converter.
The Power over Ethernet to RS-232 Converter is ideal
for retail POS (point of sale), banking, telecom VoIP, factory
automation, and security applications, or anywhere you need
to provide power and data to lower-wattage devices, such as
IP telephones, wireless access points, or Web cameras.
Configure the converter using a standard Web browser
(the device has its own IP address), and you can obtain
network addresses dynamically or manually.
The included software features a serial port configuration
page that displays information on the device’s operating
mode and serial settings (baud rate, data bits, parity, stop
bits). It can be changed to match the parameters of a specific
serial device.
You can also configure a Power over Ethernet to RS-232
Converter to generate alarms and send notification e-mails to
you when a certain event occurs (for instance, if it detects
specified character patterns within the serial data stream).
Keep informed of activity by monitoring LEDs on the serial
server. A lit Link Integrity LED on the Ethernet jack indicates
that a connection has been established between the serial
server and a node on the network. And when the green
Network Activity LED (also on the Ethernet jack) flashes, it
means data is being sent across the network.
Power over Ethernet
to RS-232 Converter
(LPD401A)
Power over Ethernet
to RS-232 Converter
(LPD401A)
PC
Pure Networking
™
10-/100-/1000-Mbps Switch
(LGB2001A)
Point-of-sale (POS)
cash registers
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Hub (LP1024A)
3 of 3
9/10/2007
#12616
724-746-5500 blackbox.com
TECH SPECS
Approvals — FCC, CE
Client PC Requirements — Virtual COM port driver; discovery software;
Windows 98/Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows NT
®
4.0 OS
Communication Modes — Direct IP Mode, TCP Server Mode, UDP Server
Mode, Virtual COM Port Mode, Paired Mode, Terminal Mode, Modem
Emulations Mode, Console Management Mode, Custom Mode
Data Bit — 5, 6, 7, 8
Data Parity — Mark, space, none, even, odd
Flow Control — None, RTS/CTS, X-ON/X-OFF
Operation — Full or half-duplex (autodetecting)
Protocols — TCP, UDP, DHCP, SNMP, SSL/TLS, Telnet, RLOGIN, RFC 2217,
LPD, HTTP/HTTPS, SMTP, ICMP, IGMP, ARP
Serial Baud Rate — 50, 75, 110, 134, 150, 200, 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2400,
3600, 4800, 9600, 14,400, 19,200, 28,800, 38,400, 57,600, 115,200,
230,400 bps
Serial Support — TD, RD, RTS, CTS, DTR, DCD, DSR, GND
Speed — 10 or 100 Mbps (autodetecting)
Stop Bit — 1, 2
Interface — LAN: IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3af (spare or data pair)
Connectors — LAN: (1) RJ-45;
Serial: (1) DB9 M
Indicators — LAN Link, Data Activity
Temperature Tolerance — Operating: 32 to 158°F (0 to 70°C);
Storage: -40 to +185°F (-40 to +85°C)
Humidity Tolerance — 10 to 90%, noncondensing
Power — Input: 48 VDC via PoE Class 3
Size — 0.9"H x 3.8"W x 1.6"D (2.3 x 9.7 x 4.1 cm)
Item Code
Power over Ethernet to RS-232 Converter LPD401A
Power over Ethernet (PoE).
What is PoE?
The seemingly universal network connection, twisted-pair
Ethernet cable, has another role to play, providing electrical
power to low-wattage electrical devices. Power over Ethernet
(PoE) was ratified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) in June 2000 as the 802.3af-2003 standard.
It defines the specifications for low-level power delivery—
roughly 13 watts at 48 VDC—over twisted-pair Ethernet cable
to PoE-enabled devices such as IP telephones, wireless access
points, Web cameras, and audio speakers.
How does PoE work?
The way it works is simple. Ethernet cable that meets CAT5
(or better) standards consists of four twisted pairs of cable,
and PoE sends power over these pairs to PoE-enabled devices.
In one method, two wire pairs are used to transmit data,
and the remaining two pairs are used for power. In the other
method, power and data are sent over the same pair.
When the same pair is used for both power and data, the
power and data transmissions don’t interfere with each other.
Because electricity and data function at opposite ends of
the frequency spectrum, they can travel over the same cable.
Electricity has a low frequency of 60 Hz or less, and data
transmissions have frequencies that can range from 10 million
to 100 million Hz.
Basic structure.
There are two types of devices involved in PoE
configurations: Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) and Powered
Devices (PD).
PSEs, which include end-span and mid-span devices,
provide power to PDs over the Ethernet cable. An end-span
device is often a PoE-enabled network switch that’s designed
to supply power directly to the cable from each port. The
setup would look something like this:
End-span device → Ethernet with power
A mid-span device is inserted between a non-PoE device
and the network, and it supplies power from that juncture.
Here is a rough schematic of that setup:
Non-PoE switch → Ethernet without PoE → Mid-span
device → Ethernet with power
Power injectors, a third type of PSE, supply power to
a specific point on the network while the other network
segments remain without power.
PDs are pieces of equipment like surveillance cameras,
sensors, wireless access points, and any other devices that
operate on PoE.
Technically Speaking
PoE applications and benefits.
• Use one set of twisted-pair wires for both data and
low-wattage appliances.
• In addition to the applications noted earlier, PoE also works
well for video surveillance, building management, retail
video kiosks, smart signs, vending machines, and retail
point-of-information systems.
• Save money by eliminating the need to run electrical
wiring.
• Easily move an appliance with minimal disruption.
• If your LAN is protected from power failure by a UPS, the
PoE devices connected to your LAN are also protected from
power failure.
Loading...